GULF SHORES, Ala. — Each summer on the Alabama coast, the beach is the scene of an eruption of life that has been taking place for thousands of years.

Tiny loggerhead sea turtles emerge from the sand and crawl to the Gulf of Mexico as volunteers watch over them like proud parents. Many years later, some of these same sea turtles will return to our coast to nest and continue this cycle of life.

From May through October, sea turtle volunteers are needed to search for nests on the beach at sunrise, count hatchlings as they make their way to the Gulf at night, or help with all of the behind the scenes work that makes sea turtle conservation in Alabama successful.

Sea turtle volunteers patrol the beaches in search of turtle tracks, locate the eggs and mark the nest for protection.

Throughout the season, volunteers monitor the nests and then after about 60 days, the listening and waiting begins. The volunteers attend the nest during hatching, ensuring that as many sea turtle hatchlings make it to the Gulf waters as possible.

Once in the water, they are on their own, but hopefully we have increased their chance of survival.

This is the eighth year of the Share the Beach program, and it is a cooperative effort, representing every facet of our diverse community including volunteers, Gulf State Park, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the cities of Orange Beach, Gulf Shores and Dauphin Island, Baldwin County Commission, Gulf Coast Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, Alabama Department of Environmental Management, Community Associate Institute, Friends of Bon Secour NWR, and the hundreds of property owners along the Alabama Coast who allow volunteers to monitor nests on their lands.

If this sounds like something that you want to be a part of, and you are 18 or older, please attend the “kick-off” meeting on April 16 at the Gulf Shores Adult Activity Center, located on Clubhouse Drive in Gulf Shores.

The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. and will last for about an hour.

Local volunteers are needed for the following sections of beach: Fort Morgan, Laguna Key, West Beach, Gulf Shores, Gulf State Park, Orange Beach, Alabama Point, and Dauphin Island.

If you are unable to monitor sea turtle nests but wish to volunteer, then please attend — there is a place for you in our program.

For more information on becoming a Sea Turtle volunteer, call 251-747-4985 or 866-SEA-TURTLE.

Visit our Web site alabamaseaturtles.com.