“Every year, Diamondback terrapins migrate across our Bay Course,” explains Mark Beaumont, Director of Grounds for Seaview. “Taking on the task of protecting this species of special concern was a natural fit for us.”

To help protect the turtles, the Seaview team created several excluder traps, made in-house of a pliable mesh cylinder, which were then placed over nesting sites within bunkers throughout the course. The excluder traps keep other animals, such as crows and foxes, from digging up turtle eggs, and also prevent golfers from accidentally walking on nests while on the Bay Course.

“We also placed signs over the traps to make golfers and guests aware of the turtles and our efforts to save them,” says Beaumont. “Also, when the course and grounds crew see one of baby turtles that have just hatched, they take them over to the bay, to protect them from predators.”

Further, Seaview has partnered with The Wetlands Institute in Stone Harbor, N.J., an organization dedicated to promoting the conservation and preservation of coastal ecosystems. As part of the partnership, Seaview made a monetary donation to the Institute and has “adopted” turtles. The contribution was used to purchase a transmitter for the adopted baby turtles. Recently, members of the Wetlands Institute visited Seaview to release the adopted baby turtles on the Bay Course, where they will be able to monitor the turtles over the next couple of years and use the information for their ongoing research.

“Our entire golf team has been working diligently to finalize the Audubon Certification and we are all thrilled to be recognized for this accomplishment,” says Beaumont. “We are especially proud of our efforts to protect the Diamondback terrapins, as they have become a big part of the golf experience at Seaview.”

Moving forward, Beaumont’s primary challenges will be the care and maintenance of the bunkers where the turtles are nesting. “We can’t use any heavy equipment in those bunkers,” he notes, “so we have to be mindful of hand-raking and other gentler maintenance methods.”