BY DAVID WALKER
4:15 A.M. The Search is On!
From June to December, female sea turtles begin to arrive at Los Cabos beaches in a mass nesting event (known as arribada) to bury their eggs.
This morning, cell phones began to ring, text messages started, and a small army of dedicated conservationists got out of bed early, heading to those beaches.
The adult male and female sea turtles have returned to our shores to mate. The females of the Golfina species are estimated to begin their reproductive cycle after 13 years of age. Female turtles come together in their breeding grounds at sea and mate with different males. They get all the pleasure and then beat it and we do all the work!! No wonder the little ones have “mommy issues.”
This cycle lasts about a week whereupon the females come to our beaches to lay their eggs, sometimes more than once. After mating, the male swims off.
These sea turtles have been on the endangered species list for years. The search is now on for those nests!
Somewhere between Migriño, through the Médano Beach, the tourist corridor, San José del Cabo, Cabo del Este, and culminating in La Ribera, (a total of 82 miles of coastline), volunteers travel the beaches in search of a female sea turtle spawning or nesting several meters from the shore.
The female manages the whole nesting process in just 60 minutes, using her flippers to dig a hole approximately 18 to 20 inches deep, and then depositing approximately 100 offspring (white eggs with soft shells). Finally, she covers the nest to camouflage it from predators, after which she heads back to the ocean. Sea turtles can live up to 1,000 miles away from the nesting sites.
Trained volunteers have gathered at the appropriate coordinates where mother turtles are nesting. They identify the positions of the nests quickly and they safely and professionally remove the eggs from these very public areas in Los Cabos.
The eggs are then counted, tagged, and carefully transported to the nearest hatchery or the municipal hatchery in San Jose del Cabo. These fenced-in man-made hatcheries are efficiently managed by the Municipality of Los Cabos. The one in San Jose happens to be located near the Vidanta Hotel.
A small team of municipal staff are under the direction of biologist Gabriel Olvera, who is committed to preserving this species. They know that, along with whales, these sea turtles contribute much to our economy with the many ecotourism opportunities available.
11 P.M. Reburied and Tagged
It is now mid-morning and a soft on-shore breeze is flapping the official sea turtle flag at the hatchery. Work has commenced to carefully dig new nests for the freshly gathered eggs. The nests are approximately a foot and a half deep and hold up to 100 fertilized eggs. The mother’s offspring are buried together and promptly identified using a black pen and a wooden marker. The nest number, the date of laying, how many eggs the mother laid, and the probable hatching date are recorded on the marker. There is additional data meticulously collected by the Biologist, such as the temperature, humidity levels, etc. The hatchery looks a bit like a massive cemetery with scores of marker stakes sticking up, but instead of indicators of death, these markers are indicators of future life! The eggs are incubated in place for approximately 45 days at which time, most of the 100 eggs in just one of these nests will hatch at the same time. Interestingly, the sex of the turtles is determined by the temperature of the sand. Cooler temperatures produce males, but if the sand is warmer, more females will be born.
All of this voluntary activity helps strengthen the odds that this endangered species will see more offspring survive. It will mitigate the damage done to the babies by flying predators (seagulls, for example), stray dogs or, unfortunately, dogs without a leash, human activity on our public beaches, and the effects of light and plastic pollution on our beaches.
1 P.M. Birthing!
The sun beats down on the hot sand, but there are no complaints. Under the tents that dot the fenced hatchery next to the Vidanta Hotel, the turtle flag still flies. On this day, twenty-two faithful local volunteers gathered at the hatchery for a few hours of back-breaking work. The next wave of incubating eggs is ready to be dug up. Led by the municipal staff, this team of volunteers is divided into nest diggers and qualified judges.
First, leaders identify on the sticks the appropriate nests that were buried approximately 45 days earlier. Then, each volunteer removes the 15 inches of sand that has covered the eggs. Slowly, very slowly, two possible things will appear. Soft-sided white eggs will be revealed, containing a turtle that is not yet ready to hatch. But in most cases, the volunteer's gloved hand carefully picks up a newborn little baby turtle. They are a squirming mass, deep in the sand, surrounded by scores of their brothers and sisters, newly broken free of their shell.
Their evolutionary instincts cry out to climb the distance to the surface of the sand and reach the seashore to swim to their forever home.
Hour after hour, what would normally be an arduous journey for newborn turtles, and then a frightening and dangerous exposure to predators such as flocks of seagulls and other predators, these volunteers carefully and safely carry out this exhausting work. Hundreds of healthy, newborn turtles will be deposited in several large containers, ready to go. Those that are not quite ready are returned to the nest, which is then freshly tagged and catalogued to await another day to be unearthed.
These tiny turtles wiggle around in their container and become more energetic as the afternoon hours pass.
5:00 P.M. Safely Off to Their Forever Home!
The children are buzzing. Various school groups from San José del Cabo have gathered around the volunteer educators with buckets of hundreds of squirming baby turtles. They intently listen to this exquisite circle of life story that is played out right here on their home beaches.
The little turtles have lost some of their water during the hatching process, so their survival and ability to perform when they enter the ocean depends on a speedy trip to the ocean for much-needed hydration. Without volunteer helpers on our public beaches, many baby turtles are caught by debris, especially plastics. Easily trapped, they die from dehydration in the hot sun.
So, the moment arrives.
On this day the volunteers carry over 10,000 miniature turtles to the high bank of the ocean’s edge! Marching behind them are scores of students, adults and fascinated tourists. Evolution has taught these little hatchlings to crawl forward toward the horizon that is the lightest. Unfortunately, on some public beaches, the hatchlings will crawl toward the light pollution of the beach resorts and die, never reaching the water.
A line is drawn in the sand behind which the crowds stand. They are warned by several loud volunteers not to walk anywhere in front of that line. As the sun starts to set over the mountains on the horizon, thousands of miniature sea turtles are spilled out of their containers along a horizontal line at the water’s edge.
Instantly, they begin crawling en masse toward the rolling tides. Soon the sand is spotted with these creatures crawling toward the crashing waves. It’s like the earth is moving. The little sprinters are first, followed faithfully by the middle and distance runners! Waves roll over those leaders and off they go. The rhythm of the waves envelops more and more of this army of crawling babies. Tossed and turned and tumbled they go off floating into their forever home. With the swift aid of the volunteers, getting into the water safely and quickly after hatching ensures their water/ion balance is working through their salt glands after entering the water.
Our thriving eco-based tourism depends on this wonderful partnership between the leadership of our Municipality, the generous contributions of our business community, and those tour groups that highlight this amazing experience to our visitors. But nothing compares to the incredible dedication of the hundreds of local volunteers who give so generously of their time from before dawn to dusk.
For further information on how you can help please contact the General Management of Ecology and Environment of Los Cabos or the Turtle Rescue groups in Pescadero at #612-203-4192
David Walker is a sketch artist and sports participant enthusiast living in San Jose del Cabo/Vancouver - #poemsandphotosbydw. ,
