Sag Harbor Event to Focus on Turtle Awareness & Wildlife Education
It’s Turtle Time,” a community event centered on turtle awareness and wildlife education, will be held Saturday, May 16, from 1 to 3 p.m. at Kidd Squid Brewing Co. in Sag Harbor as part of Turtle Awareness Month.
The event, presented in collaboration with Turtle Rescue of the Hamptons, will feature live turtles and tortoises along with educational materials about local conservation efforts. Representatives from the organization will be onsite to share information about turtle nesting, road safety and ways residents can help protect turtle populations across the East End.
Turtle nesting season typically begins when nighttime temperatures reach about 60°s F. During this period, turtles are most active at dawn and dusk and often cross roadways to reach nesting areas.
Organizers said an estimated 150 to 200 turtles in Suffolk County die each year or are euthanized before reaching rehabilitation, most often due to vehicle strikes. Recovery for injured turtles can take one to two years, and population replacement is slow, with up to 10 years needed to replace a single lost female turtle. Only a small percentage of hatchlings survive to adulthood.
The event will include informal educational presentations from a wildlife expert, along with the distribution of turtle crossing signs and event merchandise aimed at promoting safety and awareness.
The program is free and open to the public.
Vetted Hamptons Resources
