STC Awarded Three Florida Sea Turtle License Plate Grants in 2026

Funded by a portion of revenues from Florida’s Sea Turtle Specialty License Plate, the Sea Turtle Grants Program distributes funds each year to support sea turtle research, conservation and education programs that benefit Florida sea turtles. In 2024, Sea Turtle Conservancy (STC) had three grants funded, Big Bend Education Initiative Year 2, Expanding Wildlife Lighting Awareness in Florida, and Inspiring Stewardship and Environmental Action in the Archie Carr Refuge.

Sea Turtle Conservancy Big Bend Sea Turtle Education Initiative, Year 2

Sea Turtle Conservancy (STC) will continue its educational outreach program targeting schools and residents within the Big Bend region of Florida. Although important populations of sea turtles utilize this area, there has been a gap in conservation education efforts along the Big Bend compared to other areas of the State. STC has observed a strong desire by members of the public to know more about the turtles along this coast and how to reduce the threats that they face. Building upon lessons learned in the project’s inaugural year in 2025, STC will continue to conduct educational outreach activities targeting coastal counties in the Big Bend through in-person educational presentations to both students and adults. STC will host presentations and programs at schools, public libraries, and civic organization meetings. STC will emphasize in-person presentations and will expand to new areas in the Big Bend. Many of the outreach templates, presentations, and curricula will be improved following feedback from local teachers and civic organizations. The Big Bend Education Initiative will provide high-quality educational programming that helps increase awareness about sea turtles and marine conservation in a fun, interactive environment.

Expanding Wildlife Lighting Awareness in Florida

Poorly-managed coastal lighting is a major threat to Florida’s globally-important sea turtles. To address this problem, local code enforcement and building officials, businesses, and property representatives must be educated about wildlife lighting. For more than 15 years, Sea Turtle Conservancy (STC) has been working to mitigate the impacts of artificial light on nesting beaches. By conducting free training workshops for code enforcement and building personnel, STC ensures that those tasked with implementing lighting ordinances are equipped with the tools to effectively address problematic coastal lights. Through its Home Improvement Store and Real Estate Initiatives, STC is educating two important audiences that historically have been difficult to reach, about the role they play in protecting sea turtles. By utilizing our existing connections within the lighting industry to stock wildlife lighting products in stores, and partnering with real estate agents to provide new property owners with educational packets about the natural resources in their backyards, STC is filling an important knowledge gap. Through this project, STC will continue planning and conducting lighting workshops and to expand its Home Improvement Store and Real Estate Initiatives.

Inspiring Stewards and Action Ambassadors to Conserve the Archie Carr Refuge

Sea Turtle Conservancy’s (STC) programs at the Barrier Island Sanctuary Management and Education Center (BIC), located in the heart of the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge, have a responsibility to train the next generation of stewards of sea turtles and their critical nesting habitat. Sea Turtle School (STS) field study education programs have reached up to 3,300 students in both Brevard and Indian River Counties. Most of these programs reach K-4 students. In 2022, STC also launched a new STS STEM Outreach program to provide additional opportunities for the STS attendees to be empowered to innovate solutions to sea turtle threats. To broaden the age range of our audience, in 2019, STC also built the Sea Turtle TECH STEM Mentorship and Conservation Career Training Program to reach middle school and teen audiences during the summer. All of these programs show strong learning outcomes and pro-sea turtles attitude and conservation behavior shifts. In 2024, STC successfully launched a new program during the school year, the STC Action Ambassadors (STCAA) to reach teens, ages 11-18 yrs. This project will support STS, STS STEM Outreach, and the STCAA program. The STCAA will train teens in the steps to succeed in collaborative projects that create systemic change to conserve sea turtles and their habitats. Issues the STCAA will address in the Carr Refuge include lighting hazards, trash removal, and dune stabilization. STC is seeking funding for the Community Stewardship Coordinator and a college intern to support the STS education program and bus scholarships, outreach programs, and to sustain the new STCAA program. All of these programs build the future stewards of the Archie Carr Refuge by training the next generation in the skills needed to conserve sea turtles and their habitats.

All three projects are funded in whole by a grant awarded from the Sea Turtle Grants Program. The Sea Turtle Grants Program is funded from proceeds from the sale of the Florida Sea Turtle License Plate. Learn more at www.helpingseaturtles.org.