Hay bales on Bradenton Beach safeguard sea turtles
The Brief
The 2024 hurricane season washed away sand dunes, sea oats and other vegetation which helped protect nesting sea turtles.
Hay bales are now used to help block light and keep turtles on the right track.
A female loggerhead sea turtle was recently rescued from inside a swimming pool after bypassing two fences.
BRADENTON BEACH, Fla. - Bradenton Beach saw extreme damage from hurricanes Helene and Milton. Not only were homes and businesses destroyed, but were the beach dunes and all the vegetation that helps protect the coastline and the animals that visit the beach, including sea turtles. Right now, as Florida enters peak nesting season, Manatee County came up with a unique idea to protect nesting.
OTHER NEWS: Turtle nests delay temporary fix to Manasota Key Road
Hurricane Helene's storm surge washed away dunes, sea oats and local vegetation. All played a role in protecting sea turtles and their hatchlings from light that can disorient or confuse them.
What they're saying
"We were all trying to find out about what we could do to help the turtles so we could keep them from getting into the road. We wanted to be proactive, we wanted to be preventative and make sure the turtles were safe," said Kristen Mazzarella, the Executive Director of the Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird monitoring.
The backstory
Manatee County Natural Resources came up with the idea. Crews went to work and staked organic, seed-free hay as barriers for the turtles.
Seed-free hay ensures nothing will take root on Bradenton Beach that doesn't belong there and helps keep the beach as natural as possible.
The Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch was pleased with the idea.
"The hay bales are here blocking the rock revetments, so the hatchlings can make their way into the rock revetments. Also, it's blocking the adult turtles from getting into the road. There's a lot of areas they'd have direct access into the road, and it's turning them to a different direction," said Mazzarella.
With the hay bales now in place, Manatee County and the Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch are asking visitors to keep their hands off and let the hay do its job. In keeping the turtles safe through another nesting season with a few new challenges.
What's next
As of June 5, 2024, the Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch documented 149 turtle nests along the beaches of Anna Maria Island. If you find a sea turtle in distress (adult or hatchling), call AMITW at 941-301-8434 or FWC at 888-404-3922.
The Source
Information was gathered by FOX 13's Kimberly Kuizon.
STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA:
Download the FOX Local app for your smart TV
Download FOX Local mobile app: Apple | Android
Download the FOX 13 News app for breaking news alerts, latest headlines
Download the SkyTower Radar app
Sign up for FOX 13's daily newsletter
Follow FOX 13 on YouTube
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Kiel house fire near 6th and Chicago; stovetop left on; $25K in damage
The Brief Kiel Fire & Rescue responded to the scene of a house fire on Friday morning, June 6. Firefighters located the fire in the kitchen. The cause of the fire was determined to be accidental in nature, resulting from the stove top being left on. KIEL, Wis. - A home in Kiel was damaged by a fire on Friday morning, June 6. Crews were called to the area of 6th and Chicago around 2:20 a.m. What we know When firefighters arrived at the scene, they found smoke coming from the building. It was confirmed that all occupants had evacuated, and the Kiel Police Department assisted in evacuating residents from the upstairs unit. Firefighters located the fire in the kitchen. Crews quickly secured the area, ventilated the home to eliminate lingering smoke, and conducted overhaul operations to check for fire extension. FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android A working smoke detector alerted the occupants in the lower unit, enabling the three individuals who were asleep at the time to evacuate before fire crews arrived. The cause of the fire was determined to be accidental in nature, resulting from the stove top being left on and combustible items being left on or near the stove top. There were no injuries to the occupants or responding personnel. The preliminary damage estimate is $25,000. The Source The information in this post was provided by Kiel Fire & Rescue.
