The 2024 Holden Beach Turtle Shirts are available!

You Can Support Our Efforts to Help the Turtles!

Celebrating 35 Years of Sea Turtle Conservation on Holden Beach!!

Shirts are now available at The Lighthouse Gifts Inc. on the Holden Beach causeway, at Turtle Talk and Turtle Time this summer and by mail - order shirts and other merchandise here!

About Us

The Holden Beach Turtle Watch Program
, (Turtle Patrol) was founded in 1989 to monitor and protect the sea turtle population on Holden Beach. This all volunteer, nonprofit conservation organization operates under the authority of the NC Wildlife Resources Commission (ES Permit 21ST11).

Baby Loggerhead TurtleBaby turtle headed to the ocean!

What we do!

Starting in May, volunteers begin a dawn patrol of the beach searching for turtle crawls and possible nests. Once a sea turtle crawl is found, a team of turtle patrol volunteers assembles at the crawl location to find the eggs. If the nest is in an unsafe location, the nest will be carefully moved to a safer area on the beach.  The nest site is then covered with a protective grating and marked off with stakes, ribbon and a warning sign. For the next 50-70 days of incubation the nest will be monitored for signs of an impending hatching.  At that time, turtle patrol members will start a nightly watch on the nest until all of the hatchlings are released. The nest is then opened and an inventory is taken to account for any unhatched or non-fertile egg and insure that all live babies make it to the ocean.  This process is repeated with each and every nest. The season ends in October when the last nest hatches.

About Us

Found a mother turtle laying a nest? A stranded or injured sea turtle and/or unattended hatchlings?

Call the HBTWP Stranding Team at:
910-754-0766   24/7/365

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Updates
The Statistics For 2024
Current Nest Count
False Crawls
0
0
Total Known Eggs
Total Baby Turtles to Ocean
0
0

Most Recent News:

Turtle Season will be here soon!

posted: February 9, 2024, 4:56 PM

The 2024 Turtle Season on Holden Beach will start on May 1. If you're interested in becoming a HBTP volunteer, now is the time to apply. Send a message to Pat Cusack our Program Coordinator from this website's Contact page or directly to coordinator@hbturtlewatch.org for an application or to learn ...click to read more of this news article.

Donation to the Turtle Hospital

posted: February 2, 2024, 2:22 PM

The Holden Beach Turtle Watch Program (also known as the Holden Beach Turtle Patrol) recently donated to the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center (KBSTRRC). Sick or injured sea turtles found on our beach are taken to this turtle hospital in Surf City, NC for care and rehabilitation. ...click to read more of this news article.

The 2024 Shirt Committee

posted: January 26, 2024, 9:16 AM

The 2024 shirt committee has been working hard this winter and the 2024 shirt is now available! Committee members just picked up the order for the year. See history of the 2024 shirt in the photo section of this website. You can order them by mail at the SHOP link, ...click to read more of this news article.

Annual end-of-the-year celebration

posted: November 19, 2023, 1:26 PM

Do you recognize any of these folks all dressed up without their red shirts? Congratulations to all for a wonderful season. ...click to read more of this news article.

Get them while you can!

posted: November 3, 2023, 8:03 AM

We had a great weekend meeting folks at the Festival By the Sea! Thanks to everyone who came by our booth! We have almost sold out of all of the 2023 T-shirts! These shirts are only available for this year and we won't be ordering more. Right now, the only ...click to read more of this news article.

Completed our 35th season

posted: October 9, 2023, 8:26 AM

The final nest on our beach was inventoried on Sunday October 8 marking the end of the turtle season. The team found 35 empty shells, 9 non viable eggs and 1 live baby that was sent along its way to the ocean. The official statistics for the year: 75 nests. ...click to read more of this news article.

Historical Data
 
About Us

As recommended by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission, it is the policy of the HBTWP to NOT disclose the locations or potential hatch dates of active turtle nests on our beach. A listing of nest locations will NOT be published in newspapers, on this website or on other social media. Please don't call the emergency number or contact the Project Coordinator to ask about nests. This is for the safety of the turtles!

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