Welcome!
Mickler’s Landing Turtle Patrol (MLTP) is a community group dedicated to helping sea turtles thrive in north Florida. MLTP volunteers travel by foot along a 4.6 mile stretch of beach in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida between Sawgrass Beach Club and the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve (GTMNERR) to monitor marine turtle nests, collect data for marine turtle research, educate the public and more!
All activities conducted by MLTP on marine turtles and their nests are permitted through the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (MTP #029).
If you find a stranded or deceased sea turtle, please call FWC at 888-404-3922.
Taking Action for Turtles
Sea turtles need our help to keep their environment healthy. There are several everyday actions you can take to make a big difference for our flippered friends, no matter your age.
Sea turtle nesting season in north Florida runs from May through October. Help turtles by keeping beaches clean, dark, and flat at night. Learn more here!
When you go exploring be sure to Leave no Trace. Kepp you belongings and trash with you or dispose of it properly, and we encourage you to pick up any trash you see on the beach. Learn more about Leave No Trace.
Drive in style and support sea turtles by getting a snazzy sea turtle license plate if you live in Florida.
Ditch the straw! (Or any single use plastics.) The less garbage we create, the better a future we guarantee for wildlife and people.
Why Monitor a Sea Turtle Nest?
Every morning during nesting season, MLTP volunteers walk the beach, marking new sea turtle nests. Monitoring nests helps us understand and estimate sea turtle populations.
Once a nest hatches, our MLTP volunteers go and evaluate it, checking how many eggs were in the nest, and collecting data for sea turtle research. Together with other sea turtle groups, we work together to understand sea turtle populations and if our conservation efforts are working.