Eglin Sea Turtle Patrol
Nikki Knox, an Eglin sea turtle patrol volunteer, approaches a sea turtle nest, as part of her daily monitoring duty Sept. 20 on Eglin’s beaches. Four strategically placed stakes mark the perimeter of the nest. During daily patrols in the six-month season, volunteers ride all-terrain vehicles along Eglin’s beaches searching for signs of sea turtle activity. Eglin’s Sea Turtle Patrol Program finds and safeguards threatened and endangered sea turtle nests on the base’s Santa Rosa Island Range during the vital nesting and hatching period, May to October. The data collected is shared with the state of Florida’s sea turtle monitoring system. (U.S. Air Force photo/Ilka Cole)