11 TurtleWatch GC calls for community conservation heroes As summer approaches, the Gold Coast coastline is preparing to welcome one of nature’s most incredible annual events, with threatened marine turtles returning to our beaches to nest between November 2026 and March 2027. Watergum Community and Sea World Foundation are inviting locals to take part in the 2026/2027 TurtleWatch Gold Coast program, helping monitor and protect nesting sea turtles and their hatchlings along the coastline. The upcoming season will see volunteers and conservation teams monitoring nesting activity of threatened species including loggerhead and green turtles, helping researchers better understand local turtle populations and identify ways to improve their protection. Watergum Community’s Senior TurtleWatch GC Officer, Jenna Versluis, said community involvement was essential to ensuring turtles had the best chance of survival. “Every nesting season provides an important opportunity to learn more about our local turtle populations and support their protection,” said Jenna. “Our volunteers are the eyes and ears along the coastline. By walking our beaches, recording turtle activity and reporting nesting signs, they play a vital role in helping us protect these threatened species.” Sea World Foundation’s Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Coordinator, Siobhan Houlihan, said protecting marine turtles required collaboration between conservation organisations and the wider community. “Community programs like TurtleWatch GC are a great example of how people can come together to make a meaningful difference for these incredible animals.” Throughout the nesting season, TurtleWatch GC volunteers will be trained to identify turtle tracks and nesting signs, record important observations and assist with protecting nests from threats including predators and unsuitable beach conditions. How to you can help You can help by volunteering your time. This might be as simple as walking the beach with your dog, friends or family while keeping an eye out for turtle nesting activity. You can also make a difference by donating to help grow the onground response team and boost artificial light reduction programs to protect hatchlings. Hatchlings often mistake bright artificial lights for the natural horizon, leading them away from the ocean and toward danger. Whether you are a seasoned environmentalist or love getting involved in programs creating real impact, TurtleWatch GC provides a unique opportunity to get hands-on experience in protecting some of our most vulnerable marine species. For more information on how to join or support, please visit Watergum’s website or contact the TurtleWatch GC team at turtlewatch@watergum. org or 07 2103 5796. The Botanic Gardens Glider service has turned out to be much more than a mode of transport around the 30-hectare gardens. The service’s feedback from last year’s passengers is full of glowing accolades and superlatives such as wonderful, excellent, informative, knowledgeable, fantastic and enjoyable. For the Glider drivers, this level of appreciation is their raison d’etre – fostering a positive environment to open up the gardens to as many people as possible and show there is far more to see and experience than simply a collection of plants around a confined central area. The popularity of and reaction to the butterfly tours, for Botanic Gardens Glider example, shows a growing number of visitors have a great interest in attracting butterflies to their gardens, and plans are now afoot to use the 8-seater electric people mover for wildlife tours as well to introduce visitors to the surprising array of animals who live in and around the Gardens. A new trend has developed amongst returning patrons of the Botanic Gardens Glider, with larger groups taking expanded opportunities to combine specially tailored Glider tours with a picnic morning tea overlooking the picturesque main lake. The Friends of the Botanic Gardens Glider runs three scheduled tours per week - Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, but is always available by arrangement outside this schedule. The Glider’s modified schedule, in response to passenger feedback, enables passengers to enjoy a flexible and more leisurely look around the Gardenswith their guide. All Glider tours depart from the Sensory Pavilion at 10:00am. The cost is $5.00 per person and bookings are essential through www.trybooking.com/CCSSZ. Butterfly Glider Tour: https://www.trybooking.com/CEUTH Wildlife Glider Tour: https://www.trybooking.com/DJJXO For more information, contact 0400048006 or glider@ friendsgcrbg.org.au
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