Turtle Watches at Vero???

[KarenB]

Hi!

I just got off the phone making our ressies for Vero, 2 bedroom, mid June 2002!!! We can't wait!

Our boys will be 11 and 13 when we go and are big animal/nature lovers.....they are very interested in the Loggerhead Turtles. Has anyone been to Vero in June or know if the resort offers any activities dealing with the education of sea turtles??

Thanks!
Karen

 

[LindaDVC]

They have turtle walks BUT hard to get into! They have a lottery the morning of the walks.
Personally I think DVC members should get priority in the lottery since limited to 19 people!
My son and I got lucky and got in on the waiting list !

Linda

 

[SnowWitch]

We stayed at VB this past June the 2nd week. They offer a class with slides and a park ranger. They also offer as the poster stated above ""Turtle Lottery." We were forunate to be draw for it our first time trying. We were in Florida for 3 weeks including Disney and this was by far the highlight for my boys who are 8 and 11.

 

[Tigger1]

We won the Lottery last June. That is the Turtle walk Lottery. They have you watch a film while Park rangers go searching for Turtles about to lay thier eggs. When a Turtle is spotted the group leaves the film to go watch. This saves alot of walking.

The night before the walk we went to a turtle film presentation (no walk included). After the film we went on the walk on the beach (around 10 or 11 pm). We saw a turtle by the dunes nesting. We waited a short distance away until she went back into the ocean. It was so cool.

The next night the remaining members of our party went to the official walk.

Remember, no flashlights, flash photo. The light can scare the turtles back into the ocean and cause false labor. It was mentioned in the presentation that they may even drop thier eggs in the ocean ( to end up eaten) if they are scared off by observers.

Have fun

Tigger

 

[BobH]

Turtle walk is well worth it. As stated by others you must be chosen by lottery. You meet in the lobby and put your room card in a hat and they have a child pick the cards. If your card is picked and they will ask you how many are in your party. All can go untill they fill 19 slots. Wear long sleeves (if it isn't too hot)and take bug repellent. The small no-see um mosquitos will bite if the temperature is above 70 degrees fahrenheit. Check at the main desk for the days of the drawing. They did it twice the week we were there. The drawing was at 10am in the main lobby the day of the walk.

 

[mrsdon]

When we were at VB last time we tried to get chosen 2 x's and both times were not successful. The 2nd day made me angry. There were about 6 of us at 10am for the drawing and we were all sure we made it. The CNM in charge let late comers drop there cards in. ALL the late comers got chosen and only 2 of the on-timers got to go.
That was my only bad experience at VB.

 

[BobH]

I watched the process. Latecomers are more likely to get picked because they drop their room cards in last. Kids pick the cards, and I suspect the day we went they didn't dig down too deep so the people first arriving did not get picked. Just an observation.
Unfortunately the number of turtle walks and the number of people allowed is limited because allowing too many people disrupts the turtles to the point they may not lay their eggs, and they are an endangered species. No good way to satisfy everybody on this one. Just have to keep trying.

 

[RLMS56]

We were at VB earlier this month and didn't get picked for the lottery. A CM was very nice and took dh aside and said he could go out on his own. She told him the best times and places as well as the rules. He saw 3 turtles come out of the water and up the sand, lay their eggs and go back into the water. He said it was a great experience and worth staying up until 1am!

 

[Patricia]

We were at Vero the last two summers and were finally chosen for the walk after 3 previous tries. The walk was great but the following night, while just taking a regular stroll, we got to watch he entire process of the turtle coming out of the water and digging, then laying, then retuning to the sea. Just by luck. I would recommend going to the talk about the turtles or making sure you speak to a cm ahead of time. There was some info. which we didn't know previously that came in handy while we watched her. Be prepared with the bug spray. We were told Off for moisquitos and Skin So Soft for the no seeums. It was an incredible experience! Enjoy!!!

 

[KarenB]

Thank-you!

This is some very valuable information (like usual for these boards! ) I know these lottery systems can be discouraging...I for one seem to have a weight on my tickets and rarley get drawn. But I do like the suggestions of speaking to a CM for other information if things don't work out!!


I will be searcing for turtle info now until June to learn about them and share the info with our kids.


