Last week, Sea Turtle Conservancy staff participated in the 33rd Annual International Sea Turtle Symposium in Baltimore, Maryland. More than 1,000 experts from 60 countries gathered to discuss and share the latest news regarding sea turtle research, conservation, and policy.
Each year, the president of the symposium recognizes one individual for their outstanding contributions to sea turtles. This year, STC’s Marydele Donnelly, Director of International Policy, received the ISTS President’s Award for her 25 years of effective work in recovering the world’s sea turtle populations.
Marydele’s accomplishments are too many to list, but there are three career highlights that helped earn her the President’s Award.
–Marydele was instrumental in the establishment of the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge in Florida, site of the largest nesting beach in the United States.
–Marydele played a vital role in lobbying for Turtle Excluder Devices to be required on shrimp boats.
–She was also a major player in the establishment of the Marine Turtle Conservation Act by congress, which provides funding for sea turtle conservation internationally.
At the award banquet, Marydele accepted her award with some emotional comments about her life’s work and her friendships within the sea turtle community. Marydele noted that she first fell in love with sea turtles when she visited Tortuguero, Costa Rica, explaining that for this reason it is particularly rewarding for her to be with Sea Turtle Conservancy during this phase of her career.
Congratulations Marydele on behalf of Sea Turtle Conservancy. We are proud and lucky to have you on our team!
From left to right: Laura Forte (STC Board President), David Godfrey (STC Executive Director), Marydele Donnelly (Director of International Policy), Dr. Ray Carthy (ISTS President)
From left to right: Daniel Evans (STC Research and Technology Specialist), Dr. Emma Harrison (STC Scientific Director), Marydele Donnelly (Director of International Policy), David Godfrey (STC Executive Director), Merna Wimsatt (STC Membership Coordinator), Laura Forte (STC Board President), Claire Atkinson (former STC Research Coordinator)
The southern Atlantic shores of the United States are highly vulnerable to sea level rise, which could be devastating for sea turtles. Gary Appelson, policy director at the Sea Turtle Conservancy in Florida, says that “sea level rise is one of the biggest threats” facing sea turtles.
Along Florida’s central Atlantic Coast, parts of the region could see a 49 to 80 percent decline in the area of ocean beach with just a 15-inch rise in sea level, which is well within the range projected during this century.
Unhindered, beaches would naturally migrate inland. But “in Florida, the beachfront development line means that the beach cannot move inland as it would naturally,” Appelson says. People try to protect ocean front properties by building sea walls, “but this only increases the erosion around them and has devastating impacts on turtles and their nesting habitat.” Florida has “the most aggressive beach renourishment program in the country” and spends tens of millions of dollars every year adding sand to the beach. This is economically unsustainable because “the cost of doing this in perpetuity will be unbelievable.”
STC’s Gary Appelson standing in front of an exposed sea wall in Brevard County after a hurricane.
Florida’s beaches host 90 percent of all the sea turtle nesting in North America, as well as approximately 80 million tourists every year.172 Sea level rise is already a problem. “The beaches are eroding, Appelson says. ”They have been eroding for decades.” Furthermore, sea turtles “depend on the in-shore marine environment” of barrier islands, bays and inlets. “Sea turtles use in-shore grass beds for extensive foraging habitat and depend on near-shore reefs for refuge. And they come from all over. Sea turtles leave their nesting areas far, far away to come to Florida’s grass beds.” These critical habitats will also be impacted by rising seas and increasing temperatures.
“Florida’s beaches are ground zero for sea level rise,” says Appelson, posing a huge threat not only to sea turtles but to Florida’s coastal economy and residents. “One of the most important things we can do to protect sea turtles, and people, is to reform coastal management… to incorporate climate change and sea level rise into planning, in addition to reducing carbon emissions.”
This is an excerpt from National Wildlife Federation’s report Wildlife in a Warming World: Confronting the Climate Crisis. To read the full report, click here.
At one point in time the temperate oceans of the Caribbean were filled with billions of sea turtles. During Christopher Columbus 4th voyage in 1503, he came across two small islands and the surrounding ocean was full of sea turtles that looked like little rocks.
