Community Corner

Sea Turtle Nests Return, Mosquitoes Persist at Island Parks

Now that all parts of Honeymoon Island State Park are back open to visitors, biologists are finding that sea turtle and seabird nests lost because of Tropical Storm Debby are returning, a park official said Monday. Mosquitoes, however, are rampant.

Nesting areas lost at and Caladesi island state parks  last week are slowly reappearing, but standing water is creating another concern, Peter Krulder, park manager, said Monday.

Krulder said a "significant amount of beach" was lost because of Debby last week, also claiming all the sea turtle nests on Honeymoon Island and Caladesi Island — five total — and an unknown number of were wiped out. 

So far, Krulder said his biologists found three sea turtles returned to nest — one at Honeymoon and two at Caladesi. Each nest can hold up to 120 eggs, according to a Clearwater Marine Aquarium official.

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Krulder said biologists also spotted some seabird chicks on Three Rooker Island over the weekend.

The biggest concern at the moment, he said, are the mosquitoes.

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“The mosquitoes will carry you away,” he said.

Two parking lots and the northern part of the island were closed because of flooding last week. People were not allowed in the sea until Wednesday. All of the roads were reopened on Friday. But signs of flooding were still apparent on Monday; standing water remains on the northern part of the island and has caused a serious .

Krulder said mosquito control should help at the park. In the meantime, visitors should be prepared to combat the problem using mosquito repellent.


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