ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — "That’s what gets me going every morning, it’s those tracks," Bob Fraser said.
Those tracks, he's referring to are those that female turtles leave behind in the sand overnight.
"I get excited by that," Fraser nodded. "You just know that there something big that just crawled up out of the water, laid its nest, and crawled back!"
Fraser of St. Augustine walks the beach every day, checking to see if any sea turtles have laid new nests under the sand. Then he and sea turtle patrol volunteers mark the area off with cones and bright tape.
It's delicate business to help an endangered species.
So it seems that big machinery such as bulldozers and dumptrucks would not mix well with fragile sea turtle nests. That machinery is currently on southern St. Augustine Beach, getting ready to spread sand and build up the eroded dunes there and in Butler Beach.
Fraser has been tapped to ensure sea turtle nests are not disturbed in the construction area.
The first step is to move and relocate any sea turtle nests eggs from the project location.
Then, while the dune restoration crews are actually rebuilding the dunes, Fraser monitors the site.
"Every day. We give them (the contractors) an all-clear before they can start every day. So we make sure there is nothing that will be impacted by the time they start," he said.
Fraser has done this job before and says it can be successful.
This year seems to be another good year for sea turtle nests all over St. Johns County. There are even clusters of nests on various beaches.
"What you’re seeing now is the efforts from 25 – 30 years ago. and you’re seeing the increase now," Fraser noted.
Fraser's turtle works is a serious job, and he loves it.
"It’s why I do what I do. I love nature. So when I see the tracks, that’s nature’s art," he nodded.
The Butler Beach dune enhancement project is expected to take two months, and it just started this week.