He thought he could walk across the water on the backs of the sea turtles. Columbus named the islands Tortugas or “Turtle Islands.” They became the Cayman Islands, home to one of the world’s largest green turtle population.
After European settlement in the Caribbean, the turtle population depleted, due to intense trade for their meat and for their decorative shells. The British colonists’ desire for turtle meat was so great that the Cayman Islands became a killing field for nesting females.
The long history of dependence on turtles remains part of the Cayman culture; turtle stew remains an important native dish. To sustain the need for turtle meat in the Cayman Islands and beyond, a breeding farm opened its doors. The Cayman Turtle Farm operated for over 20 years with the controversial mission of breeding turtles for human consumption.
Fortunately the Conversation International Trade for Endangered Species (CITES) ended the trade of sea turtles and associated products from the island. However, Caymanians still demanded turtle meat, so the farm turned to tourism to keep its doors open. Every year over a half a million tourists observe, swim, and interact with these sea turtles, without realizing that many of these sea turtles will be killed and eaten by humans. Misinformed tourists think the farm supports sea turtle conservation by breeding and releasing captive turtles into the wild.
“The Cayman Farm has a long history of working to ease international regulations that would allow them to market and sell turtle meat and shell produced at the Farm,” says David Godfrey, Executive Director of the Sea Turtle Conservancy (STC). “Green turtles have been given a chance at recovery precisely because the Sea Turtle Conservancy has eliminated the international demand for their products.”
The World Society for the Protection of Animals (WPCA) recently received complaints from Cayman Farm tourists regarding filthy, overcrowded conditions, and sick and injured sea turtles. A year-long investigation detailed these conditions:
-Cannibalism
-Disease
-Dirty water
-Poor diet
-Improper handling
-Birth Defects
-Neglect and overcrowding
WPCA declared the Cayman Farms detrimental to human and to animal welfare. WPCA and STC state captive turtle release into the wild can introduce new diseases into the wild Caribbean population. The wild turtle offspring and Cayman Farm turtles may lack the ability to navigate to critical foraging, breeding, and nesting sites.
WPCA strongly urges the Cayman Turtle farm to end commercial sea turtle production by replacing it with a research and education facility for injured and ill sea turtles.
The Cayman Farm rejected their plan.
“”Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better,” says The Lorax. “It’s not.”
You can take action at www.stopseaturtlefarm.org
Guest post by: Natalie Hummel
Post first appeared in Earth Times
Sea Turtle Conservancy (STC) has received three grants awarded by Florida’s Sea Turtle Grants Program to support sea turtle-friendly lighting education and loggerhead migratory research.
Two of the grants focus on educating coastal residents in Florida about the impacts of beachfront lights to nesting females and sea turtle hatchlings and offering options for converting existing lights to amber LED fixtures that minimize impacts to sea turtles.
“It is important for people to see turtle-friendly lighting first-hand,” STC’s lighting specialist Karen Shudes said. “There are several myths about sea turtle-friendly lighting not being safe enough or bright enough, but these are simply not true.”
Artificial lights are a major threat to nesting sea turtles and hatchlings because 78% of Florida’s housing is located in coastal communities. These grants will help STC educate the public on the importance of making sure beachfront homes have the right type of lights to ensure safety for people and sea turtles.
The third grant is studying the migratory routes and foraging grounds used by loggerhead turtles from the Archie Carr Refuge in Melbourne Beach. The goal is to reveal important information about the turtles’ migratory behavior, foraging grounds, and the areas of potential conflict with commercial fisheries or legal harvest of sea turtles.
Currently, there are four turtles being tracked in this research study. Two turtles went to areas that STC had not observed before in the waters off Florida’s Panhandle and to the Yucatan Peninsula.
These grants are supporting critical programs that are increasing knowledge about sea turtles and providing solutions to ensure their survival. The grants were made possible by the sale of the “Helping Sea Turtles Survive” specialty license plate, which funds Florida’s Marine Turtle Protection Program and the Sea Turtle Grants Program. To learn more, visit www.helpingseaturtles.org.
