The Island Turtle Team patrols Isle of Palms and Sullivan's Island beaches every nesting season from May to August. Pairs of volunteers head out in the morning at sunrise to check for turtle tracks coming up on the beach from the ocean. Our islands are primarily visited by Loggerhead Turtles. Occasionally, we will get a Green Turtle and one year we had a Leatherback come up to nest. If the volunteers find tracks, they call the core group. This is a team of volunteers who are specially trained to determine if a nest has been laid and evaluate the conditions. If the turtle has laid the nest below the high tide line, the nest will be relocated to a more suitable spot where the eggs can safely incubate. The nest location is marked, recorded and monitored until the hatchlings have made their way to the sea.

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