Georgia sea turtles on pace for record year

Early nesting data suggests loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) on the Georgia coast could have a record year. Researchers have counted 1,779 sea turtle nests so far, less than midway through the season, the New York Times reports. That’s up from 1,742 for the entire season last year. The record year was 2016, with 3,300 nests. The sea turtles were once federally designated as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, but conservation efforts have helped them rebound. “I think one of the reasons why sea turtles have something of a success story here is that the community is highly collaborative,” said Joe Pfaller, research director for the Caretta Research Project, told the Times.

Read more here in the New York Times.