Is there anything sweeter than a charm that gives back? Altruette is rolling out its line of charms for girls at Nordstorm, and Sea Turtle Conservancy is excited to have a turtle charm part of the collection. The charm is adorable and each one comes attached to a card with information about Sea Turtle Conservancy. 
This holiday season give a gift that helps sea turtles. The charms will be available in Nordstorm stores around the country and also online at altruette.com or nordstrom.com. These charms are a great way to inspire young girls to be to give back. The designs are colorful, stylish and fun with inspiring messages that appeal to girls and their moms, aunts, grandmothers.
“We are thrilled to be supporting the amazing work of Sea Turtle Conservancy,” said Julie Schlosser, Altruette Co-Founder. “Sea turtles are such a vital part of the marine ecosystem, and we feel good knowing that the STC is working to protect this critical population.”
Imagine how excited your girl will be when she learns that her new beautiful charm is helping to save sea turtles. Proceeds from the charms benefit sea turtle populations in the Caribbean, Atlantic and Pacific Oceans by supporting research, education, advocacy and the protection of their natural habitats. Sea Turtle Conservancy believes that sea turtles are among the most important indicators of the health of the world’s marine and coastal ecosystems. Join us in protecting sea turtles by giving this gift to a special girl or young woman in your life. For more information about the charms please visit www.altruette.com.
On October 15, Sea Turtle Conservancy joined the campaign organized by the World Society for the Protection of Animals to urge the Cayman Turtle Farm (CTF) to cease its commercial operations and become an educational and conservation facility benefiting green turtles in the Caribbean. We are now responding to CTF’s October 19 rebuttal of the humane, scientific and conservation issues raised by the campaign.
First, CTF maintains that it is a humane operation. If this were the case, how did 300 turtles perish this summer in one tank without water? Our organization has received expressions of concern about the facilities and treatment of turtles from our members and others who have toured the facility while on vacation, with complaints about dirty water and crowding being highest on the list of problems. Both crowding and dirty water constitute inhumane conditions.
Second, in all situations involving the release of captive animals into the wild, the spread of disease to wild populations is a concern. This includes the introduction of new and old diseases to avian, mammal, reptile and amphibian populations. The stress of captivity can conducive to disease no matter how good conditions are and certainly in the case of CTF, poor sanitary conditions are a known issue. Perhaps the CTF is doing a better job with this issue now than it has done in past decades as it admits, “There have been significant strides at the Cayman Turtle Farm since that time to eradicate diseases at the Farm that are present in the wild population.”
Third, for years STC staff have expressed concern about the conservation benefits of the Cayman Turtle Farm releasing sea turtles of mixed genetic stock into the Caribbean. At the time that these releases began, sea turtle scientists did not know that sea turtles from different nesting areas have distinct DNA that allows us to identify their nesting beaches of origin. Turtles hatched at CTF are of mixed lineage because the breeding turtles originated from six distinct areas in the Western Atlantic, specifically Suriname, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Guyana, Ascension Island and Mexico. Once genetics were understood, many in the sea turtle conservation community appealed to CTF to stop the practice of releasing turtles of mixed lineage but to no avail. The concerns we have expressed about genetic problems are specifically related to the mixing of the gene pool.
Lastly, we recommend that footage and images of CTF operations recently obtained by WSPA be included in the scheduled evaluation in December by an independent reviewer. Now that CTF management is on notice, in all likelihood conditions are already improving. We anticipate that crowding will be reduced, failing turtles will be dispatched, and water will be cleaned more often than it was in the past. We also expect that the reviewer will have access to all CTF facilities, including the abatoir. In the best case scenario, a representative of WSPA or STC should be invited to participate in touring the facility with the reviewer.
To support our efforts to stop sea turtle farming at the Cayman Turtle Farm, please visit www.stopseaturtlefarm.org and sign the petition. You can also share the link on Facebook and Twitter at #stopseaturtlefarming to make your voice heard.
