BEACHES AND DUNES
Kiawah Island is known world-wide for beautiful , pristine beaches that stretch ten miles from the Stono River Inlet to the end of Captain Sam ’ s Spit . Our beaches are feeding , resting , and nesting sites for numerous sea and shorebirds such as Wilson ’ s plovers , American oystercatchers , least terns , and endangered red knots . Not only do these birds depend upon a healthy beach but so do the hundreds of sea turtles nesting here each year . Many other types of wildlife also benefit from these habitats , including the local deer population which can be frequently found grazing or resting within the dune system .
One of the most popular visitors to our beaches and dunes are the nesting sea turtles . From May to October , they emerge onto the beach to lay their eggs just seaward of the primary dunes . Kiawah serves as a vital nesting ground for loggerhead turtles , one of only seven species of marine turtles in existence today . The loggerhead turtle was listed as a threatened species in 1978 under the Endangered Species Act and a Critical Habitat Designation was made for our area in 2014 . Nesting efforts are monitored by Kiawah ’ s volunteer Turtle Patrol , which has been in existence since 1973 . The Town of Kiawah Island has provided funding and logistical support to the program since 1990 . From May to mid-August mother turtles emerge from the ocean , generally at night , to dig a nest and lay their eggs just leeward of the primary dunes . Individual nests contain between 100-150 eggs which hatch approximately 60 days later at , which point the baby turtles emerge from their nest ( up to two feet in depth ) and make their way down the beach and into the surf .
Starting in 2009 , the data and analysis of Turtle Patrol efforts have been made available through SCDNR ’ s Sea Turtle Nest Monitoring System . The 2022 season saw the second highest recorded number of nests ( 483 ) with relatively average hatch and nest success rates of 76.3 % and 90.2 % respectively . Sea turtle populations are making a recovery since the establishment of protections through the U . S . Endangered Species Act ( Valdivia , Wolf , & Suckling , 2019 ) but are still listed as a threatened species in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean . We hope to see this positive trend continue with increased populations and similar nest success in the future .
Resident and migratory shorebirds are another common visitor to our beaches and dunes . The beach provides upland areas for nesting and resting , as well as intertidal areas for feeding . This includes the fabled red knot , which has been shown to travel , almost non-stop , over 13,000 miles from Hudson Bay , Canada to Tierra Del Fuego , Argentina twice a year . Disturbances along their migration path have contributed to their populations declining by more than 85 % over the past few decades , leading to
Ecological Health of Kiawah Island 2022 12