2026 Agenda
The Agenda for the Saturday, February 28th, 2026 Meeting is shown below.
All times are Eastern Standard Time (EST)
FWC and Federal Partners
| Time | Presentations |
|---|---|
| 9:00 | Welcome. Maria Merrill, FWC |
| 9:05 | Update on Florida's Sea Turtle Stranding Trends. FWC |
| 9:25 | Update on the 2025 Marine Turtle Nesting Season in Florida. FWC |
| 9:55 | Marine Turtle Management Update. Maria Merrill, FWC |
| 10:15 | 2025 Disorientations and Obstructed Nesting Attempts. Brittany Gordon, FWC |
| 10:30 | Break |
| 11:00 | Florida's Artificial Reef Program and Marine Turtle Conservation Considerations. Keith Mille, FWC. |
| 11:15 | Invasive Fish and Wildlife in Florida. Danielle Montesdeoca, FWC |
| 11:30 | Imperiled Beach-Nesting Birds. Kristin Taylor, FWC |
| 11:45 | Questions from Morning Session |
| 12:00 | Lunch |
| 1:30 | Wildlife Alert Reward Association. Patrick Walsh, Wildlife Alert |
| 1:45 | Fish and Wildlife Service Efforts for Sea Turtle Protection. Lucas Davis, USFWS. |
| 2:00 | The Evolution of Sea Turtle Monitoring in Volusia County. Beth Libert, Volusia County MTPH |
| 2:15 | History of Beach Management for Sea Turtle Protection in Volusia. Jennifer Winters, Volusia County Environmental Management. |
| 2:30 | Fertility Rates of Leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) Eggs in Southeast Florida. Emily Turla, FAU. |
| 2:45 | Turtle nesting on Nourished Beach with Different Designs: A Case Study in Southeast Florida. Lara Novalvos, USF. |
| 3:00 | Questions from Afternoon Session |
| 3:10 | Break |
Marine Turtle Grant Presentations
| Time | Presentations |
|---|---|
| 3:30 | Sea Turtle Tag and Sea Turtle Policy Update. Stacey Gallagher, Sea Turtle Conservancy |
| 3:50 | Sea Turtle Endoscopy: Oh, The Places You Will Go! Dr. Heather Barron, LMC. |
| 4:05 | Nesting Strategies of Loggerhead and Green Turtles Revealed by Satellite Telemetry. Sarah Hirsch, LMC. |
| 4:20 | Beyond the Data: A Case Study on Building Conservation Through Trust and Education. Yvette Fernandez, IRG. |
| 4:35 | Student Scientists for Sea Turtle Conservation. Deborah Prochaska, Nova Eisenhower Elementary (Research and Educational Institute). |
| 4:50 | Questions |
| 5:00 | Adjourn |
FWC = Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
USFWS = U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
MTPH = Marine Turtle Permit Holder
FAU = Florida Atlantic University
USF = University of South Florida
LMC = Loggerhead Marinelife Center
IRG = Inwater Research Group