To protect sea turtle nests, three keys closed in Ten Thousand Islands Refuge

Panther Key, Coon Key and Round Key in the Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge will be closed through September to protect endangered sea turtles nesting in fewer numbers there.

“It used to be that we only got poachers and people doing illegal activities on the islands at night during the summer,” said Ben Nottingham, manager of the Ten Thousand Islands refuge. “But now, because of the general awareness of the islands, we tend to get more campers and fishers that can bother the nests.”

In July, August and September, when it's hotter and more humid, there are significantly fewer campers than during the winter.

More:Red tide, Irma, artificial lighting hurt sea turtle nesting season in Collier County

More:Hundreds of sea turtles washing up dead on SWFL beaches; red tide likely killer

It's the second year in a row the wildlife refuge, southeast of Marco Island, has closed Panther Key, Coon Key and Round Key during sea turtle nesting season.

“If we didn’t clear the beaches, we worry that some of the hatchlings could get trapped,”  Nottingham said.

The refuge monitors Panther Key, Coon Key, White Horse Key, Turtle Key, Gullivan Key and Round Key during the nesting season.

The number of nests found has declined over the years from 365 nests found in 1997 to just 119  last year.

As of this week, the wildlife refuge is monitoring 119 nests on the three keys it closed.

Storms such as Hurricane Irma and sea level rise have changed the landscape on the keys, destroying some of the natural habitat and shrinking the beach areas where sea turtles can nest, Nottingham said.

Video:Baby sea turtles hatch on Marco Island, Florida

More:'Overflowing babies!' Baby sea turtles are hatching and crawling toward the Gulf across Collier

The endangered green and Kemp’s ridley sea turtles and threatened loggerhead sea turtles nest in the wildlife refuge.

Last year only 15 nests had hatchlings before the season was cut short by Hurricane Irma. This year on the six keys that the refuge monitors, 27 nests have had hatchlings so far.

In other parts of Collier County, 353 sea turtle nests have had hatchlings this year, compared with 278 all of last year, according to county figures.

Sea turtle nesting season starts in May and runs through September.