Thanks again!
Karen

 

[Tigger1]

I may have been one of those late comers who won the Turtle watch. I thought I arrived on time. The clock at the pool was a little slow and I was going by it. This might have happened to other late comers. When I left the lottery back to the pool area it was just a couple minutes past 10 am. I would have been really upset if I would have completely missed the lottery because of the clock.

Now that we have done the watch we will not do the lottery again. You can walk the beach and find them yourself if you are patient and it is the right time of year. Part of are group did that the night before. Remember no flashlights, wait from a distance to not disturb them. You will be able to tell if there is any nesting by the tracks they leave in the sand. There is a trail going up and one going down when they are finished. The trail looks kinda like someone drug (sp?) thier feet up to the doons. We spotted a turle nesting by the big rounded lump in the doons of course we first saw the trail the made from the ocean to the doons and no return trail.

Remember, bug spray. Bugs are bad from sun down to sun up. We used Off deep woods. Much stronger than regular stuff.

Have fun

 

[BobH]

You really need to attend the informational meeting given by the National Park Service people. They make it quite clear what you need to watch out for because your actions can cause the turtles to not lay their eggs. You can also disturb the hatchlings from going back to the sea if you happen to be on the beach. The reason the turtles are an endangered species is because too many people over the years have disturbed their habitat.That is why the number of people allowed on the beach is limited. We learned on the turtle walk that you must not disturb the turtle on her way out of the water to the nesting spot. Once the turtle begins laying eggs you can approach to watch them. The guides utilize only flashlights with red lenses because regular lights cause the turtles a great deal of confusion. There are even regulations in many turtle nesting areas such as Vero that allow only subdued lighting in dwellings along the beach because it has been learned that when the turtles head for the sea they are heading to the sea because it is lighter than the surrounding landscape. There been many case of turtle deaths due to building and highway lighting causing the turtle to get confused and head in the wrong direction. The National Park Ranger conducting our turtle walk had to speak to numerous people that were taking a turtle walk on their own and were potentially disrupting the turtles because they did not know how and when to approach the turtles. You should educate yourself before you head out on your own.

 

[BobH]

Attend one of the informational meetings even if you aren't picked for the walk. If everyone hits the beach on their own at the same time you'll become part of the group that is continuiing to make the turtles an endangered species. For example the guides use only red lense flashlights. Regular lights disturb the turtles and may cause them to abort the hatching process. You should speak to the National Park Service Ranger that gives the talks. The Disney CMs may be very helpful, but they are circumventing the safety system by encouraging extra people to be on the beach.

 

[KarenB]

Thanks for the info Bob> I didn't realize the National Park Service was part of this. We certainly were not about to go out and do damage to the turtles, as we realize this is a process of nature and human interactions can greatly disturb this process.

IF the lottery doesn't work out, we will speak to the rangers. If they are anything like they were in Yellowstone (and I'm sure they are) they were SO informative and the safety of animals is a very big concern.!!!

Karen

 

[Tigger1]

We went to the National park presentation the day before the lottery. It is very educational.
I think that some of the people at the actual official lottery walk sign up threw the National park. I think that some spots are reserved for them or there is a separate walk. Someone mentioned that they got ressies for the walk 2-weeks ahead. Another thing not to do on a walk is to take flash pictures. My son used a movie camera when he went on the Lotto walk. We are going to try to edit the film to get pics. I will post them whenever we get around to it.

As far as limiting the number on the beach, there was no one limit that I know of. The Park ranger did mention that sometimes other guest follow along when they see the group.

My DF did tell a couple of guys to get away from the turtle that we saw in labor. We were afraid that they would scare it back into the ocean. They obviously did not go to a Park Ranger presentation.

There is also a fine for disturbing turtles in labor, digging their eggs, using flashlights.
During the day time you can tell where they nested by the tracks to the dones and a wooden stake that someone marks the nest with. We only saw these in areas that the ocean was not adjacent to a hotel.

Most turles die before adulthood. Partly because they are a food source to fish in the ocean.
They may get eaten as they find their way back into the ocean. Also the mother can give birth many times per summer. She does not return to a nest once she delivers.

Tigger

 

[SnowWitch]

Tigger1 you mentioned the turtle does this many times a summer, I understood it to take place 3 to 4 times in June or July every other year. I'm I incorrect???