By Sarah Friday 



il of the Fittest 



Sea Turtles Survived the Age of the Dinosaur . . . 

 Can They Survive the Age of IVIan? 



the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, 

 believes increased development at the coast also has 

 caused declines in populations. 



Pollution, toxic waste, agricultural runoff and other 

 environmental hazards alter turtle foraging grounds. 

 And beachfront development destroys nesting habitats. 



Brooks says the turtles aren't used to people, lights 

 and activity. 



"Developed beaches are seeing fewer and fewer 

 turtles coming to their area," he says. "And natural 

 beaches like Bald Head are seeing more and more.' ' 



Donnelly believes the turtles' problems may have 

 broader implications. 



"What is happening to turtles may be happening to 

 other species," she says. "To me, it's an indicator of 

 the health of the ocean ... or the nonhealth." 



Without these ancient reptiles, Webster fears nature 

 would lose a vital cog in the cycles of marine ecology. 

 There would be repercussions throughout the food 

 chain, he says. 



But today, conservationists are doing their part to en- 

 sure that those repercussions are never felt. 



The CEE pushed the National Marine Fisheries Ser- 

 vice to adopt regulations that will require shrimpers to 

 equip their boats with turtle excluder devices. They've 

 battled oil companies to stop the dynamiting of aban- 

 doned oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico, a prime turtle 

 habitat. 



Internationally, the CEE and other environmental 



groups have worked feverishly to stop the trade in turtle 

 products. 



And the turtles have plenty of local support, too. 



Florida plays host to 95 percent of the nation's 

 nesting loggerheads and, now, to numerous organiza- 

 tions concerned about their survival. 



Other states such as North Carolina, South Carolina 

 and Georgia are helping also. Some of the most popular 

 programs, like Bald Head's "Turtle Watch," monitor 

 seasonal sea turtle nesting and hatching activities. 



To Donnelly, this kind of local involvement is the 

 solution to the sea turtles' plight. 