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Yahoo
Hay bales on Bradenton Beach safeguard sea turtles
The Brief The 2024 hurricane season washed away sand dunes, sea oats and other vegetation which helped protect nesting sea turtles. Hay bales are now used to help block light and keep turtles on the right track. A female loggerhead sea turtle was recently rescued from inside a swimming pool after bypassing two fences. BRADENTON BEACH, Fla. - Bradenton Beach saw extreme damage from hurricanes Helene and Milton. Not only were homes and businesses destroyed, but were the beach dunes and all the vegetation that helps protect the coastline and the animals that visit the beach, including sea turtles. Right now, as Florida enters peak nesting season, Manatee County came up with a unique idea to protect nesting. OTHER NEWS: Turtle nests delay temporary fix to Manasota Key Road Hurricane Helene's storm surge washed away dunes, sea oats and local vegetation. All played a role in protecting sea turtles and their hatchlings from light that can disorient or confuse them. What they're saying "We were all trying to find out about what we could do to help the turtles so we could keep them from getting into the road. We wanted to be proactive, we wanted to be preventative and make sure the turtles were safe," said Kristen Mazzarella, the Executive Director of the Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird monitoring. The backstory Manatee County Natural Resources came up with the idea. Crews went to work and staked organic, seed-free hay as barriers for the turtles. Seed-free hay ensures nothing will take root on Bradenton Beach that doesn't belong there and helps keep the beach as natural as possible. The Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch was pleased with the idea. "The hay bales are here blocking the rock revetments, so the hatchlings can make their way into the rock revetments. Also, it's blocking the adult turtles from getting into the road. There's a lot of areas they'd have direct access into the road, and it's turning them to a different direction," said Mazzarella. With the hay bales now in place, Manatee County and the Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch are asking visitors to keep their hands off and let the hay do its job. In keeping the turtles safe through another nesting season with a few new challenges. What's next As of June 5, 2024, the Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch documented 149 turtle nests along the beaches of Anna Maria Island. If you find a sea turtle in distress (adult or hatchling), call AMITW at 941-301-8434 or FWC at 888-404-3922. The Source Information was gathered by FOX 13's Kimberly Kuizon. STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA: Download the FOX Local app for your smart TV Download FOX Local mobile app: Apple | Android Download the FOX 13 News app for breaking news alerts, latest headlines Download the SkyTower Radar app Sign up for FOX 13's daily newsletter Follow FOX 13 on YouTube
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Belton addresses outdoor warning system malfunction
BELTON, Mo. — A Cass County suburb said its outdoor warning sirens are working once again. Those same sirens did not immediately activate Tuesday as tornado warnings were issued. On Thursday, people in Belton may have heard outdoor warning sirens going off, but it was just a test. We're told the issues that happened on Tuesday are now resolved. View the latest Weather Alerts in the Kansas City region on FOX4 The City of Belton shared video with FOX4. On Thursday, the city tested the outdoor warning sirens as part of ongoing troubleshooting efforts making sure the system works properly. This, after their sirens didn't immediately sound Tuesday, according to Director of Emergency Management Claire Canaan. 'It's not a good thing to find, but it's also a good thing to find because we can address it and help save lives,' Canaan said. On Tuesday, when a tornado warning was issued for parts of Cass County, including Belton, Canaan said they recognized a disruption in the signal that sets off the sirens throughout the city. Her team tried a backup method, which also didn't go through. Finally, a secondary method of activation worked. The issue, 'Some equipment that we needed to update, the radio needed some maintenance done to it,' Canaan said. Crews spent the next two days ensuring the equipment was connected and work the way it's supposed to. Canaan said on Thursday city staff stood at all 18 siren locations across Belton to monitor and confirm performance. 'They all worked the way they're supposed to,' she said. It's important because it is a method of notification for people. It is a part of our multiple alerting warning for severe weather and when that doesn't work, we do try to rely on that but we always try to emphasize to have multiple methods of notification for reasons like this.' Download the FOX4 News app on iPhone and Android 'We were also able to get staff at each one of our siren locations and be able to visually tell us that, 'Yes, that siren is operating the way it was supposed to.' If it had a message that it put out that, that was working correctly, that it was sounding, it was turning, that it was in operation,' Canaan said, 'that everything was working correctly.' They tested the outdoor warning system in May. She said at that time, it was good to go. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
