PAWLEYS ISLAND, SC (WBTW) – Dozens of people gathered on the beach to catch a glimpse of a species that hasn’t been spotted in Pawleys Island in ten years.
Volunteers with South Carolina United Turtle Enthusiasts dug up green sea turtle eggs in Pawleys Island on Sunday night. They counted a total of 81 eggs, and almost 70 of them hatched successfully. The green sea turtle is an endangered species. There are approximately 5,000 sea turtle nests in the state, and only 14 of them are for green sea turtles. This is only the second time in 30 years S.C.U.T.E has recorded seeing green sea turtle nests in Pawleys Island. “It is a species that needs protection. And we feel that we can protect at our beaches here in South Carolina,” said S.C.U.T.E. Volunteer Coordinator Mary Schneider.
S.C.U.T.E. volunteers are also monitoring another green sea turtle nest in Pawleys Island that they say will hatch in a couple of weeks.
