Siesta Key is filled with beautiful wildlife that excites locals and visitors alike. The growing sea turtle population along the coast is particularly special to the community.

The turtle population in Florida has been damaged by human activity on the coastline, and preservationists work year-round to protect them and also educate local and travelers about sea turtle facts to continue the conservation efforts.

Their work throughout the past few decades are proving successful, and some turtle populations are on the rise again in the Siesta Key area. You may see five of Florida’s 30 different types of turtles on your visit to South Florida, including loggerhead, leatherback, green, hawksbill and Kemp’s ridley.

Most of these turtles enjoy eating plants and insects in the water, and come on land to nest. Incubation periods vary per turtle species, but Florida’s most common turtle, the loggerhead, grow in their eggs for about 50 days before hatching.

The hatching phase is the beginning of a turtle’s journey. Baby sea turtles have to break free from their shells, crawl out of their nest in the sand and across the beaches to get to the ocean. Many perish along the way.

Floridians take precautions to minimally impact this process. They have a big responsibility sharing the shoreline with the nesting turtles, and take the job seriously.

For example homes along the coast must minimize their beach-facing lights at night during nesting season. Female turtles and their nestlings follow the dim light of the moon as a guide to the water’s edge, and lights on the shore can steer them in the wrong direction.

Locals must also leave a clear path to the water, clearing their beach furniture from the sand nightly. These regulations are enforced by both local and federal laws, the Florida Marine Protection Act and the Federal Endangered Species Act. Violators can be fined $250 a day, in addition to other consequences.

Siesta Key, located in Sarasota County, is a prime location for seeing nesting turtles. Sarasota County has the highest density of loggerhead sea turtles nesting on Florida’s west coast. How will you know if you come across a nest?

Preservations and researchers mark many turtle nests so beachgoers can be aware and avoid disturbing them. Known nests are marked with four wooden sticks and a sign. It’s an exciting time when the babies begin to hatch, and we love to share the experience with visitors. However, beachgoers must exercise awareness and respect for nesting areas year-round. The following tips will help you to be a good visit to the local turtle population.

Here are some dos and don’ts on how to be a conscious beach visitor to the nesting turtles:

• Do leave the animals alone. This includes the sea turtles and any nesting seabirds that you may see nesting in close proximity.

• Do quietly observe from a distance if you come across a nesting turtle or hatchlings.

• Do be conscious of use of outdoor lights during nesting season, May through October. This includes any outdoor lights that can be seen from the beach.

• Do also be aware of your indoor lights that may reach the beach.

• Do make the beach as easy to cross for the hatchlings as possible.

• Remove furniture from the beach and fill in any holes in the sand that hatchlings could fall into on their journey to the water.

• Do not do anything that can disorient turtles or hatchlings. They can be disturbed by noise and lights, including fishing lamps, cell phone lights, flashlights, headlamps and flash cameras.

• Do not touch, pick up or intervene with a nestling or a hatchling as they’re journeying to the water’s edge. If you see a hatchling that appears it’s in danger or is heading in the wrong direction away from the water, call the Mote Marine Laboratory’s Sea Turtle Conservation and Research Program at 941-388-4331 and they will handle in an appropriate manner.

• Do not use fireworks of any kind on the beach.

• Do not walk your dog on any beach in Sarasota County, with the exception of Brohard Paw Park, located in Venice. On that beach, your dog must be on a leash and quiet to abide by county ordinances.

For more information on marine research and conservation in the Siesta Key area and sea turtle facts, visit the Mote Marine Laboratory website.