Outer Banks Forever, the official nonprofit partner of the three Outer Banks national parks, has opened its annual Adopt A Sea Turtle Nest program for the sea turtle nesting season at Cape Hatteras National Seashore, which occurs from May to September each year.

Cape Hatteras National Seashore extends more than 70 miles and covers approximately 25,000 acres from South Nags Head to the Ocracoke Inlet. Those miles of seashore are monitored daily by National Park Service rangers who gather important data about the hundreds of sea turtle nests laid each year.

Through Outer Banks Forever’s Adopt A Sea Turtle Nest program, donors can symbolically adopt an active sea turtle nest on the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Participants will receive an official adoption certificate and information about their specific nest when it hatches later this summer or fall.

Outer Banks Forever is now in its sixth season of its Adopt A Sea Turtle Nest program, and thanks to the support of generous donors, more than $94,000 has been raised to protect and enhance CHNS.

Here’s how the program works:

Donate: Give a tax-deductible donation of $100 or more to reserve your 2025 sea turtle nest. Gifts will help fund important projects that protect and enhance Cape Hatteras National Seashore and the vital sea turtle habitat it preserves. Donors will receive a confirmation email.

Receive a nest assignment: As nests become available, donors will be assigned a nest and will receive an adoption certificate by mail or email with initial information about their nest. Nests will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis.

Wait patiently for your nest to hatch! When the nest hatches later this summer or fall (the average incubation time for local nests is 61 days), participants will receive a personalized update with information National Park Service rangers collect about the nest, including the number of hatchlings that made their way out to sea.

A note about honorary/memorial gifts: Those who choose to adopt a nest in honor or in memory of a loved one and provide an honoree’s mailing address on your donation form, a letter with nest information and a certificate will be mailed directly to the honoree. The honoree will be notified of the gift and will receive a certificate when their nest is assigned, not at the time the gift is made. Keep this in mind if the gift is time sensitive.

Digital certificates are available: Those who would like to receive an electronic certificate or send an electronic certificate to an honoree should click the box “send certificate digitally” on the donation form and provide an email address.

There are a limited number of nests each year, and they are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis, so those interested are encouraged to adopt a nest soon. For more information on Outer Banks Forever’s Adopt A Sea Turtle Nest program, review the program’s Frequently Asked Questions.

“Please note: Nature belongs to all of us – no individual or group that takes part in this program can claim ownership of a sea turtle nest, eggs, or hatchlings. For the safety of the sea turtles and in alignment with National Park Service guidance, your nest’s exact location will not be shared until after it has hatched,” noted Outer Banks Forever.

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