By MADDY VITALE
Husband and wife Steve and Susan Ahern run Sea Isle City’s Terrapin Rescue. And lately, they have seen and heard about some interesting things when it comes to diamondback terrapins at the shore.
“It has been a very mild winter and that has caused the hatchlings that hibernated all winter to come out earlier than they usually do,” Steve Ahern said in a phone interview Friday.
He continued, “People called and said the hatchlings were walking around in their garage. It was a couple of weeks ago when we had rains and the hatchlings were out everywhere. It was almost like the summer.”
The Aherns created the rescue group in 2009. It is funded through the Sea Isle City Environmental Commission and receives permitting through the Wetlands Institute in Stone Harbor.
Nesting season for diamondback terrapins is from May to July, when females emerge from the marshlands to lay their eggs. It can take anywhere from eight to 14 weeks for the eggs to hatch. Since the terrapins typically nest in sandy soil, such as beaches and dunes, give turtles a safe place to lay their eggs.
While diamondback terrapins can live for 30 to 40 years, only one egg in a thousand grows up to be an adult turtle due to shore traffic, the fishing industry, construction and other variables, Ahern has said.
Since 2017, the Aherns, with the help of volunteers including their son, Michael, have created and maintained two turtle nesting boxes at the library at 4800 Central Avenue.
The nesting boxes have been repaired and fixed up each year since their installation.
In October of 2019, months before the pandemic, volunteers uncover live hatchlings at one of the two nesting boxes on the library grounds.
Ahern said both nesting boxes held up well during the winter -- something that is positive in a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has created the need for social distancing.
Social distancing, in effect, eliminates the possibility, at least until the governor feels it is safe to gather once again, of volunteers pitching in to make any adjustments or repairs to the boxes.
“We had planned to put the finishing touches on the two turtle boxes. Both structures are in good shape. All we have to do is put the netting on the tops," Ahern said. "We just don’t want to get any group of people together. The boxes should be ready by the time the turtles come out.”
Throughout the nesting season, the group of dedicated volunteers rescue terrapins from the roadways and other locations and release them into the marsh.
“We saw some hatchlings on Central Avenue and picked them off the street,” Ahern explained of the sightings earlier this month. “People were calling, stopping and moving them toward the marsh.”
However, since then, with cooler temperatures, he said there have not been any other sightings like the one big day with all of the hatchlings.
“It has gotten really cold. That was a fun day, though,” Ahern said with a laugh. “They were all out.”
With less traffic expected on the roadways for likely at least until the early part of May due to the coronavirus restrictions, there is a smaller chance of female turtles being struck by vehicles while on their way to lay their eggs, Ahern noted.
He added that protective wire mesh fencing on Sea Isle Boulevard, paid for by Cape May County and constructed in 2019, has helped lessen the number of terrapins crossing the roadway to search for nesting areas.
A large mound of sand has been placed at the Sunks Creek fishing pier, which is located off of Sea Isle Boulevard. Ahern believes it was put there by the county to create a nesting spot for the turtles.
He hopes that in July, the Sea Isle Terrapin Rescue will be able to do its annual turtle release. Open to the public, the event has provided educational learning for children and their families when the terrapins are released in the marsh behind Dealy Field.
“If possible, we would really like to do that,” Ahern said of the release for this summer. “The release is something we always do.”
For more information call Steve and Susan Ahern at (609) 263-7358.
Each year the Aherns give a presentation during their terrapin release. This year, it is uncertain amid the pandemic whether they will be able to host a public event.
