Click the link below to shop and donate online or find the instructions if you prefer to mail us a check.
And we still have some 2025 shirts available at discount prices. These are only available through our online store or mail order. The Lighthouse does not have any 2025 shirts. shop, donate and adopt a nest here
Found a mother turtle laying a nest? A stranded or injured sea turtle and/or unattended hatchlings?
Call the HBTWP Stranding Team:
910-754-0766 | 24/7/365
Nesting turtles are frightened by lights and won't lay their eggs on a brightly lighted beach. Hatchlings will go to the lights rather than the ocean! Please help us preserve our marine life by keeping beachfront lighting off from May 1st until October 31st. learn more turtle facts
As recommended by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission, it is the policy of the HBTWP to NOT disclose the locations or potential hatch dates of active turtle nests on our beach.
A list of nest locations will NOT be published in newspapers, on this website or on other social media. Please do NOT call the emergency number or contact the Project Coordinator to ask about nests. This is for the safety of the turtles! learn more about turtle nesting
Current Nest Count |
False Crawls |
Total Known Eggs |
Hatchlings to Ocean |
posted: April 6, 2026, 1:07 PM
Meet the 2026 Holden Beach Turtle Patrol Stranding Team.24/7/365 these folks are available to help a sick or injured turtle on Holden Beach. If you see a sea turtle in need of assistance, please call the stranding team at 910 -754- 0766. Please use this phone number for turtle EMERGENCIES only. We got out first stranding call of the 2026 season today. It was a Diamondback Terrapin. While they occasionally wander onto the beach, they are NOT sea turtles. In fact, they are the only turtles in North America that live exclusively in brackish water. When we receive a call...read more of this article.
posted: March 29, 2026, 5:08 PM
The new "class" of trainees for this year have begun their training. They recently met with our Program Coordinator and Assistant Coordinators, . The trainees will be wearing shirts with a name patch indicating they are trainees--please give them support when you see them on the beach! They have specific goals to accomplish that will take most of the season--but then they will be able to take their "trainee" patch off. Last year's trainees who completed all their requirements will be voted in as new members at the upcoming Annual Meeting. Congratulations to all. ...read more of this article.
posted: February 9, 2026, 11:31 AM
Addison Hedin, a freshman at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, and Terrie Buchner who is an active member of the Holden Beach Turtle Patrol. Their collaborative design, "Every Turtle Counts...Every Action Matters", reflects the shared commitment to sea turtle conservation, education and environmental stewardship that defines our Turtle Patrol mission. The design is more than artwork, it tells a conservation story, and it represents the teamwork and dedication required to protect sea turtles today and inspire conservation -minded leaders for the future. Purchase our merchandise with this 2026 design from our new online store and by mail order, using...read more of this article.
posted: February 3, 2026, 3:46 PM
OMG we are overwhelmed with the interest in our Adopt a Nest Program. Currently there are no nests available for adoption. We had a limited number of nests designated for adoption (because we really don't know how many nests will be laid this year---last year it was only 35) and they went fast. The Adopt a Nest committee will evaluate opening up more nest adoptions once we get into the season. Please watch this page for NEWS or follow us on Facebook for updates. Note: a decision to add more nests into the Adopt a Nest Program will probably not...read more of this article.