Turtles are on the move along the East coast

Up and down the Jersey Shore, as well as in other areas along the coast, turtles are emerging to find safe places to lay their eggs for the summer.

Transcript

00:00It's something beachgoers may not even notice, but right now, up and down the Jersey Shore,

00:05terrapins are on the move. Those female turtles coming out of the water to find the perfect

00:10nesting site. Each summer, terrapins emerge and cross dangerous terrain to find safe nesting sites,

00:17often along roadways or developed shorelines where the risk of injury or nest failure is high.

00:22She's starting to smell, which means that's a good sign. Coastal development,

00:26hardscaping and rising tides are leaving fewer safe places to nest. It was that realization by

00:33Kathy Lacey nearly 15 years ago that led to the founding of the Terrapin Nesting Project,

00:39transforming the area for future populations. By 2013, it was magnificent. And the only thing

00:45that had changed is the population of the terrapins had increased. Turtles are vital to the health of

00:50the base ecosystem. And after four years, when they go out to the deep bay, they're going to eat

00:54crustaceans. They're going to eat these scavengers. Basically, they're going to clean up the bag.

00:58Volunteers help nesting females safely lay their eggs while they monitor nests through the summer,

01:03logging information on each turtle, all turned over to fish and wildlife at the end of the season.

01:09617. As for hatching, it doesn't just depend on time, it depends on the weather too.

01:14We need 60 days of the heat, the sun actually hitting the sand because the sand acts like an incubator.

01:20So if it's hot out but it's cloudy, that really doesn't count as a good day.

01:25Nesting season runs through mid-July, not just along the Jersey shoreline, but many locations up

01:31and down the East Coast. Wildlife advocates urge drivers to slow down in coastal areas,

01:36especially near marshes and causeways. Being terrapin-aware could save an entire clutch of eggs

01:42and support the health of the shoreline for generations to come.

01:46Look, look at the turtles.

01:48For AccuWeather, I'm Allie Reed.

01:50Ok, here we go.

01:51Here we go.

01:51Now confronts me again.

01:52Coming to the