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Artificial lighting may be the best thing since the discovery of fire for human beings, but for sea turtles coming ashore it can cause them to lose their way, ultimately resulting in the loss of nests and future sea turtles. Sea turtles come ashore to build nests and lay eggs from May to October along the Alabama Gulf Coast.   “The light disorients the nesting mama sea turtles,” said Mike Reynolds of Share the Beach, the sea turtle volunteer program. “When the eggs [...]

Preparation is key to staying weather-safe, regardless of how active the tropics are. It only takes one hurricane making landfall to make it an active season for coastal residents.   Hurricane season begins June 1 and ends Nov. 30. Visitors to the Alabama Gulf Coast should stay weather-aware during their beach getaways. Pay attention to weather reports as well as instructions from your lodging operator or rental agent. Do evacuate if asked. And do not go into the Gulf of [...]

Heads up, lights down! Sea turtle season is almost here and it’s time to Share the Beach.   Beach visitors can be the sea turtles’ biggest ally in the nesting and hatching process, and most of that involves staying out of their way. Under the new Leave Only Footprints rules adopted by Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, visitors must remove beach tents, canopies, chairs, toys and other accessories by one hour after sunset each day.   Keeping the turtles’ path [...]

Keeping the Alabama Gulf Coast clean is important now more than ever. Leave Only Footprints, Share the Beach, Dolphin SMART and Leave No Trace are just a few of the programs in place to help keep our environment healthy and safe. Steps are being taken internationally, as well, by countries that realize our oceans must be kept clean to sustain life on this planet. Half of the oxygen you breathe is generated by the ocean, and it also helps regulate [...]

Plastic bags are everywhere, seemingly as numerous as the grains of sand on the beach, littering, clogging and lying abandoned in our environment at an ever-increasing rate. We think nothing of seeing these bags blow across parking lots and other landscapes. These thin scraps of plastic, however, are causing damage, especially in fragile marine ecosystems.   Approximately 17 billion pounds of plastics are estimated to flow into the oceans every year from the 192 countries with coastal access, according to [...]

You made it! The sunny shores of the Alabama Gulf Coast beckon you with their siren song of crashing waves and seagull cries. In your haste to enjoy all that our beautiful beaches have to offer, make sure you take a few things with you:    Sunscreen. Don’t leave home without it. Seriously. Put it on 30 minutes before arriving at the beach to allow the ingredients to bind to your skin. Reapply at least every two hours or after swimming [...]

Spring at the beach is so much fun! Digging your toes and fingers into the sand while you sculpt a castle or playing games on the beach fulfills something deep within us to be close to nature and enjoy its playground. Loving our sugar-white sands while you Leave Only Footprints - or better yet, leave an invisible footprint – allows everyone to enjoy a sparkling clean beach. Let us suggest a few tips you and your group can use to [...]

Getting kids on board with the principles of Leave Only Footprints is as easy as 1-2-3.   One: Teach them the rules of Leave Only Footprints: If you bring it to the beach, take it with you. If it belongs at the beach, leave it alone. For example, beach toys, rafts, hats, cans, plastic bottles, kites, fishing line and any other gear needs to be gathered and taken back to your home/hotel/condo at the end of the day. Taking your [...]

Alabama sea turtles bring the miracle of life back to our shores each spring when nesting sea turtles return to the place of their birth to make nests and lay eggs. In recent years, Share the Beach, Alabama’s sea turtle program, stepped up efforts to protect turtles and their nests. In 2014, approximately 7,000 sea turtles hatched along our shores from Dauphin Island to Orange Beach.   Leave Only Footprints, a new initiative launched in February, aims to make the [...]

You don’t have to be part of a big group to have a Family Beach Clean-up Day. Make it part of your beach day or beach getaway and do something positive for the environment. Children learn best from example; showing them that you care for the beach will be a memory they won’t soon forget.   Here’s what you need to have a successful Beach Clean-up Day: Sunscreen: Always a necessity whether you’re on the beach or in the water. [...]