City of Bonita Springs

Little Hickory Island and Big Hickory Island had a total of 187 sea turtle nests for the 2025 season, which is from May 1^st to October 31st. Loggerhead sea turtles laid all nests except for one which was laid by a green sea turtle. There were 381 non-nesting emergences, also known as false crawls. Five (5) nests had to be relocated because the eggs were exposed by high tides.   A total of 17 nests disoriented primarily due to non-compliant lighting.  Staff will soon begin preparing for the 2026 nesting season by mailing the annual letter to beach adjacent property owners with reminders for how to prepare their properties and visitors for the upcoming nesting season.