Ecological Associates, Inc. | EAI Environmental Services

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January 20, 2025

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Our EAI Team is influencing change on the East Coast of Florida

Congratulations to our very own Joseph Scarola, Niki Desjardin, Matthew Scripter and former EAI founders Robert Ernest and Erik Martin for their hard work and dedication to the recent publication Changes in Loggerhead Sea Turtle Nesting Behavior on a Nourished Beach in Southeast Florida | Journal of Coastal Research.  This article was focused on Martin County beaches that were renourished in 2013 to analyze the nesting behaviors of loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta).

This study was made possible by a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) grant (Project No. 9933.12.026318) awarded to Martin County and included the assistance of many other organizations to collect, analyze and review the data for publication. Overall, our team found that the additional beach sand led to reduced nesting success in the year following nourishment and suggests changes in beach profile templates are necessary for future nourishment projects in order to improve the slope changes that these turtles face during their nesting journey. We are proud to be on the leading edge of coastal research and protecting a threatened species that depends heavily on South Florida’s beaches for survival.

(A) Representative profile of a naturally sloped beach within the study area, Hutchinson Island, Martin County, Florida.
(B) Loggerhead sea turtle observed during a rare daytime event.