UPDATE: 2010 Annual Report from the Hawksbill Project! (2.8Mb PDF)
AMAZING: Rare Olive Ridley Nesting on Big Island!! (PDF File)
Kamehame Beach, located on the southeast end of the Big Island, is an extremely important nesting beach for hawksbill turtles in Hawaii. Every year from approximately June through December, female hawksbill return to the remote black sand beach of Kamehame to nest. These solitary turtles select secluded sites above the high water line to lay their eggs. Approximately two months later, 80 percent of the eggs will hatch and the little hatchlings will make the life or death run to the sea. 
Unfortunately, fewer than 80 percent
survive. Many never make it to the sea at all. They become tasty treats for mongooses, birds, rats, pigs and other predators. Even if they make it to the ocean, hatchlings are often eaten by sharks and other large fishes. In reality, approximately one percent actually survive to become reproducing adults.
Recently The Nature Conservancy, with help from the National Parks Service, purchased Kamehame Beach from C. Brewer and Company. For over 10 years, land owners allowed the National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to manage a volunteer turtle monitoring program at Kamehame. The success of every hawksbill turtle nesting season depends on this program. Dedicated National Park Service staff and volunteers monitor the nests day and night, record important data, and help keep predators at bay. [If you are interested in becoming a volunteer for the hawksbill turtle monitoring program at Kamehame, please call Will Seitz at Hawaii Volcano National Park, at 808-985-6090.]
A new cooperative agreement between the Nature Conservancy, the Fish and Wildlife Service, and the National Park Service will allow the monitoring program to continue, but does not fund the program. Land protection alone is not enough to ensure the survival of the endangered hawksbill turtle. Help increase the odds of survival for this rare and beautiful sea turtle by giving a generous donation to the Kamehame Turtle Monitoring Project.
