Care For Hedland’s 2021-22 turtle monitoring program begins at Cemetery and Pretty Pool beaches

Turtle monitoring along Port Hedland’s coastline has begun, with a new group of volunteer leaders settling into the community to lead the work. Care For Hedland’s track monitoring runs daily at Cemetery Beach and Pretty Pool from November to March. Evening coordinator Dylan Goldspink, who will be in charge of tours, said he was settling in well to his new surrounds. “I thought I might as well try something new, get away from Perth for a while and experience a whole new project,” he said. Returning to Port Hedland for the first time since 2015, morning coordinator Maddie Beaton said the program provided a rewarding combination of science and education. “People can volunteer when they like — one day, once a week, once a fortnight... we are just happy to get people involved,” she said. For scientific program coordinator Rebecca Quah, the work was a good opportunity to delve into turtle genetics. “I am interested in seeing mother-daughter relationship and whether the daughters come back to the same beach to nest and any changes happening on the urbanisation front, whether that is affecting individuals which come back to this particular area,” she said. “We want to see whether there is a trend of decline and how we can manage that. “Climate change is a thing so we want to see whether the rising temperatures effect the different sex ratios.” Ms Quah said Cemetery Beach was one of the warmest beaches on the North West Shelf.