Steve and Susan Ahern created two new nesting boxes for this season to give turtles a safe place to lay their eggs. Steve Ahern (yellow shirt) oversees a release of turtles last year. (Courtesy City of Sea Isle City)
By Maddy Vitale
When Steve and Susan Ahern retired and moved to Sea Isle City in 2007 they needed something to do. They joined the Wetlands Institute in Stone Harbor and the Environmental Commission in their new hometown.
That is where their mission to save turtles began.
“We vacationed here since 1994,” Steve Ahern said Thursday. “My wife noticed fewer and fewer turtles and more impediments with buildings and infrastructure. We decided to rescue turtles.”
Ahern, 65, a retired attorney and Susan, 63, a retired nurse who have two grown children, Michael and Jessica, set out to do a daunting task.
Diamondback terrapins lay eight to 12 eggs at a time and they come out to three times during a nesting season from June 1 to July 15. So, they set out to create nesting habitats for the precious turtles to try to save them from cars along Sea Isle Boulevard and other areas of the community, as well as predators.
Steve Ahern said Cape May County, the Wetlands Institute and the Sea Isle Environmental Commission, have been instrumental in making sure that their goal is possible through funding and installation of fencing as well as financial support for funding the nesting boxes.
Last year, with the help of volunteers, the Aherns installed a nesting box at the Sea Isle City branch of the Cape May County Library. It was so successful, that this year they are nearing completion of two nesting boxes.
“The idea behind the nesting boxes is to give turtles an alternative place to lay their eggs so that there are no concerns with the roads. The boxes are also for protection of the eggs,” Steve Ahern noted.
One of the nesting boxes is behind the library toward the marsh, the other is by Central Avenue. They are both about 12 feet by 28 feet.
And the design is intricate. A gate opens and closes so that predators can’t go in and get the eggs.
It seems to be working.
This is one of the nesting boxes located on the grounds of the Sea Isle Library.
“Last year we saved 125 turtles,” Ahern said, adding that with a slightly new design credited to the Aherns’ son Michael, they are hoping to save even more turtles this year and beyond.
The design was improved by adding a piece of wood around the perimeter making it more difficult for predators such as skunks, racoons and fox, to dig their way in, Ahern explained.
Last year predators did get in.
“A lot of the nests were at the edges of the boxes and in some of the areas predators were able to dig in and get to the nest and get some eggs,” Ahern said. “I think the nesting boxes this year will be much more sturdy and effective. We are very excited to try them out.”
Kids have some fun learning about terrapins. (Courtesy City of Sea Isle City)
