Watersound Fountains associate shares passion for sea turtles with residents

By day, Brooke Leestma is the resident experience director at Watersound Fountains – where she plans programs and events for the seniors who live at the resort-style senior living community. But by night, you can find her maneuvering an all-terrain utility vehicle on the beach as a Wildlife Observer for the Panama City Beach Turtle Watch.

The latter is something that she is deeply passionate about and excited to share with residents of Watersound Fountains this month.

The community is sponsoring a green sea turtle nest located on the west end of Panama City Beach near Inlet Beach where the community is located. As part of this sponsorship, Panama City Beach Turtle Watch visited the community on August 20 to speak with residents about the work that they do. Residents will also visit the nest - with Brooke - during excavation.

For Leestma, it’s a way to connect with residents on a deeper level and share a part of her life outside of the community with them.

“Working with this organization has allowed me to experience things I never thought I would. I have been blessed to witness sea turtles at every stage of life – from mothers coming ashore at night to nest to watching a nest hatch,” said Leetsma. “Now, I get to share that with our residents.”

This is Leestma’s third year working with Panama City Turtle Watch and her first as a Wildlife Observer.

As a Wildlife Observer, she drives the local beaches at night to look for nests and check for hatching once they are laid. She and her team work alongside the Leave No Trace group, who clear the beach every day after sunset to ensure that no chairs, tents or debris are left behind that may interfere with the nesting sea turtles and their journey to and from the water.

Panama City Beach is one of a handful of beaches in Florida where volunteers and staff of these organizations can go out on the beach at night, but the vehicles must be outfitted with red lights so the artificial light does not confuse the baby sea turtles who follow the light of the moon to find the water.

“Sea turtles are fascinating animals,” said Leetsma. “But there are obstacles to their survival each year. One of the most important things we do as an organization is educating people about conservation efforts and how to respect sea turtle nests during this pivotal time.”

As part of the seminar being held at Watersound Fountains, members of the Panama City Beach Turtle Watch will educate residents about the sea turtle nesting and hatching process. They’ll also bring in artifacts such as a preserved sea turtle nest and shell. Residents of the community will have the opportunity to visit the nest during excavation, which happens a couple days after the sea turtles hatch.

During the excavation, the trained staff with Panama City Beach Turtle Watch carefully dig up the sea turtle nest to see how many eggs were laid, how many hatchlings successfully emerged and how many unhatched eggs remain. Occasionally, a hatchling may still be found in the nest during the excavation.

“Every nest tells its own story, and it is fascinating to discover what each contains,” said Leestma. “What excites me most about sponsoring a nest this year is the opportunity to share a nest excavation with our residents.”

For resident Gaynell Lisenbe, the experience will be particularly special. Lisenbe previously volunteered for a local sea turtle conservation organization. In her role, she would walk more than two miles of beach each day searching for sea turtle nests. It’s a similar position to the one that Leestma holds – and a shared connection for the two women as they embark on this unique experience.

About Watersound Fountains

Located in Inlet Beach, Fla. Watersound Fountains is a 148-apartment independent living community located at 65 Origins Parkway. The community offers resort-style amenities including four unique dining venues, a fitness studio, salon and spa, wellness center, swimming pool, indoor golf simulator, and outdoor putting green. Residents also have access to award-winning programming through Watermark University. Managed by Watermark Retirement Communities, Watersound Fountains is committed to creating an extraordinary and innovative community where people thrive. For more information, visit https://watersound.watermarkcommunities.com.