Sea Turtle Conservancy (STC) is often asked its opinion regarding the captive breeding of turtles, as is done at the Cayman Islands Turtle Farm. Although the idea seems to make sense intuitively, it is STC’s position that this is not the best way to save or restore sea turtle populations. In fact, there is good reason to believe it actually causes more harm than good. This opinion is shared by many sea turtle biologists and conservationists around the world.
I speak from experience. STC was one of the first groups in the world to establish a captive breeding program. In the 1950s, through our “Operation Green Turtle,” STC nurtured thousands of green turtle hatchlings in Tortuguero, Costa Rica, and then transported them throughout the Caribbean to be released. We hoped to increase turtle stocks in the Caribbean and start new nesting colonies throughout the region. It was and is a noble cause, but quite simply it didn’t work.
Regarding the Cayman Turtle Farm specifically, controversy over the Farm’s practices began when the Farm shipped (illegally in our opinion) 20 live turtles for display in for-profit aquariums in Europe. STC is very familiar with the turtle culture in the Cayman Islands. It’s not unlike the culture in many other Caribbean island nations where local, wild breeding turtle populations have been wiped out by over consumption (as has happened in the Cayman Islands). Nevertheless, Cayman Islands government has the authority to set its own regulations regarding sea turtles. STC objects to those actions that have the potential to affect wild populations in the broader Caribbean. Those actions include (1) releasing farm raised turtles into the wild (and then claiming that this is helping conservation), and (2) creating international demand for either turtle meat or shell products. The farm does both of these, and while they may intend to feed that demand only with farm-raised animals, in the real world such demand inevitably will lead to clandestine harvesting of wild turtles. Just look at the situation with hawksbills, which are harvested relentlessly throughout the Caribbean to feed the demand for shell in Japan and elsewhere.
Green turtle showing genetic defects
The problem with releasing Cayman Farm-raised turtles into the wild is three-fold. First, because of the conditions under which turtles live and interact in captivity at the farm, a number of documented diseases have been reported in the Cayman Farm population. When these turtles are released into the wild, there is a real possibility of introducing new diseases into the wild Caribbean population.
Second, the original stock used to start the Cayman Farm (originally called Mariculture, Ltd.) was collected from breeding colonies throughout the Atlantic (and possibly elsewhere – the fact is the records are not entirely intact). As an aside, it is the position of the Government of Costa Rica that Mariculture collected eggs illegally in Costa Rica. Regardless of the legality of the egg collection, the point is that releasing turtles of mixed genetic origin into the wild very likely could affect the wild population in unanticipated ways. For example, it is widely accepted that little green turtles are hatched with an inherited ability to navigate to important foraging, breeding and nesting sites at various life stages. This critical ability could be impacted by breeding turtles that originated from different oceans, and this costly deficiency could be passed on to the wild population as these turtles are released to breed and produce offspring. Yes, a relatively small number of Cayman Farm turtles have been found mingling with wild populations in Florida, Nicaragua and elsewhere (suggesting that at least some have migrated successfully and are now mating with wild turtles).
Evidence of cannibalism due to overcrowding
A third, less direct consequence of the Cayman Farm’s turtle release program is the impact it has on national and international policy debates regarding sea turtle conservation. The Cayman Farm tries to promote its operation as something beneficial to wild turtle populations. Thousands of tourists, members of the media and even resource managers from throughout the world visit the Cayman Turtle Farm each year. Despite the lack of any proof that the Cayman Farm’s turtle release program actually benefits the wild population, countless individuals around the world are led to believe that the program works and that one successful option for saving and restoring wild sea turtle numbers is simply to breed them in captivity for meat – releasing some into the wild. I can’t tell you how many times during critical debates about some potential threat to sea turtles, developers, fishermen or politicians who do not want to make any sacrifices on behalf of sea turtles raise the argument that all we need to do is breed them in captivity – rather than saving nesting habitat from development, equipping shrimp boats with TEDs or undertaking some other action that would cost someone a nickel of profit. Sea turtles are in such a precarious position throughout much of their range that we simply can’t afford to send mixed messages about the hard work that must be done to save them. There are no quick and easy fixes to the threats facing sea turtles – and unfortunately, one of the messages perpetrated by the Cayman Turtle Farm is that we can “have our turtles and eat them too.”
