3.10 Marine Species
selection, digging behavior, incubation, and hatchling success. Beach nourishment can also result in signifcant compaction or concretion of the beach.
• Artifcial lighting —Lighting associated with beachfront development (residences, street lights, vehicles) can severely impact emerging hatchlings by causing disorientation, which drastically increases fatalities. Artifcial lighting can attract hatchlings, causing them to move in the opposite direction of the water, which then exposes them to pred- ators, entrapment in vegetation, and/or vehicle strikes. Adult nesting sea turtles may abort nesting attempts at greater frequencies near lighted areas. • Beach cleaning —Mechanical raking (using heavy machinery) can compact or destroy nests. Disposal of debris near the dune line can cover incubating clutches, entrap emer- gent hatchlings, and/or alter nest temperatures. • Increased human presence —Disturbance to nesting sea turtles is the most critical threat caused by human presence on beaches. Night-time human activity can cause female turtles to abort nesting attempts. • Recreational beach equipment (including vehicular driving) —Beach chairs, tents, and other recreational equipment can directly impact nests (covering or disturbing incubating nests) or indirectly cause disturbance such that female turtles abort nest- ing attempts. Vehicle use on beaches has similar efects to heavy machinery used in beach-cleaning eforts (compact or destroy nests, entrap nestlings); vehicle lighting can disorient hatchlings and adults alike. • Military exercises —Training activities on coastal shorelines have the potential to disrupt nesting behavior and increase non-nesting emergences of nesting females, run over nesting females and emerging hatchlings, and destroy nests. • Exotic dune and beach vegetation —Nonnative vegetation can out-compete native vege- tation such as sea oats and dune grass. Often less stabilizing, nonnative vegetation can lead to erosion and degradation of nesting habitat. • Nest depredation —Predation by ghost crabs, raccoons, foxes, or fre ants (among others) is a signifcant threat to eggs and hatchlings (both sea turtle and shorebirds). Disorientation of emergent hatchlings by artifcial lighting increases their chances of being depredated by one of these animals. • Poaching —Illegal harvest of eggs (primarily sea turtle) from nests is unlikely but does occur.
161
2015 NC Wildlife Action Plan
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online