N.E.S.T. Homepage

The Network for Endangered Sea Turtles (N.E.S.T.) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and protection of the habitats and migration routes of Sea Turtle and other marine animals on the Outer Banks of North Carolina from the Virginia border to Oregon Inlet.

Volunteers are always needed for a variety of tasks that include turtle rehabilitation, driving a N.E.S.T. ATV to monitor turtle crawls, responding to turtle strandings, and sitting on turtle nests awaiting hatchlings. N.E.S.T. is funded primarily through private donations, tee-shirt and souvenir sales, and fund raising events.

"First Sea Turtle Crawl for the 2009 Nesting Season"

Early on the morning of June 12, 2009, the ATV driver discovered our first nest/crawl in Corolla in the Pine Island area. Volunteers searched for eggs until 11:00 am but were unable to locate the nest.

Matthew Godfrey, North Carolina Wildlife Commission biologist will review the photos taken of the site to see if he can determine if it was a false crawl or the volunteers were unable to locate the eggs (certainly not due to any lack of effort by the Nesting Response Team).

The nesting area has been marked off with police tape and the site will be monitored thru the season for any hatchling activity in the nest.

The Outer Banks of North Carolina represents the northernmost limit of the loggerhead,
green and leatherback sea turtle nesting ranges in the United States. The Outer Banks also occasionally is home to the rare Hawksbill and Kemp's Ridley sea turtles.

All sea turtles are protected by the federal Endangered Species Act.
Avoid touching or interfering with turtle activity.
Do not remove any dead turtle, turtle egg, or turtle part.

REPORT ALL NESTING TURTLES, TURTLE CRAWLS,
stranded/dead turtles, OR HATCHING EVENTS
on the Outer Banks to the
NEST Hotline
252-441-8622