The impact of the Farm’s agenda to open international markets to sea turtle trade is much more obvious. The Cayman Farm has a long history of working to ease international regulations that would allow them to market and sell turtle meat and shell produced at the Farm. To be sure, the Farm would like to put “green turtle soup” back on the menu in Europe and elsewhere. It is no coincidence that hawksbills are “critically endangered,” while green turtles appear to be showing signs of recovery at places like Tortuguero, Costa Rica. Green turtles have been given a chance at recovery precisely because we have eliminated the international demand for their products. After STC’s five decades of work to recover green turtles in the Caribbean, work that is producing measurable results, we feel compelled to raise concerns about activities that threaten to undo any of what has been accomplished. We do not mean to come across as disrespectful to the culture of the Cayman Islands or the many scientists working with the Cayman Turtle Farm. Much of their scientific work is rigorous and helpful in increasing our scientific knowledge of sea turtles. We respect this work and the financial contributions made by the farm to outside turtle researchers. For the most part, STC deliberately stays out of the business of the Cayman Turtle Farm. However, when the Farm’s agenda directly impacts larger international concerns, we feel compelled to speak out.
By David Godfrey
Executive Director
Sea Turtle Conservancy
To take action, please visit www.stopseaturtlefarm.org.
Being an Eco-Volunteer for the Sea Turtle Conservancy is definitely an adventure! To get to Tortuguero, I first took a bus ride through the mountains and then to the coast. From there I boarded a small boat to take me through the canals. It was here that I first started to experience the wonderful wildlife that can be found in Costa Rica. From monkeys, to iguana’s, countless native birds, and butterflies there is always something to see.
Once I arrived at the station, I learned how to measure and record data for when a turtle is nesting. Right away I was included in the night patrols and various activities that take place during a usual week at the station. During the week I got to know the research assistants better and learned about the countries that they are from.
The night patrols are not always successful in terms of seeing turtles but there is always something interesting to see, from the brilliant night sky to small crabs that glow in the dark. Since nature, and turtles, are not always predictable, I recommend staying for two weeks. That way there are more opportunities to see a turtle.
Seeing a turtle was definitely the highlight of my trip! I was able to count the eggs and help check her flippers and shell for any damage. Being so close to these amazing animals is truly a life changing experience. Working with the turtle up close gave me a new appreciation for these creatures, while also motivating me even more to help conserve them.
Staying two weeks also gives you time to become a part of the weekly schedule and see even more wildlife. There is always something to do in or around the station: going in to Tortuguero for shopping or food, bird watching, relaxing on the beach, taking a canal tour or even just reading a book. Costa Rica is truly a beautiful country, from the plants, to the animals, and even the gorgeous sunsets.
Being an Eco-Volunteer in Tortuguero is definitely a once in a life time experience. If you have the chance, you should definitely go!
By Rachel Bladow
Today’s blog post about working with sea turtles in Costa Rica is by Brian Drozd, a program officer at the U.S. Department of State. He has over 6 years of experience working for the United States Environmental Protection Agency, where he worked on grants and communications in the Climate Change Division. His Master’s degree in Natural Resources and Sustainable Development enabled him to focus on sustainable tourism and conservation.
In the summer of 2009 I spent 10 weeks working with sea turtles on the rugged coast of Tortuguero, Costa Rica. Working as a research assistant for the Sea Turtle Conservancy, I spent my time walking up and down a 5 mile stretch of beach in the middle of the night looking for green sea turtles to measure, tag, and count the number of eggs they laid. I did this only for meals and a roof over my head. Why would someone do this? Sea turtles have swum in the world’s oceans for 100 million years, and they are in danger of extinction. Threats from poaching, commercial fishing, and climate change, among others, are threatening these animals all over the world. Many people say healthy sea turtles mean healthy oceans.
