Sea Turtle Grants Program Awards More Than $296,000 to Support Sea Turtle Research, Conservation and Education in Florida

April 2, 2015

The Sea Turtle Grants Program (STGP), funded by the sale of Florida’s Helping Sea Turtles Survive specialty license plate, recently awarded $296,838 to 26 different projects benefiting Florida sea turtles as part of the 2015-2016 grant funding cycle.

Each year, the Sea Turtle Grants Program distributes money to coastal county governments, educational institutions and nonprofit groups through a competitive application process. The sea turtle specialty license plate is also the primary source of funding for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Marine Turtle Protection Program.

The following organizations received grants for their approved projects for the 2015-2016 cycle:

• Marineland Dolphin Adventure: Protect Sea Turtles card and key tags
• Gulf Specimen Marine Lab: Improving the capacity to care for injured sea turtles
• Inwater Research Group: Treasure Coast Sea Turtle Outreach Program for At-Risk Youth
• Coastal Biology, Inc.: Presentation and night vision equipment for Turtle Walks
• University of Central Florida: Research vessel for in-water assessment of juvenile sea turtles in the Indian River Lagoon
• Friends of Agriculture Extension, Inc.: 5th grade Sea Turtle Curriculum
• Volusia County Environmental Management: Sea turtle ambassador and educational outreach program
• Inwater Research Group: Large Green Turtles of the Marquesas Keys and Surrounding Waters
• Mote Marine Laboratory: Service plan for the Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Hospital’s laser
• Sea Turtle Conservancy: Florida Sea Turtle Educational Materials Warehouse Project
• Hidden Harbor Marine Environmental Project (The Turtle Hospital): Supplies and equipment to support the Turtle Hospital Educational Outreach Programs
• Palm Beach County: Assessment of multiple sand sources used in beach nourishment
• East Coast Zoological Society of Florida (Brevard Zoo): Brevard Zoo Sea Turtle Hospital
• University of Central Florida: Migratory ecology and reproductive output of the green turtles (Chelonia mydas) nesting on the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge
• Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife: Sea turtle endoscopy equipment
• Sea Turtle Conservancy: Tour de Turtles 2015 Educational Program
• Broward County: Public beach access sea turtle informational signs
• City of Sanibel: Sea Turtle Lighting Campaign – “After 9, it’s turtle time!”
• University of Central Florida: Adult green turtles (Chelonia mydas) of the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge
• Florida Atlantic University: Mating system determination of imperiled marine turtles and an assessment of operational sex ratio
• Brevard County Environmentally Endangered Lands Program: Expansion of sea turtle education programs at the Barrier Island Sanctuary Management and Education Center
• Mote Marine Laboratory: Southwest Florida loggerhead rookeries as long-term collaborative tagging experiment
• Gulf World Marine Institute: Large animal scale for stranded sea turtles
• Sea Turtle Preservation Society: “Lights, Balloons, Boats, Fishing/The Message”
• University of Florida (Whitney Laboratory): Outfitting a surgical and treatment suite for Whitney’s Sea Turtle Hospital
• Gulf World Marine Institute: Konica CR Radiograph System Upgrade

The sea turtle plate is the number two overall selling specialty tag in Florida, and the number one environmental specialty plate. By purchasing the sea turtle specialty license plate, Floridians are voluntarily funding important programs to save endangered sea turtles and their habitats.

To learn more about the Sea Turtle Grants Program and the “Helping Sea Turtles Survive” specialty license plate, please visit www.helpingseaturtles.org.

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