Turtle Tide Art Project
SAVE THE DATE!
2024 Turtle Tide Art Auction: Saturday, October 12th
About the Turtle Tide Art Project
Starting in 2022, the Edisto Chamber of Commerce created the Turtle Tide Art Project as a way to benefit local businesses, artists, and non-profit organizations. The Turtle Tide Art Project will help raise funding for a variety of local non-profits. In addition to supporting non-profits, the turtles will offer residents and visitors a glimpse into Edisto’s creative art community, as well as provide informational facts about the loggerhead turtles that call the Island home.
The turtles arrive as blank slates before local artists transform each one into their own unique artistic creations. After the “Reveal” event in May/June, the turtles then take up residence in Edisto over Turtle Season (May-October). During Edisto’s Fall Fest in October, they will be put up for auction to find their “forever home”. Proceeds from the auction will go to the designated non-profits associated with each turtle.
2024’s turtle proceeds will go to support the following organizations:
Read more about our local non-profits that are doing great work within the community here!
How do they find their forever home?
A Turtle Auction (in conjunction with our Fall Festival) is held in October where all 10 turtles will be auctioned off! All of the money raised for each turtle will be donated to their designated non-profit. Join the fun and you might even take home your favorite turtle!
Turtle Tide Guide
We have created an interactive Turtle Tide Guide to accompany the project! Once the turtles are in place, the guide will help you discover all ten of the turtles around Edisto, learn more about the project, and why protecting Edisto’s turtles is so important. You will be able to click on each turtle to open their locations on Google Maps or download your very own copy for reference.
You can find physical copies of the guides at the Edisto Chamber of Commerce or at each sponsor location for the turtles.
Here are the 2024 Turtles!
If you find all 10 turtles and take a picture with each one, tagging it #EdistoTurtleTide, you will have a chance to win a prize! You can also email your photos to chamber@edistochamber.com or message us through our Facebook or Instagram pages.
#edistoturtletide
Come out and celebrate our beloved sea turtles with fun, family-friendly activities, educational exhibits, and this year`s Turtle Tide Art reveal. These stunning hand painted turtles will be auctioned off in October. Don`t miss out on this fantastic event that brings conservation and creativity together.
#thatsmylowcountry #naturallyamazing #sclowcountry #turtlefest #edistoturtletide #edistobeachstatepark
Can’t wait to see everyone at The Edisto Turtle Tide Auction today at 2:30!!!! Go #4 Nigel!!
#edistoturtletide
#whoyouwhitbenefit
#flyhighwhit843
#988Lifeline
Kid Photo Dumb #oneproudmama #kid #kidtime #beach #familytime #familyvacay #beach2023 #southcarolina #edistobeach #edistoturtletide #edistoisland
Jorgie is in place at her new home - the finish line of the #edistoislandtriathlon Named after our favorite triathlete gwenjorgensen she will greet finishers of the triathlon for many years to come #edistoisland #triathlon #edistoturtletide
Why Loggerhead Turtles are Important to Edisto Island
Loggerhead turtles have always found a home on Edisto Island, even before humans arrived. From May to October, these remarkable creatures grace us with their presence during turtle season, venturing onto the beach to lay their eggs before journeying back to the ocean. If you’ve ever had the privilege of visiting Edisto Island during this awe-inspiring time, you’re well aware of the deep significance it holds for us. We are wholeheartedly committed to safeguarding these precious loggerhead turtle hatchlings, with a set of dedicated rules in place to ensure their safe emergence from their nests and their successful journey into the welcoming embrace of the ocean.
Fun facts about Loggerhead turtles:
- Female Loggerhead Turtles nest every 2 to 3 years.
- Nesting turtles will lay an average of 3 to 5 clutches in a single season. The average clutch size is 100 eggs!
- Once the nest is laid, the female never visits her nest again.
- Mature turtles weigh between 250 and 400 pounds!
- Only adult females come ashore, males spend their entire life in the ocean.
- Sea turtles cannot retract their heads or flippers as land turtles do.
- Adult Loggerheads are reddish brown above and creamy yellow below.
- Between 50 and 150 nests are found on Edisto each year! We are thankful to have the Edisto Beach Loggerhead Turtle Project and Edisto Beach State Park helping protect these nests and educating the public on the turtles.
- Nesting females are skittish and avoid lighted beaches. One of our rules during turtle season is no flashlights at night on the beach or around the beachfront area. Another reason for our “no lights” rule is that hatching turtles are attracted to the light and will often follow it and go the wrong way!
- Though other species visit, only Loggerheads nest here.
