A group of volunteers and beachgoers successfully guided an entire nest of disoriented sea turtle hatchlings to the ocean on Topsail Island.
The Topsail Turtle Project reports that the baby turtles emerged last week under cloudy skies. Instead of heading toward the water, the hatchlings became confused by artificial white light coming from inside a nearby beachfront home, causing them to crawl in circles away from the ocean.
Beach supervisor Vicki Schroeck and a group of onlookers spent thirty minutes guiding every single hatchling safely into the surf.
Project officials say the incident highlights the critical need for beachfront residents to turn off white lights or switch to turtle-friendly amber lighting during nesting season. They warn that without human intervention, the entire nest would have been lost.
