Turtle Patrol in Sea Isle

Once again, diamondback terrapins have hit the road along the Jersey coast and sadly cars are hitting a lot of the turtles.

But help is on the way thanks to a 24-hour road service called the Turtle Patrol that is designed to keep the slow-moving turtles from getting squashed. This is actually the only time of year when you see the turtles because it is their nesting season. The turtles emerge from the marshes searching for sand to bury their eggs and the path often leads them across a busy highway to the beach.

Members of the Turtle Patrol strive every day to keep the animals from being crushed by the cars.

"They don't stop and look both ways before crossing the street," said one volunteer.

The turtles are moved, measured and then brought to safer ground including a newly fenced-in nesting area in Sea Isle City.

"It seems to have been a very effective way of keeping the terrapins on the marsh side," said Roger Wood, the director of research for the Woodlands Institute.

Still, many turtles end up in a collision with vehicles. The Turtle Patrol, now in its 15th year, takes some of those injured terrapins to the Woodlands Institute where they are nursed back to health.

The patrol also tries to remove and incubate the eggs from those animals that die on the road.

"Terrapins are declining. They have a lot of different problems and everything we can do to help them is a step in the right direction," said Christina Watters, of the Woodlands Institute.

The terrapins predate people here, but the humans now helping them hope others will do the same by driving slow and watching out for the turtles.

The nesting season usually has about two or three surges when a lot of turtles emerge and try to get to the sand. Unfortunately, experts believe the last surge this year will coincide with the July 4th weekend, when roads will be the busiest.

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