As a 2016 sponsor of Sea Turtle Conservation Bonaire’s Adopt a Sea Turtle program, the money donated by Divi Flamingo Beach Resort & Casino will help STCB to protect a specific nest’s eggs from drowning if water floods the nest area, and to help release any newborn turtles that become trapped underground during hatching. The donation will also support the popular Beechkeepers Program, a volunteer network that works with STCB to collect information about the status of Bonaire’s sea turtle populations, so that nests can be protected more efficiently in the future. In 2015, seven STCB sponsored nests helped 693 baby hatchlings make it to sea safely.

Bonaire is home to three of the world’s six species of endangered or critically endangered sea turtles; green turtles, hawksbill turtles and loggerhead turtles. Bonaire’s beaches receive an annual average of 75 nests. For detailed information about the 2016 sea turtle nesting season on Bonaire, visit the STCB website’s nest monitoring page at http://www.bonaireturtles.org/wp/what-we-do/nest-monitoring/.