Loggerhead Sea Turtles
For the past seven years of my life I have been going to Bold Head Island in North Carolina for summer vacation. Bold head Island is a breading ground for Loggerhead Sea Turtles. From April to September the turtles nest and hatch. Sadly, this specific spices of sea turtle is endangered and the population is declining quickly. Sea turtles in general, but even more specifically the Loggerhead turtles population is falling quickly because of us humans, but not in the way that many would think. Although human waste in oceans is an issue for all marine life, one of the biggest threats to the Loggerhead Sea turtles is light pollution. Sea Turtles use the moonlight as a guide up the beach to their nesting spot. When people along the beach keep their house lights on at night, the turtles can't tell which light is the moon and get lost. This leads to the turtle either laying her eggs in a less ideal place, or her just depositing her eggs in the ocean. Both of these solutions result in slim survival rates. My goal through my T-shirt is to spread awareness of this under talked about pollution that is heavily effecting the Loggerhead Sea Turtle population.
Some good websites for more info:
https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Reptiles/Sea-Turtles/Loggerhead-Sea-Turtle
https://conserveturtles.org/information-sea-turtles-threats-artificial-lighting
