Adopt a Sea Turtle Nest

Coming Soon: 2024 Adopt A Sea Turtle Nest Season Opening May 1!

One of the most awe-inspiring reasons we all love Cape Hatteras National Seashore is that its pristine beaches are a perfect home for our favorite sea turtle friends. Each year, hundreds of sea turtles make their way onto our beaches to lay their eggs. During summer 2023, our parks monitored over 370 sea turtle nests, including rare Kemp’s Ridley and Leatherback sea turtle nests, and we hope to see similar numbers this season.

Through our Adopt A Sea Turtle Nest program, you can *symbolically adopt a sea turtle nest that is being monitored by park rangers at Cape Hatteras National Seashore and receive information about your specific nest when it hatches later in the summer or fall! There are a limited number of nests available to adopt each year and they are assigned on a first come, first-served basis.

*No individual or group who participates in this program can claim ownership of a sea turtle nest, eggs, or hatchlings. Nature is also unpredictable. If your adopted nest is lost to a weather event or damaged by some other means, we will assign you a new nest that may or may not be shared with another individual or group. 

Here’s how it works and what to expect: 

1) Donate: Give a tax-deductible donation of $100 or more to reserve your 2024 sea turtle nest and support projects that protect and enhance Cape Hatteras National Seashore. You will receive a confirmation email for your donation. 

2) Receive your nest number: You will be assigned an active sea turtle nest as they are laid (late May to early June) and receive an adoption certificate by mail with initial information about your nest.

Honorary/Memorial gifts: If you choose to adopt a nest in honor/memory of a loved one and provide their mailing address on your donation form, then a letter with nest information and certificate will be mailed directly to your honoree.

3) Wait patiently for your nest to hatch! When your nest hatches late summer or fall, you will receive a personalized update in the mail with information park rangers collect about your nest including the number of hatchlings that made their way out to sea.

NEW for 2024 – digital certificates are now available! If you would like to receive an electronic certificate or send an electronic certificate to an honoree, click the box ‘send certificate digitally’ on the donation form and provide an email address. 

Important: Adopt A Nest reservations begin May 1, but nests do not start to arrive on the seashore until late May, or early June, and hatching typically begins in August. You will receive your nest assignment when nests start to arrive and then a second update will be mailed to you when your nest hatches. 

You can read our frequently asked questions for even more information about our Adopt A Sea Turtle Nest program! If you have additional questions, please reach out to Nicole Erickson, our Development & Adoption Programs Manager, at: nicoleerickson@obxforever.org.