The Kitty Hawk sea turtle nest was excavated Sunday evening, September 3. Following a discussion between Wendy Cluse, Sea Turtle Coordinator for the State, and Millie Overman,N.E.S.T. Coordinator and Volunteer, the decision was made to excavate the nest given a hatchling being sited by a N.E.S.T. volunteer following Tropical Storm Ernesto. The excavation yielded 22 live hatchlings that were guided to the sea by N.E.S.T. volunteers. Of the original 101 eggs, 20 undeveloped eggs were found in the nest, which means that a total of 81 live turtle hatchlings came out either on their own during Ernesto or with the help of N.E.S.T. volunteers during the excavation.
Thanks are due to many volunteers, especially Marilyn Seal who served as N.E.S.T. Mother for the Kitty Hawk nest. Numerous tourists and guests stopped by to watch the process and several new volunteers were recruited.