21st Century

21st Century. . Climate change and increased development along the beaches of Anastasia Island bring new challenges to the area., Sea level rise and more numerous and stronger hurricanes erode beaches and threaten property, including historically significant buildings like the St. Augustine Beach Hotel. In October 2016 Hurricane Matthew skirted the Florida coast and significantly eroded the beach around the pier., Sea turtles nest their eggs along Florida's coasts, where lights from the shore disorient hatchlings who wander inland instead of to the ocean and die of dehydration. This threatens already dwindling sea turtle populations who return each year to ever more crowded beaches., The community works in a variety of ways to reduce the impacts of these threats. Volunteers patrol the beach before sunrise every morning of turtle nesting season (April - October) to mark nests and count hatchlings. They remind beachgoers to fill any holes to prevent sea turtles from falling in and to turn off lights so that baby turtles find their way to the ocean. , , St. Johns County, the State of Florida, and the Federal government provide funding for beach renourishment, which involves dredging the ocean bottom and depositing sand on the beach. This provides better protection to structures and beach dunes from regular wave action. It also ensures that there are beaches for all to enjoy., As sea level continues to rise and temperatures become consistently warmer, our work to mitigate the effects on our historic buildings and environment will continue., In 2021 St. Johns Cultural Council sought and was awarded additional grant funding from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the National Park Service, and the Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources to tell this important story and continue to preserve the historic building., (captions) , Green sea turtle mother heads back to the ocean after burying her eggs. , Sand from the nearby ocean bottom is pumped through pipes and deposited north of the pier in Summer 2012. , Images courtesy of Brenda Swann (top) and Peter Willot, St. Augustine Record., Find out more about research and protection of St. Johns County's coastal environment from the Guana, Tolomato and Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve.