We face some unusual challenges in our efforts to protect Sea Turtles
 
  Our nesting beach is unique in that vehicles are allowed to drive on most of the beach in Volusia County. During the day it looks like a parking lot. Daytona Beach is also built up to the point where high-rise hotels, motels and condos line the beachfront. When you get out of that core area, you find more homes and a more natural beach with dunes instead of seawalls. Driving is not permitted in the natural areas.

   Volusia County has the first Habitat Conservation Plan and this is why there are now driving restrictions in place. The county applied for a 25-year Incidental Take Permit Renewal from Fish and Wildlife which was granted on November 7, 2005.
   
 

   Normally our sand is quite compact in the driving areas with a flat contour. As you move north, you encounter courser red sand that is difficult to drive in but builds nice dunes. This is a more natural beach and it is not surprising that this is where the majority of nests are laid. Since the 2005 season, it has been a bit unusual in that the red sand has continued to move southward causing difficulty for those that try to navigate the driving zones in Ormond Beach and even Daytona Beach that are normally hard-packed.

   The Volusia/Flagler Turtle Patrol has purchased and maintains several ATVs which are necessary to patrol the northernmost section of Volusia County and all of Flagler County due to the ever-changing terrain and soft sand. These purchases were made possible through some very generous donations as well as extensive fundraising, including nest adoptions and t-shirt sales.

   We wish to thank everyone that contributed for their hard work and generosity. Your help not only allows us to keep sea turtles safe, but our volunteers as well.

  Tracks in the Sand is written by Frank Gromling and Mike Cavaliere. A brochure with instructions on how to purchase copy may be downloaded at Tracks in the Sand brochure. Below is a paragraph from the brochure.
   
 

   The Turtle Patrol is not just a funny name it's a tradition, a band of hundreds of Floridian volunteers who monitor their backyard beaches every summer in the name of sea turtle conservation and protection. These enthusiasts are passionate, eccentric and absolutely unique, a culture entirely unto themselves. This is their story, tinted green and gliding through the waves.
   
 
 
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