UC San Diego

Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuge (SPNWR), located in St. Croix U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI), is a known hotspot for nesting sea turtles; however, a full analysis of green turtle (Chelonia mydas) nesting trends has not been conducted until this study. Green turtle nesting activities have been documented since the start of the sea turtle monitoring effort at SPNWR in the early 1980s. These data were digitally entered, compiled, and standardized before being analyzed. Primarily using generalized additive models, Chelonia mydas activities were analyzed to determine trends over time by looking at three time periods of data collection: the entire time frame of 1982-2020, 2005 to 2020, and peak season (August and September) counts for all years. In addition, chi-squared tests were conducted to determine if green turtles have location preferences for nesting and overall activities. Over all examined time periods, increasing trends in both nests and total activities were noted, demonstrating the possible effectiveness of conservation efforts. The North Beach at SPNWR had the highest numbers of activities and nest counts, as well as the highest nesting success rate of the three beaches (North, West, South), likely due to its relative physical and geological stability. Although a small population, Sandy Point’s nesting trends are increasing significantly more than those of similar nesting beaches in the region. Overall, the observed increasing nesting trends demonstrate that SPNWR’s green turtle population seems to be recovering in numbers; however, conservation efforts must continue in order to see these trends persist.