There are many different species of sea turtles, but I primarily worked with green sea turtles. Some facts about these amazing animals:
The goal of my time in Tortuguero was to help the Sea Turtle Conservancy collect data to monitor the health and numbers of the sea turtle population. We also worked closely with the local people to educate them about sea turtles and help them conduct their eco-tourism business with the turtles in a safe manner.
One of the most amazing experiences as a research assistant was when we put a satellite transmitter onto a green turtle. Using a transmitter to monitor turtles we are able to learn about their feeding patterns, how long they stay under water, and much more. It is just this kind of valuable information that is helping scientists learn how to better help protect these animals.
Sea Turtles nest all over the world. Large nesting populations are found in many countries in Latin America and Africa, as well as in India, Indonesia, and China. All sea turtles are in need of protection, monitoring, and research in order to make sure they survive for future generations. There are many actions you can take to help sea turtles near your home and around the world. Some of them are: reducing pollution, not eating sea turtle meat or eggs, and protecting coastlines by slowing development and reducing light on nesting beaches. View more tips here and research just a few of the many organizations working to save turtles around the world. I had an incredible time working with sea turtles, and I’m sure you would too!
This blog was originally posted on the Global Conversations: Climate Blog )
To: Sea Turtle Conservancy
From: Ashley
I am so proud of you guys, and I have always loved the sea. And when I grow up, I want to be a Marine Biologist with dolphins and turtles. Here is a little reminder of how proud I am of your guys.
Love,
Ashley 
From the staff at STC, thank you for sharing your nice comments and sending us your beautiful drawing!
Each nesting season, STC invites students and recent college graduates to assist with research at Tortuguero in Costa Rica. During this year’s leatherback nesting season, research assistant Maddie will be sharing her experience with STC’s members and supporters.
Meet Maddie
“¡Hola! Mi nombre es Madeleine Beange. I grew up in beautiful Vancouver, Canada. In 2009, I completed a B.S in neurobiology at McGill University. After a year of neuroscience research I got sick of killing mice.
I left my lab job to backpack Southeast Asia for a couple months. After a taste of wandering the world, I realized I needed more. Pursuing my dreams of working with sea turtles, I worked for 9 months and saved up enough money to fly to Costa Rica.
My fist experience with sea turtle conservation research was with PRETOMA, a Costa Rican NGO. From October to December 2011, I worked as a coordinator/research assistant for 3 months.
Next up is a 3 month research assistant position with Sea Turtle Conservancy. I will still be working in Costa Rica, but this time on the Caribbean side in Tortuguero.”
To read about Maddie’s adventures as a Sea Turtle Conservancy research assistant, click here for her blog, Mad About Sea Turtles.
More so than many other tropical locations throughout the world, Costa Rica is an important location for sea turtle nesting. But the five species that call the country’s two coasts home are being severely threatened by a number of dangers, pushing these creatures towards the point of extinction. We should all be aware of these threats and what we can do to help out so that we may preserve these species for centuries to come.
Introducing Costa Rica’s Sea Turtles
Costa Rica is amongst the world’s premier destinations to view nesting sea turtles. The species that are found in Costa Rica include the Hawksbill, Green, Black (a Pacific subpecies of green turtles), Olive Ridley, Loggerhead and the massive Leatherback sea turtle. Sea turtles are important to the health of the world’s oceans, and unfortunately six of the seven turtle species in the world are on the threatened or endangered list.
National parks have been put in place to help protect the most important nesting areas. Tortuguero National Park for instance is a breeding ground of four species of sea turtle. Two other turtle-inspired spots are located in the Guanacaste province. Ostional National Wildlife Refuge is located near the town of Nosara and is one of the world’s key breeding grounds of the olive ridley sea turtle. Las Baulas (Leatherback) National Park is near the picturesque beach of Playa Grande, which is a large Leatherback beach.
Dangers
All of these species found in Costa Rica are either on the endangered or threatened list and all a number of dangers, including commercial fishing, egg poaching and both light and garbage pollution.
