Saving the Sea Turtles

Sea turtles are a 'canary in the coal mine' helping us understand the health of our ocean and our impacts on coastal ecosystems. Florida hosts 90% of the nesting Loggerhead sea turtles in the northwest Atlantic - the largest population in the world - and provides critical nesting habitat for Green and Leatherback sea turtles. 

As such, it is important for us to monitor and understand trends in sea turtle nesting which offers insights into their population numbers. The work we do collecting data on local sea turtle nests helps us shape protection measures for the species, influence beach construction permits, and guide beach renourishment projects to protect these incredible prehistoric animals. 

Learn how Florida monitors sea turtle populations and how you can help sea turtles while living in St. Charles. 

About the presenter: 

Lucas Meers is a native of St. Charles and a proud alumnus of Francis Howell North High School. 

He began his wildlife conservation career in Florida at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens leveraging support from donors and facilitating public relations and marketing to increase the Zoo's recognition as a wildlife conservation resource. He helped develop and implement the Zoo’s first wildlife conservation strategy and spent a decade with the Okapi Conservation Project in the Democratic Republic of Congo protecting the endangered okapi through community-focused measures to protect the okapi's rainforest home. He has significant experience in developing cross-cultural relationships and driving and elevating people's passion to conserve the world around them. 

For over 15 years, he has monitored sea turtle nesting trends and distribution in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida with Mickler's Landing Turtle Patrol, and most recently, he launched the Sea Turtle Program at his alma mater, Jacksonville University, to provide experiential learning opportunities for students, but also to provide support to JU faculty, staff and the surrounding community, paying it forward for everything JU provided him during his time as a student.