Sea turtles - keystone species that shape their ecosystems - are at risk. All seven extant species are either threatened or endangered, due primarily to the impacts of fishing, habitat loss, and habitat degradation. It doesn’t help that only about 1 in 1,000 hatchlings reaches adulthood, but your support is giving more baby turtles a fighting chance.

Thanks in part to your clicks, trivia participation, shopping for a cause, and direct donations, our partner Greater Good Charities (GGC) has been supporting the work of N.E.S.T. (Network for Endangered Sea Turtles), a nonprofit that has been protecting sea turtle nests in the Outer Banks of North Carolina since 1995. GGC is providing equipment to monitor nesting sites, supporting the study and mitigation of light pollution on nesting sites, and providing signs alerting beachgoers to nests’ presence so they can avoid them.

Among the species benefitting from N.E.S.T.’s work is the loggerhead turtle, and the organization just shared an update with us regarding one of the species' nests, the first they were involved with this year. It saw strong survival rates: 109 out of 140 eggs produced a baby turtle that reached the ocean! This success was helped along by their efforts to protect nests, which face threats from coastal development, predators like foxes and birds, light pollution, and beachgoers who unknowingly damage them.

The more we work to protect nests, the more we can ensure sea turtles continue to benefit our oceans, by controlling prey populations, providing nutrients to beaches through their eggs, and helping maintain seagrass habitat for other species. Ocean health is also reflected in sea turtle populations, as they’re an important indicator species.

You’re doing your part to keep these integral animals in our oceans. Thank you! If you’d like to keep protecting nests, click below!