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extranjera wrote: I took this picture of 2 turtles this weekend from the deck of our condo at the beach. This is the season when the females come in and lay their eggs. It's an incredible thing to watch. Many are very large, we mainly get loggerheads and greens nesting but have quite a few hawksbills feeding in the area. I don't know what these are, I couldn't see them well enough. They were not too large, maybe a 3' shell.
Eco tourism has helped us preserve the turtle nesting areas in some instances. It is now illegal, and enforced, to take the eggs or kill the turtles for food. 15 years ago when I started coming to the area, turtle soup, oil made from the meat, jewelry from the shells - all were commonly sold. Not now. It still happens but it is hidden and education has made a huge difference, the kids don't want to see the turtles harmed. The resorts and condos have been pressured to comply with the 'only red lights' rule on the beach in the summer. The turtles can't see red lights. If you want to go and look for nesting turtles during the season, put red cellophane over your flashlight.
The town our condo is in has a wonderful ecological center that hosts shows and classes for the kids and programs for marine biologists from around the world. Here is their site about our turtles and their programs. http://www.ceakumal.org/1003.html
