Grant: 20-034C
Project Title: Implementation of a Boater Voluntary Speed Reduction Zone in Palm Beach County
Project Manager: Katie O'Hara
Organization: Loggerhead Marinelife Center (Non-Profit Organization)
Grant Amount: $20,000.00
Completion Date: 2021-12-02
Summary: Loggerhead Marinelife Center (LMC), in collaboration with the Archie Carr Center for Sea Turtle Research (ACCSTR), aims to decrease unintended interactions between sea turtles and boaters through the development of a Voluntary Speed Reduction Zone (VSRZ) pilot project in inshore waters from Jupiter to Lake Worth Inlets, Palm Beach County, FL. More than 30% of all reported stranded turtles in Florida have evidence of vessel strikes (Foley et al. 2019). In 2017, the VSRZ pilot project was started and comprised of four phases. Phase II of the VSRZ project was launched with funding from the Florida Sea Turtle Grants Program to address this threat to sea turtles. Phases I and II used empirical research to determine current boat speeds by boat type (baseline data), and to develop a Communications Strategy. Development of the strategy was based on the input of local boaters and general public to improve boater compliance with a VSRZ while traveling in critical sea turtle inter-nesting habitat. For Phase III, LMC will develop and implement, in collaboration with ACCSTR, an educational outreach campaign to increase boater compliance with the VSRZ. The outreach campaign will be based on the Communications Strategy developed in Phase II. Depending on the success of the VSRZ pilot project we intend to implement VSRZs in other areas of Florida where vessel strikes are a significant threat to sea turtles.
Results: As recommended through Frameworks Institute's research, 'saturating the landscape' with the logo and messaging for the Sea Turtle Protection Zone in Palm Beach County. Following these suggestions, various educational materials were developed to distribute throughout the Palm Beach County boating community to raise awareness of the STPZ and encourage compliance from the local boating community. All promotional materials were purchased to increase boater awareness of and subsequently compliance with the zone, and have been distributed to all marinas, boat rental companies, boat stores & bait and tackle shops in Palm Beach County, to ensure the messaging is coming from recognized members/institutions of the boating community to local boaters. A page on LMC's website was also developed for the Sea Turtle Protection Zone. Press releases were distributed in July, and the messaging strategy has been fully translated to educational materials and the video is complete to raise awareness for the 2021 nesting season. All promotional outreach materials (hats, sunglasses, keychains, sunglasses holders, etc.) were purchased to be used as incentives for boaters to participate in outreach activities (trivia, spin wheel, etc.) and to saturate the landscape with the STPZ logo and messaging as recommended in the messaging strategy provided by FrameWorks Institute.