Every year between May and September, hundreds of sea turtles make their way to the shores of North Carolina’s Cape Hatteras National Seashore to lay eggs.
In the dark cover of night, endangered species like green, leatherback, and Kemp’s ridley turtles crawl onto the sandy beaches, dig a large pit with their flippers, and lay hundreds of their leathery eggs to incubate for approximately 60 days.
Once the eggs hatch, the new babies use a combination of clues to find the ocean and make their great blue debut. Using the slope of the beach and the reflection of the moon off the water, the hatchlings move towards the part of the horizon that is at the lowest angle of elevation from their position.
After reaching the shore, they orient into the waves and use magnetic orientation to migrate further into the water. Typically, they will swim for 24-36 hours until they reach seaweed “nurseries” where they will be protected for their adolescence.
During the summer of 2025, experts monitored close to 300 sea turtle nests, and they hope to see similar numbers in 2026, according to Outer Banks Forever, a nonprofit partner of Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, and the Wright Brothers National Memorial.
To help support park rangers at Cape Hatteras who monitor and protect these nests, Outer Banks Forever offers symbolic “nest adoptions” to turtle lovers near and far.
Through the Adopt A Sea Turtle Nest program, visitors and supporters who make a donation of $100 or more receive an adoption certificate and information about their assigned nest, once activity really kicks into gear in early June.
Donors then receive updates when the nest hatches later in the summer or fall. Demand is high, and nests are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis.
“Our program is now in its seventh year, and more than 600 supporters have helped raise close to $126,000 to protect and enhance the Seashore,” Nicole Erickson, development and adoption programs manager for Outer Banks Forever, told Island Free Press.
“That collective effort is being felt every day.”
The sea turtle species found at Cape Hatteras are already categorized as endangered species, due to external forces like climate change, marine pollution, poaching, bycatch, and destruction of nesting beaches.
But they also face increased risks, as the nests are highly vulnerable to major weather events and predators.
The national seashore’s beaches have been monitored since 1987 to help ensure the best success rates for these nests. Numbers have fluctuated greatly in the last 30 years, with just 11 nests in that first year, and 473 in 2019.
No matter how many eggs are laid on the seashore, it is estimated that only one in 1,000 to 10,000 hatchlings survives to maturity.
“Your support helps fund critical projects that protect and enhance the Seashore and the vital habitat sea turtles depend on,” Outer Banks Forever writes about the adopt-a-nest program.
Visitors of the seashore can also witness nest excavations right on the beach, but national park rangers urge everyone to follow rules and do their part to protect the animals.
And for those who spot a turtle outside of scheduled events, rangers urge them to call 252-216-6892 to report any sightings.
“Like all national parks, the seashore is a special place that was established to help uphold the National Park Service's mission ‘to preserve unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the National Park System for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations,’” the Cape Hatteras webpage reads.
“Conserving endangered species is an important part of this mission and a responsibility of all those who would be stewards of Cape Hatteras National Seashore.”
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Header image courtesy of Outer Banks Forever
