January 7, 2013

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Yesterday late afternoon, I met the Earthwatch team. There are approximately 8 biologists and 7 volunteers, including myself. The Field Coordinator gave us a tour of the facilities and explained what our role as a volunteer would be. We soon found out that we would be leaving for our first turtle night watch in just a few hours! Leatherbacks are still nesting this time of year, and they only come to the beach at night the lay eggs.

The night patrols are an essential component of the scientists’ research. The scientists monitor how many turtles come to Playa Grande to nest each night and how many eggs are laid, among other things. The scientists tag each turtle that comes to the beach, so they can monitor her behavior and keep track of her nesting abilities (don’t worry; this tagging process doesn’t hurt them). A mature female leatherback can lay 60-70 eggs in one clutch. I also learned that the same turtle comes back to nest again in approximately 10 days. And she does this about 8 times a season! The scientists actually have a “turtle calendar” and can predict approximately when each turtle will come to nest.

At 7:00 p.m., we split into groups, each with a biologist and two volunteers. Each group patrolled a different section of the beach. We were looking for leatherback tracks. How incredibly dark it was! Playa Grande is a national park, so no tourists are allowed on the beach at night. Also, building is restricted. The few buildings that dot the beach are also supposed to use red lights on their porches, instead of the usual bright lights. Students, do you know why?

Walking in the sand at night proved to be much more of a challenge than I realized! My eyes finally adjusted to the dark before I tripped over any rocks. We walked our section carefully, scouring the sand for tracks, but no luck. We walked for twenty minutes, and then rested for twenty minutes. We continued this cycle to ensure no leatherback would go unnoticed.  It was fascinating to chat with the biologist as we searched for the giants.

At 12:30 a.m. our shift ended. Although I was not witness to any leatherback nesting this night, the other two groups each saw one. Hopefully, I will be lucky to cross tracks with a leatherback tonight!