Miami Beach is a top destination for vacationers from around the world --not to mention a location for sea turtles laying eggs. For years, female sea turtles have returned to the beaches where they were born to build nests for their next generation. As Miami Beach continues to develop; wildlife officials and volunteers are making sure the beach remains a welcoming place for these endangered animals.  The sea turtle patrol   starts his day at sunrise. "The reason we need to get out at first light is to make sure we see the tracks before anybody else gets out here, Bill Ahern says, "Something that weighs 350 pounds is going to leave evidence." Bill Ahern directs the sea turtle program in Miami-Dade county. His team monitors and marks nests left by sea turtles who lay eggs in the sand and then return to the sea. The patrols also work with beach residents to keep track of new nests and possible threats to existing ones. Nearly 65,000 turtles nested on Florida's Atlantic coast last year. A tiny part comes to Miami Beach where they face many risks. Tough laws have been passed to punishpoachers . And bright lights from nearby buildings can confuse newly born turtles, attracting them onto roads instead of into the ocean. "I recall in the mid-1960s, me and my beach buddies(policemen) would pick up hatchlings from the road and put them back in the water," he recalls .To avoid that problem, city officials have imposed limits on coastal lighting.   Although most sea turtles hatch on their own, coming out at night, some have a harder time. In the future, the Sea Turtles Program hopes to do away with the hatchery.  Educating beach-goers is a step in that direction. Each week, people are invited to see a release of newly born turtles recovered from nests. The experience helps sunbathers understand the role of the beach in the turtle's life cycle.   "Only a part of the newly hatched turtles will escape predators and man-made dangers in their first year." Their instincts  are so sharp ," Ahern says, "I'll face a turtle to the west, and then watch him, he turns right around ,facing the ocean. " What do Ahern and his sea turtle patrol do in the early morning?
find tracks left by sea turtles pick up the trash on the beach collect eggs laid by sea turtles exercise to lose weight