VOA标准英语2009年-Sea Turtles in Battle For US Nesting Groun

By Brian Wagner
Washington
16 September 2009

Miami Beach is a top destination for vacationers from around the world -- not to mention a location for sea turtles laying eggs. For eons, female sea turtles have returned to the beaches where they were born to build nests for their next generation. As Miami Beach continues to develop, wildlife officials and volunteers are making sure the beach remains¹ a welcoming place for these endangered animals.

 
Bill Ahern
The sea turtle patrol starts his day at sunrise.

"The reason we need to get out at first light is to make sure we see the tracks before anybody else gets out here, Bill Ahern says, "Something that weighs 350 pounds [160 kilograms] is going to leave evidence."

Bill Ahern directs the sea turtle program in Miami-Dade county.

His team monitors and marks nests left by sea turtles who lay eggs in the sand and then return to the sea. The patrols also work with beach residents to keep track of new nests and possible threats to existing ones.

Nearly 65,000 turtles nested on Florida's Atlantic coast last year. A tiny portion come to Miami Beach where they face many risks. Tough laws have cracked down on poachers. And bright lights from nearby buildings can confuse hatchlings, luring² them onto roads instead of into the ocean.

"I recall in the mid-1960s, me and my beach buddies³ would pick up hatchlings [from the road] and put them back in the water," he recalls.

To avoid that problem, city officials have imposed limits on coastal⁴ lighting⁵. 

 
Protection is placed around the sea turtle nest
The end result: Ahern's team has been able to leave more nests intact and out of the hatchery they maintain.

"We only had 25 nests moved to the hatchery [this year]. In years prior to 2003, everything would get relocated to a safe, protected area of the hatchery," he said.

Although most sea turtles hatch on their own, emerging at night, some have a harder time.

"Here we go. We have one loggerhead so far. We may find some of the eggs are unfertile, we may find some have died, he says, "But that guy is pretty lively so we have saved him."

In the future, the Sea Turtles Program hopes to do away with the hatchery. 

Educating beach-goers is a step in that direction. Each week, people are invited to see a release of hatchlings recovered from nests.

The experience helps sunbathers understand the role of the beach in the turtle's life cycle. 

Since 1980, the Miami-Dade program has released more than a half million turtle hatchlings to the sea.

"I have two hatchlings that are ready to go, so I'm going to release them here at Haulover Beach," he explains.

Only a fraction of the hatchlings will escape predators⁶ and man-made perils⁷ in their first year.

"Their instincts are so keen," he says, "I'll face him to the west, and watch him, he turns right around facing the ocean. Mother ocean."

For the females born on Miami Beach, as adults, they will try to return home to lay their eggs.

 

1 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

2 luring   

吸引，引诱（lure的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• Cheese is very good for luring a mouse into a trap. 奶酪是引诱老鼠上钩的极好的东西。
• Her training warned her of peril and of the wrong, subtle, mysterious, luring. 她的教养警告她：有危险，要出错儿，这是微妙、神秘而又诱人的。

3 buddies   

n.密友( buddy的名词复数 )；同伴；弟兄；（用于称呼男子，常带怒气）家伙v.（如密友、战友、伙伴、弟兄般）交往( buddy的第三人称单数 )；做朋友；亲近（…）；伴护艾滋病人

参考例句：

• We became great buddies. 我们成了非常好的朋友。 来自辞典例句
• The two of them have become great buddies. 他们俩成了要好的朋友。 来自辞典例句

4 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

5 lighting   

n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光

参考例句：

• The gas lamp gradually lost ground to electric lighting.煤气灯逐渐为电灯所代替。
• The lighting in that restaurant is soft and romantic.那个餐馆照明柔和而且浪漫。

6 predators   

n.食肉动物( predator的名词复数 )；奴役他人者（尤指在财务或性关系方面）

参考例句：

• birds and their earthbound predators 鸟和地面上捕食它们的动物
• The eyes of predators are highly sensitive to the slightest movement. 捕食性动物的眼睛能感觉到最细小的动静。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 perils   

极大危险( peril的名词复数 )； 危险的事（或环境）

参考例句：

• The commander bade his men be undaunted in the face of perils. 指挥员命令他的战士要临危不惧。
• With how many more perils and disasters would he load himself? 他还要再冒多少风险和遭受多少灾难？