Turtle Releases Todos Santos
Ready to help with turtle releases? You can volunteer in the effort to help several species of the critically endangered turtles – Leatherback and Olive Ridley. Watch these baby turtles take the long walk from the shore into the waves. Great for kids!
Volunteers
Due to environmental and human population factors, these turtles now lay their eggs on the beaches of Todos Santos where the sand temperatures are too low for the eggs to hatch naturally. The wonderful people involved with the conservation group, Tortugueros Las Playitas, dedicate themselves to incubating the eggs, running nightly patrols to gather and protect the eggs, and educating all on sea turtle restoration.
You can participate in the effort by helping release baby turtles into the ocean. Amazingly, although these turtles can grow to over six feet long, when they first hatch, they are barely the size of your palm. It is best to arrive to their beach and greenhouse about one hour before sunset. This will give you time to explore the greenhouse, learn about the environmental factors at play and chat with the volunteers about their work and devotion to the cause.
Inside the greenhouse, you will observe the turtle nests that the volunteers rescue and relocate to this safe and warm environment – out of reach of predators and nestled in warmer temperatures. Visitors have the opportunity to “adopt” a rescued turtle nest. With a small donation, you can name the nest after your family and the volunteers will keep you posted on its progress. When it hatches, they will send you tons of data on how many turtles hatched, etc. and even photos!
Turtle Releases take place a few miles south of Villa Santa Cruz at the end of Camino Internacional. No charge – but please leave a small donation to help the effort. You can buy tee shirts as well. If turtles are being released, they will post the information on their Facebook page: Tortugueros Las Playitas A.C (check it daily).
