Nathan Ernst

Conservation Related Experience: In the previous summer I had the privilege to intern for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission doing sea turtle nesting and hatchling research. This involved me moving down to Melbourne Beach, Florida for the summer, while spending spend my days doing field work for various research projects on subjects such green turtle and loggerhead sex ratios, hatchling survivorship, and nest success just to name a few.

When I wasn’t in the field, I had the unique opportunity to do lab work and dissections with what we excavated from post-emergent (hatched) nests. Overall, I got to have the once in a lifetime opportunity of working hands-on with sea turtle hatchlings on a project that I’m very passionate about.

Connection to Conservation Biology: The work I did of course had conservation implications. If you didn’t know, sea turtles are temperature-sex-dependent, meaning that the temperature of the egg discerns the sex of the egg when it hatches. This of course raises concerns regarding the effects of climate change on sea turtle sex ratios and thus population dynamics, especially over the “feminization” of future sea turtle populations. I really enjoyed doing work that I knew was of importance to our understanding of green turtles and loggerheads and thus how we approach conservation efforts in the future. Throughout my experience working with people in the field, I got to learn about all aspects of sea turtle research and conservation, something I’m very grateful for. I can positively say that I learned just as much from talking with the people I worked with as I did from the work itself. This experience allowed me to apply knowledge I’ve learned in previous positions and classes, but most importantly learn a whole lot more. I was very lucky to be able to do the work that I did, and it certainly was an experience I’ll never forget.

Side Note: All work mentioned, as well as any physical contact with sea turtle hatchlings seen in the photo above was permitted. Do NOT touch or mess with sea turtle hatchlings or nests unless you have the required permits.