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 2022, Sea Turtle Conservancy had two educational grants funded, A Legal and Policy History of Sea Turtle Conservation in Florida and Threats to Sea Turtles Mobile Educational Display.

A Legal and Policy History of Sea Turtle Conservation in Florida involves STC telling the story of Florida playing a major role in the global development of sea turtle protection policy, and the science that supports it, through an interactive ArcGIS StoryMap, which will contain a curated timeline, a series of articles (in blog format), and accompanying social media posts, all based on original research, including oral history interviews. You can read more about this project here.

Threats to Sea Turtles Mobile Educational Display funds new educational traveling displays that can be setup at events, meetings and conferences. STC developed a high-quality event display that highlights the threats to Florida’s sea turtles and provides simple actions that Florida’s citizens can take to help protect sea turtles. The display will include graphics, easy to read text, and a video monitor to loop existing educational videos that cover a range of threats to sea turtles, including inappropriate coastal development, artificial lighting, year-round boat traffic, accidental capture during recreational fishing and by-catch in commercial fisheries.

Both 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.