-Commercial fishing: Turtles are threatened by both long line and commercial fishing nets. Sea turtles like all reptiles breathe air. It is very common for a turtles to become entangled in nets or hooked in lines leading them to drown.
– Poaching: The fact is the local population enjoys the taste of sea turtle meat and uses turtle eggs as a supposed aphrodisiac. This leads to the hunting and harvesting of sea turtles and their eggs throughout. Restrictions have been put in place by the government and have helped reduced poaching, but these regulations are difficult to enforce.
– Light Pollution: Development of communities and commercial properties along nesting beaches has created light pollution that confuses and disorients the turtles and their hatchlings. Uneducated visitors are also a problem, as many go to the beaches looking for nesting turtles but are unaware that normal flashlights cause the same light problems as the developments. Red LED lights are the most eco-friendly way to view turtle nesting at night. The red light’s wavelength does not affect the turtles as much, allowing for successful nesting. It is always good policy to view nesting turtles with certified guides to ensure their safety.
– Garbage: There are many problems that result from humans polluting, but one of the direct threats to the leatherback species and other species is the presence of plastic bags. Plastic bags are easily mistaken for jelly fish, a staple in the leatherback diet. Plastic bag consumption leads to blockages the throat and digestive systems causing starvation and even death. Cigarette butts and oil droplets are also among the many hazardous items that do not belong in Earth’s oceans.
What you can do to help
Learning about sea turtles and not littering are some of the easiest thing you can do to help save not just Costa Rica’s sea turtles but the world’s oceans. If you have some free time and a big heart, you can also volunteer at one of many non-profits programs set in place to help sea turtle conservation. If we all help a little it will make a great difference.
Guest blog post written by Matt Ymbras for TV Pura Vida
To volunteer working with sea turtles in Costa Rica, visit www.conserveturtles.org to learn about our Eco-Volunteer Adventures.
The Sea Turtle’s Plea
I am a giant turtle
And with my shell I hurtle
Over rocks and sticks
To the blue, blue sea.
Though I may be slow on land–
My flippers struggle on sand–
My speed can’t be matched
In the deep, blue sea.
However . . .
I now swim zigs and zags
’round plastic bottles and bags.
What’s all this doing
In the once blue sea?
Please promise to stop this mess–
Just recycle and use less–
So I can swim fast
In a clear, blue sea.
By Carole Mackey,
Educator and Sea Turtle Fan
Satellite-tracked turtle returns to nest again
by Ludi Lellis, Orlando Sentinel on May, 23 2011
About three years ago, she crawled off a Brevard County beach, a satellite tag glued to her back so that turtle fans could track her. Now, the loggerhead sea turtle has returned to Central Florida, back again at our beaches to nest again.
The return of the Belle O’Brevard, as she was named, has thrilled turtle researchers, who have learned much through satellite tagging of the sea-faring reptiles.
“Usually the transmitters don’t last long enough but on this turtle, we’ve been able to track her for three years,” said Rocio Johnson, with the Sea Turtle Conservancy in Gainesville.
The Belle O’Brevard was so named as part of a contest during the 2008 Tour de Turtles, an annual event hosted by the Sea Turtle Conservancy in which several turtles are fitted with satellite tags and then tracked for a marathon distance of 2,620 kilometers.
In 2008, this particular turtle, then weighing 350 pounds, had come ashore at the Archie Carr Refuge near Melbourne Beach to dig a nest but before she could return to sea, a fist-sized satellite transmitter was glued to her shell.
The transmitter has stuck, sending a satellite signal every three days. Her favorite migration path is between the Carolinas and Maryland, where she is apparently following the horseshoe migration season. You can see her migration map at this website.
She headed south to Florida a few weeks back and has been staying close to the Brevard coast. Turtles normally return to the beach where they first hatched to lay their own eggs and loggerheads are known to lay eggs about every two to three years. So it would seem that her biological clock is due for another round of nests.
Johnson noted, though, that no one has confirmed a nest, because no one has yet caught up with her at a beach during the nocturnal egg-laying.
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On behalf of STC, thanks for continuing to cover sea turtles, Ludi!
Sea Turtle Conservancy
