In many areas where nesting takes place, turtle patrols hunt for nests by day and rope them off so they can't be disturbed. In Gulf County in northwest Florida, where sea turtle season runs from May 1 to Oct. 31, the St. Joseph Peninsula Turtle Patrol on Cape San Blas takes a "turtle walkabout" each morning at dawn looking for signs of crawls. Nests are marked, and small groups of visitors can join part of the patrol, which includes measuring and marking nests with posts and caution tape so beachgoers know to stay away. Details at floridacc.org.