The Department of Natural Resources has reported that the first sea turtle nests of the season have been found on South Carolina beaches. This month so far has seen 17 nests, most of them in Beaufort County.

The first recorded nest was laid on Botany Island on May 1. Thousands of nests are expected along the state's shoreline this summer, said wildlife officials.

Turtle nests are like buried treasure, said Janie Lackman, leader of the Fripp Island Turtle Team. His team has found three nests on the island since Tuesday.

The Department of Natural Resources is contacted after a nest is found so that it can be staked off without any disturbance. About 120 eggs are typically found in nests. One of the eggs is typically used for a DNA research project to help track female turtles’ nesting habit each year.

The people are urged to keep lights off at night during turtle season, as hatchlings can stray from their path back to the ocean because of the lights. Figures obtained for last year have showed that 2,080 turtle nests were found across the state, down from the 2013 total of 5,195.

Federal officials are also planning to remove the species from the endangered species list. Kemp’s ridley is the most endangered of all sea turtles. The US Fish and Wildlife Service has cited human activities as the main reason for decline in the Kemp’s ridleys population. For example, harvesting of turtle eggs and capture by commercial fishing operations. Pollution is another human-induced factor that has threatened marine life.

“Reduce, reuse, recycle is such an easy way to help keep plastics and other trash out of the natural environment, including the ocean. The ocean is full of plastics and it’s extremely harmful to sea turtles and other marine animals”, said Kelly Thorvalson, Sea Turtle Rescue Program manager.