More than 2 million sea turtle hatchlings have now made it out of nests on the beach at Disney’s Vero Beach Resort, the Disney Conservation team estimates, after more than 20 years of watching over the sand. This season also set a record of its own, with almost 1,500 loggerhead nests on the beach.
The milestone belongs to the cast members who walk that stretch of Florida coastline every nesting season. Disney shared the news on the Disney Parks Blog along with a look at the people behind it.
What The Conservation Team Does
Disney’s Vero Beach Resort is a Disney Vacation Club property on Florida’s Atlantic coast, and its beach is a nesting spot for loggerhead and green sea turtles. The Disney Conservation team has been working there since 2003, documenting nests and collecting data season after season.
Much of that work happens before any hatchling reaches the water. Cast members use high-accuracy GPS units to record where turtles crawl up the beach and where they nest, building a detailed picture of nesting patterns that helps guide how the beach is managed in the future.
“This is so special because it represents years of cast members showing up for sea turtles, collecting data, and building on what we learn together,” said Emily, a conservation programs manager on the team. “It’s a celebration of the people who make this work possible, season after season.”
Kristen, a Conservation and Science Technician who works with the turtles, said every day on the beach brings something new. “It’s rewarding to know that the information we collect season after season can help us better understand and protect these incredible animals,” she said.
A Record Year For Loggerheads
The almost 1,500 loggerhead nests recorded this year is a new high for the beach. Years of data let the team compare one season to the next, spot changes and figure out what questions to ask going forward.
“The milestone is exciting, but so is the work that comes next,” Emily said. “What we learn this season helps shape the questions we ask next season.”
Following Turtles Out To Sea
Disney’s work also reaches past the beach. Through the Sea Turtle Conservancy’s Tour de Turtles, scientists follow satellite-tracked sea turtles sponsored by Disney Cruise Line and the Disney Conservation Fund as they swim away from their nesting beaches. The tracking shows where the turtles travel and which habitats they use once they leave the shore.
Next year will be the 20th year of Tour de Turtles. The Disney Conservation Fund has been busy elsewhere this fall too, putting $1 million into Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots.
For Disney Vacation Club members staying at Vero Beach, the work is happening right outside their rooms. Nesting season on Florida’s Atlantic coast runs through the warmer months, so the next chance to see the team in action comes when the turtles return next year.
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