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Inside the Rabbit Hole: Sea Turtles Head North

Every so often I come across a news story I can’t stop reading about, and this fall it was sea turtles. In September, two olive ridley sea turtles crawled onto beaches in Orange County, California, and laid their eggs, one near Seal Beach and one near the Huntington Beach Pier. According to NOAA Fisheries, they’re the first sea turtle nests of any species ever recorded on the U.S. West Coast. The closest place olive ridleys normally nest is near the southern tip of Baja California, Mexico.

Why did they come so far north? Scientists point to unusually warm ocean water from ongoing marine heatwaves and the El Niño expected next year, though NOAA says the exact reasons are still uncertain. With a hurricane approaching, the eggs were moved to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach for safekeeping. Incubation takes 45 to 60 days, so any hatching news could come any day now. No one knows yet whether the eggs will hatch.

Of course, I couldn’t read this without thinking about my classroom. Here’s how I’d use it with students:

Human-environment interaction. When my students study a place, one lens we use is how people and the environment shape each other. This story is a perfect example. I’d ask students:

1. What changes in the ocean might explain why the turtles nested here?
2. Who now has to make decisions because of these nests, and what choices did they face?
3. If more turtles nest in California in coming years, how might beach communities need to adapt?

Comparing sources. I’d also have students read the NOAA article next to a news headline about the same event, then ask: What does each source emphasize? Which details does the news story leave out? Which would you trust for the facts, and why? Questioning sources is a skill students need for every story they read, not just this one.

I’ll be watching for hatching news. If baby olive ridleys make their way back to a California beach, you’ll hear about it here.