Baby Hawksbill Turtle Says, "Please Don't Run Over My Mom"

"Excuse me, but would you mind leaving the fence intact so that my mom won't get accidentally run over by a car?" That's the message on signs you'll find on the fence along North Kihei Road between Kihei and Ma‘alaea. The message is signed, "mahalo, your friend, baby hawksbill."

We've been coming here for years and always thought the fence was a wind barrier to keep sand from blowing onto the highway. Au contraire, it turns out the fence was constructed to protect the highly endangered hawksbill turtle's nesting area from the dangers of the highway.

This made us wonder, what are hawksbill turtles, who built and maintains the fence, and how can we help our little friends?

The Hawksbill Turtle Not to be confused with the larger green sea turtle commonly seen in Hawai‘i, the hawksbill turtle is named for its narrow sharp beak-like mouth. Known for its beautiful and hardy exterior shell, often referred to as "tortoise shell", the species has been hunted nearly to extinction. It was exploited historically for such things that modern-day plastics and metals have replaced, and for years by the fashion industry. Found in tropical oceans around the world, the hawksbill turtle is today listed as critically endangered. There are thought to be less than 100 adult females of the species that nest in Hawai‘i- the majority of them nesting on Hawai‘i Island, with smaller nesting populations on Maui, Moloka‘i and O‘ahu.

The Fence The fence was built by by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and is maintained by USFWS and Hawaii Wildlife Fund (HWF) volunteers.

We'll let HWF explain how it came to be.

"In 1993 and 1996, two egg-laden hawksbills and numerous hatchlings were killed by cars while trying to cross North Kihei Road from the adjacent nesting beach. In response, HWF was formed. Volunteers patrolled the beaches nightly, and in 1998 a sand fence was constructed to help keep turtles off the road. This began the first systematic monitoring and research of this species on Maui. Since then, much has been learned about hawksbills' nesting, hatching and foraging behaviors." - Hawai'i Wildlife Fund

Today volunteers still work diligently to keep the fence in good repair. (And as someone who knows a little bit about fencing, I can tell you that's no easy job!) The fence not only keeps the turtles from crossing the highway, it also promotes dune restoration and discourages vehicular traffic that damages the dune ecosystem.

How Can We Help the Hawksbill? Well as our little friend said above, "leave the fence intact." While only a few turtles are involved they represent a significant portion of the nesting population in Hawai‘i. By keeping even one from being killed on the road we are contributing to the recovery of the species. And please report turtle nesting events to HWF so they can help protect the turtle hatchlings from numerous threats.

If you're interested in doing more there are a number of volunteer opportunities listed on Hawai‘i Wildlife Fund's website. Among them is the "Dawn Patrol" (coordinated by USFWS) that is simply an early morning stroll along certain beaches looking for turtle tracks. Sounds easy enough. Or, you can volunteer to watch the nests either overnight or during the day to help protect the young ones when they hatch.

For more information or to volunteer see: wildhawaii.org

Hawai‘i Wildlife Funds conservation efforts are also highlighted in this article.

Special thanks to Hannah Bernard and Cheryl King of HWF for their invaluable assistance with this article.

Photo credits: turtle sign: mauionlineguide; all others: Hawai‘i Wildlife Fund