Pink, one of our favorite diamondback terrapins, was released earlier this week!

Some of you may remember Pink went on a field trip to Dr. Bairds’ office to have pins placed in her jaw. After several weeks we removed the pins and decided to see if she was capable of eating a more natural diet.

We started to introduce fish, reptomin, crabs and periwinkles to her diet and she gobbled them up with no problem! At one point we even had to put her on a diet! After she had proven to us that she was able to eat live prey on her own, we scheduled her for release.

She bit a staff member one last time, for good measure, the day before she made her journey home. The next afternoon she was placed in the marsh and she sat still for one last picture and then was off like a rocket!!

Pink’s release was bittersweet because she had become a staff favorite but our hearts were filled with joy and accomplishment watching her swim away. Thanks again to Dr. Baird and his staff for helping us make Pink’s story a success!

Jeannie Miller Aquarist

Attention adult “sea turtles”! Are you looking for something fun and educational for your “hatchlings” (children ages 2-4) to do? The Georgia Sea Turtle Center is thrilled to offer the new and exciting program Turtle Tales. Every Tuesday morning from 10:30-11:30 join the education staff as they present turtle inspired stories and crafts. Space is limited and reservations are required.

For more information or to register for a Turtle Tales program, please call (912) 635-4444.

~Sarah Mathias, Education Intern

Golden Boy the subadult loggerhead released on Jekyll Island earlier this summer is now available for adoption at http://www.seaturtle.org/tracking/adopt/?tag_id=49618

Since his release Golden Boy has spent most of his time off the coast of Georgia and over the past few weeks has been headed south to Florida.

Jeannie Miller, Aquarist

This week the staff got out Bev to do an exam, draw blood, and measure the distance her mouth could be opened during physical therapy to see if she had regressed during the two weeks that therapy was not performed.
To everyone’s delight she did very well and was able to open her mouth 85.4mm, a new high! The rest of her exam was all within normal limits, and now plans for her release are moving forward.
There is no date for release yet, but she will be returned to Florida and released in time for her to migrate.

Jeannie Miller Aquarist

Want to create awareness about how to help sea turtles and prevent pollution???

At the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, you can find out lots more about the Non-point Source Pollution Poster Competition for ages 18 and under. Poster theme, contest rules, and submission information are available, and the staff would be glad to answer any questions. Also, you may drop off your poster entry at the center by October 24, and we will gladly send it in for you.

So, what is non-point source pollution? The definition from the poster contest rules is: “pollution caused by rainfall moving over and through the ground collecting natural and manmade pollutants, which are deposited into lakes, rivers, wetlands, coastal waters, and underground water sources.”

In our educational exhibit gallery, you can go on a hunt for hints about non-point source pollution and how it can impact sea turtles. Also, you can take these ideas further and come up with your own solutions to keeping non-point source pollution out of marine ecosystems. Here is an idea: a plastic bag that found its way into the water. A person may not have thrown it directly in, but it is human trash that may get stuck in a sea turtle’s throat or stomach. Now, how can we prevent this?

The main thing to remember about your theme is: “Posters should focus on solutions and remedies to change behaviors and prevent or reduce non-point source pollution.” The winning entries will be displayed at the UGA MAREX Aquarium and Education Center and published in the 2008 Non-point Source Pollution Calendar.

Submitted by Megan York

Hello everyone! Some of you may know, but for those that do not, we started tagging the nesting sea turtles on Jekyll Island once again! Under a permit issued by GADNR, the GSTC Sea Turtle Interns conducted nighttime patrols from 9pm-6am every night from May 15-August 25, 2007. The also conducted dawn surveys every morning to check on each nest individually and visual inspections to note signs of depredation, emergence or wash-out/over by the tides. Historically, tagging on JI was conducted continuously from 1972 through 1998, with nest monitoring continueing to the present day. The Interns were able to encounter the female for 38 of the 48 nests laid on JI this year!

Here is a summary of the results of the tagging data collected so far this season:
In 2007, we encountered 16 females-15 loggerheads, 1 green.
Flipper Tags:
• 12 did not have any flipper tags present—we tagged both flippers
• 3 had at least 1 flipper tag present—we tagged the other flipper
o 1 was tagged on JI in 1998
o 1 was tagged on JI in 1994
o 1 was tagged on JI in 1997
• 1 had both flipper tags present—nothing done
o Tagged on Wassaw in 2007

PIT (Passive Integrated Transponder) Tags:
• 10 did not register a PIT tag—we PIT tagged
• 3 had an existing PIT tag—but during at least one encounter, it did not register so the turtle was given a new PIT tag
o 2 were tagged on JI in 1998
o 1 was tagged on JI in 1994
• 3 had existing PIT tags—nothing done
o 1 was tagged on Blackbeard on 2005
o 1 was tagged on JI in 1999
o 1 was tagged on Wassaw in 2007

Keep an eye on the website for more info about the tagging project..I promise it will be there soon!!!

Stefanie
Education & Field Coordinator