Coastal reptiles, smoking ban and shampoo refills

May 3, 2022

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The state of reptiles

A recent article in the journal Nature warned that more than 1 in 5 reptile species worldwide is threatened with extinction. That got us thinking about the diversity of reptiles found on the Georgia coast, where just adding up the sea turtles gets us to five species. Then there dozens of snake species (sorry, not sorry!), a myriad of other turtles, lots of lizards and of course, the grandmama of reptiles, the alligator. The Southeast is a hotspot for reptile diversity and these scaly critters are even more concentrated along the coast. Two herpetologists with lots of experience here weigh in on the challenges facing reptiles in Coastal Georgia.

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Nesting, nesting, 1,2,3. (And 4 and 5.)

Speaking of sea turtles, their nesting season in Georgia is off to a furious start. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources reported that on Tuesday beach patrollers found one newly laid nest on Sea Island and four on Cumberland Island. Those are likely the first of thousands, with nesting typically continuing through August. Eggs laid this week should hatch in late June or early July. Computer modeling points to 2022 being an average year of 3,000 – 4,000 nests, according to Mark Dodd, a senior wildlife biologist with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Last year’s total was about 2,500. Follow the loggerheads’ progress at seaturtle.org, where nesting data is recorded daily.

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Butts off the beach

Those nesting sea turtles will be encountering fewer cigarette butts on Tybee if city council passes a beach smoking ban this month. The ordinance made it through its first reading last Thursday. A dozen residents turned up for the meeting wearing “Fight Dirty Tybee” t-shirts and many of them expressed their disgust at cleaning up after beach smokers. If Tybee does prohibit smoking on the beach it will be the first on the Georgia coast to do so. Several Charleston-area beaches already ban smoking.

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Want a refill?

You know the sustainability maxim to “reduce, reuse, recycle?” Somehow, lots of consumers got stuck on that last one. But a few retailers around Georgia, including Lite Foot Company in Savannah, are trying to refocus attention on reducing and reusing by offering their customers the opportunity to refill containers with bath, kitchen and laundry cleaners, as Emily Jones of WABE/Grist reports.

“Our goal should be to use things that are meant to last,” said Light Foot owner Katie Rodgers-Hubbard.

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Dry spell

Avid gardeners on the coast have noticed that it’s been a dry spring, at least in McIntosh, Liberty, Bryan and Chatham counties. The Georgia Drought Monitor offers a snapshot of drought conditions, as pictured below. It estimates nearly a million people live in the drought area. The monitor is updated weekly. For a more granular look at local weather, especially in urban areas, check out the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network, where a community-based network of volunteers posts backyard weather data daily.

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