Adopt A Sea Turtle Nest Season Is Here!
We are excited to announce that our Adopt A Sea Turtle Nest program is now open for the 2023 season!
Through our Adopt A Sea Turtle Nest program, you can symbolically adopt an active sea turtle nest at Cape Hatteras National Seashore and receive an official adoption certificate by mail and information about your specific nest when it hatches later this summer or fall.
Here's how the program works:
Donate: Give a tax-deductible donation of $100 or more to reserve your 2023 sea turtle nest. Your gift will help us fund important projects that protect and enhance Cape Hatteras National Seashore and the vital habitat it preserves. You will receive a confirmation email for your donation.
Receive your nest assignment: Sea turtles typically start to arrive in May and June and will continue to arrive until late August. As nests arrive and are available, you will be assigned your sea turtle nest and receive an adoption certificate by mail with initial information about your nest. Please keep in mind that if you reserve a nest in April or May, you may not receive your initial information until late May, June, or even later depending on how many early adoptions are received.
Wait patiently for your nest to hatch! When your nest hatches later this 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.
A note about honorary/memorial gifts: If you choose to adopt a nest in honor or in memory of a loved one and provide an honoree’s mailing address on your donation form, a letter with nest information and a certificate will be mailed directly to your honoree. Your honoree will be notified of your gift and will receive a certificate when their nest is assigned, not at the time you make the gift. Please keep this in mind if your gift is time sensitive. Certificates cannot be sent via email to honorees. Please provide a mailing address only.
There are a limited number of nests available to adopt each year and they are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis, so adopt yours today!
Read our frequently asked questions for even more information about our Adopt A Sea Turtle Nest program!
Please note: Nature belongs to all of us – no individual or group that participates in this program can claim ownership of a sea turtle nest, eggs, or hatchlings.