Hey everyone, I’m Winnie! Even though I’m an Anna Maria Island girl, I was actually named after Winnipeg, Canada, the hometown of my sponsors at Hurricane Hanks! The AMI Turtle Watch and Hurricane Hanks crew works very hard to make sure the local beach is safe for turtles like me to come up to nest. Together we are the dream team! While I’m off swimming, my team hopes to educate beachfront homeowners and visitors about the dangers of artificial lighting. If I crawl up on the beach to nest and see a white light, I will have to turn around and try to find another place to nest, which isn’t ideal for me! White lights are just as dangerous for my hatchlings as well – when they hatch from their nest and see a white light, they may crawl toward it and end up in a storm drain, a back yard, or on the road. The best way to protect us from artificial white lights is to not use any flashlights or cell phones on the beach at night. And if you have a beachfront property, use FWC certified amber LED bulbs, shield your fixtures and point them downward when possible. As they say, Sea Turtles Dig the Dark!

I was named by my Sponsor, Hurricane Hanks. Check out my marathon migration map, where you can follow along as I swim to raise awareness about the threat of Light Pollution to sea turtles. Please help me raise awareness about my cause by supporting me!

Learn more about loggerhead sea turtles.