Barrier Island Girl has a news exclusive that week: someone has stolen the All Terrain Vehicle used by National Park workers to monitor sea turtle nests. Our favorite resident beach photographer observes:

The loss of that ATV, worth approximately $5,000, could hardly have come at a worse day. Sea turtle hatchlings are beginning to emerge and these ATV are used to patrol our beaches to form certain each nest is attended when that happens. * * * Having to patrol on foot now could mean the loss of many hatchlings to sea birds, ghost crabs, heat, or traffic… .

The Traveling Turtle Girl, a marine biologist working to protect turtles for the Gulf Islands National Seashore, has more details of the crime:

One of our ATVs, a green 2006 Honda, was stolen from our storage POD in the Park East

lot sometime Sunday afternoon/night or very early Monday dawn. Since we patrol starting at about 0530, it would have been VERY early.

Theft or receipt of federal government property is a felony carrying a penalty of up to ten years in prison and a monetary fine at least twice the value of the ATV. whether the storage pod was located on county owned beach land, as seems likely, the thief or thieves plus could be charged with a third degree felony under state law with no opportunity of parole. Anyone conspiring with another to steal or get the stolen property faces similarly stiff penalties.

People with knowledge about the whereabouts of the stolen vehicle or the identity of the thieves are encouraged to telephone the joint U.S. Park-Gulf Breeze police dispatch office at 1-850-916-3010.

Original post by Beach Blogger