Green-sea-turtle tracks in the sand reveal the nest-hatching event that took place on the evening of Sept. 2, at the U.S. Navy Pacific Missile Range Facility at Barking Sands near Kekaha.
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U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Erickson B. Magno
Disturbed sand indicates a green-sea-turtle nest-hatching event the evening of Sept. 2, at the U.S. Navy Pacific Missile Range Facility at Barking Sands near Kekaha.
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Howard Jennings / Special to The Garden Island
A Hawaiian sea turtle leaves his or her tracks behind after hauling out onto Larsens Beach on the North Shore for a rest.
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BARKING SANDS — Green sea turtles hatched from a nest on the shore fronting the U.S. Navy Pacific Missile Range Facility at Barking Sands, near Kekaha, on the evening of Sept. 2.
BARKING SANDS — Green sea turtles hatched from a nest on the shore fronting the U.S. Navy Pacific Missile Range Facility at Barking Sands, near Kekaha, on the evening of Sept. 2.
Tracks were discovered leading from the nest to the ocean the next morning. This is the second hatching of the year at PMRF, with an earlier event in late August.
The nests were discovered in early July by U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services staff on the shoreline near the southern end of the PMRF airfield. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and staet Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Aquatic Resources staff on Kaua‘i were contacted.
These events are the first sea-turtle hatchings at PMRF since 2016. In 2015, seven nests produced a total of 468 sea-turtle hatchlings.
Turtles are frequently seen basking at PMRF at “Turtle Cove,” the outpouring of Nohili Ditch on the north side of the base, and can occasionally be seen at other areas of the base as well.
The shoreline at PMRF is an attractive location for nesting turtles, with miles of intact, sandy beaches, relatively-low vehicle traffic and lack of nighttime activity on the beach.
