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Tracking Turtles on the Treasure Coast
Destinations · November 1, 2002

The turtle eggs drop like marshmallows into a neat pile on the sand. Plop, plop, plop. After each fall, the six-foot-long loggerhead, half-buried in a dune above, waves her enormous back fins as if she's swimming away.

"I can't bear to watch this," groans a woman holding a newborn baby, who is standing a safe distance from the midnight birthing scene. "One of these is enough for me."

During sea turtle nesting season at Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge near Vero Beach, Fla., which happens from March to September, thousands of marine turtles take the beach here, laying up to one hundred eggs each under cover of darkness. The new mom among us cringes when she hears that number. One hundred eggs.

"Is it painful?" she asks the park ranger who is with us.

"Probably not as painful as having a baby," says the ranger.

The other members of our group, made up mostly of local conservationists and tourism officials, chuckle - but not too loudly, because they don't want to interfere with the nighttime delivery. We're getting a rare first-hand look at nesting sea turtles. The regular turtle-watching tours don't include a view of the beachfront maternity ward because it's considered too intrusive.

The decade-old Carr refuge is the nation's only park specifically designed to protect sea turtles. This 20-mile stretch of land between Wabasso Beach and Melbourne Beach along Florida's Treasure Coast attracts more nesting turtles than any other place in the United States. Visiting Carr is a great spring-break alternative to a theme park, if for no other reason than that it can bring you face-to-face with a real endangered species.

Plus, you get to see one of Florida's last stretches of unspoiled shore - vast tracts of undeveloped beach that will be protected from condominiums and high-rise hotels for generations to come.

What's so special about seeing a marine turtle up close? If you've ever snorkeled or scuba dived, you've probably seen these shelled swimmers in their natural habitat. Underwater, a loggerhead or a leatherback is fast and elusive. The moment you've spotted one it disappears behind a reef. But on land, you can see what you're missing. Sea turtles don't move as elegantly in the sugary sand, but you can appreciate their size and marvel at the intricate patterns on their shells. They're gorgeous.

Our group leaves just after nightfall, when the pregnant turtles begin their journey from the Atlantic toward shore. Earlier, in a briefing at the ranger station, we're told why a refuge like this is necessary in the first place. Sea turtles are threatened by development (the light from homes can confuse the hatchlings) and predators, both animal and human. Why would a person intentionally harm a turtle? Among certain ethnic groups, marine turtle eggs are thought to have aphrodisiac qualities. They can fetch up to $30 on the black market.

It looks like a busy night in the turtle maternity ward. A dozen or so marine biologists and volunteers are scouting the shoreline for tracks. Turtles leave telltale markings in the sand that look like the single tread of a tank. The scouts are buzzing over their walkie-talkies.

"I've got a loggerhead," says a voice, barely able to contain his excitement. "Big one."

"We'll be right over," says our guide, refuge ranger Joanna Taylor.

The scouts are on the lookout for three types of protected marine turtles. The loggerhead is the most common, with its yellow-brown coloring and a hard shell with a beehive pattern. The green turtle looks almost identical to the loggerhead, except that it's darker, almost green-brown. And the leatherback, the rarest, has a thick rubbery shell that's looks kind of like a night sky full of stars.

We file along the beach quietly. Taylor is trying to point out other turtle tracks in the sand, but the sound of the crashing waves makes it difficult to hear. The scouts, she is trying to explain, are here to do research on the turtles - and, at times, to make sure no one interferes with their egg-laying.

A scout has already cleared the sand away from underneath the loggerhead so that we can get a look at the fresh eggs. Under a full moon we see what looks like a giant beetle from the film Starship Troopers perched motionlessly on top of the sand dune. Taylor shines her flashlight on the eggs, and then the mysterious silhouette takes on the shape of a giant turtle, still unmoving except for its back fins, which gesture with each egg drop.

For a few moments no one says a word. We just watch the turtle lay her eggs. Then the group disperses - some to talk with the ranger, others to get a closer look at the loggerhead.

The mom walks down to the beach with her newborn and gazes into the dark ocean where the turtle came from.

If you go ...

How to get there: Vero Beach is a two-hour drive from Orlando and about 2 ½ hours north of Miami by car.

Where to stay: The closest major hotel to the park is Disney's Vero Beach Resort (561) 234-2000, which is a good bet if you're taking the family here for turtle-watching. The hotel offers a number of outdoor activities, including a large swimming pool and access to the beach. During peak turtle-watching season rooms are about $190 a night.

Where to go: Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge, just north of Melbourne Beach along highway A1A, offers public-use opportunities such as swimming, surfing and fishing during the day. For information on nighttime turtle-watching tours, call (772) 562-3909 or go online.

Other activities: Don't miss a tour of the Kennedy Space Center, just an hour's drive north. You can board a full-scale replica of the Space Shuttle, view exhibits about the space program and take a look at the launch viewing areas. (Admission is $26 plus tax for adults, $16 plus tax for kids). For more information, call (321) 449-4444 or go online.

For more information: Call Indian River County Chamber of Commerce at (561) 567-3491 or visit its Web site.

Christopher Elliott is a travel commentator based in Key Largo, Fla.