Monitoring is performed along 18 miles of developed beach in Bay County between St. Andrews State Park and Camp Helen State Park at Phillips Inlet.  Since Turtle Watch began in 1991, the number of nests laid in this area has varied widely from a low of 9 in 1993 to a high of 38 in 2000.  Sea turtles are solitary animals that prefer to nest in areas devoid of beach lighting and human activity.  This is probably why the greatest nesting occurs on the west end of the beach where development is relatively sparse. The fewest nests are usually laid in the eastern area near the beach clubs Spinnaker and LaVela.