It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for and the time has finally come to say ‘good-bye’..but in a good way! Dylan is very healthy, eating live prey with vigor, and truly an absolutely beautiful sea turtle. It is time for her to join the wild population! Please join us in celebrating this wonderous occasion!

As you may know Dylan, was a straggler sea turtle when she hatched from the egg and has been an ambassador for her species for the last 10 years, first on Jekyll Island at the Tidelands Nature Center, then the Georgia Aquarium and for the last year at the GSTC. The GSTC staff feels Dylan has been a great representative of sea turtle education and conservation and hopefully will continue to spread the word about the plight of the sea turtle and the marine ecosystem.

Please accept our sincere apology for the confusion and various changes in release dates over the past few weeks, but we wanted to be sure everyone involved in Dylan’s life in captivity was able to be a part of her release. We thank you for your continued support, patience and understanding. We are also very excited to tell you that Dylan’s release will be a special highlight on Good Morning America!

Here is the latest information:
Pre-release Info:
Dylan will be receiving her flipper tags, PIT tag and a satellite transmitter on June 29, approximately 3pm. If you are at the Center, you will be able to view this through our Treatment Room Window!

Release Info:
The release is now scheduled and being planned for June 30. She will be released on Jekyll Island at the beach in front of the Convention Center at approximately 11:00 am. There will be a roped off area for public viewing on a first come, first serve basis.

Good Morning America will be taping the release, which will be aired later in the week, bringing national coverage to Dylan, the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, and the plight of sea turtles everywhere!

Hope to see you at the release!

Sincerely,
Stefanie Ouellette
Education and Field Coordinator

Believe it or not, the GSTC celebrated its one year anniversary on Monday, June 16! For the last 365 days, we’ve been busy treating over 30 sea turtle patients for various illnesses and injuries, 9 of which have been successfully released. To honor our patients, the GSTC staff is asking YOU to cast your vote for the Patient of the Year! The turtle with the highest number of votes will be the ‘spokes turtle’ for the Center and will be featured on the GSTC website and publications. So how does it work? Easy peasy lemon squeezy! Come into the Center, visit with current
patients, read about past patients and choose the sea turtle who you think best represents the Georgia Sea Turtle Center’s goal of rescue, rehabilitation and release. Cast your vote by purchasing a $1 donation card at the Gift Shop. The winner will be announced at Jekyll Island Family Weekend June 27-29th. So what are you waiting for? Choose a patient from below and vote!

Charlotte

Nikon

Kermit

Bevelyn

Grover

Golden Boy

Tweety

Griffin

Vida

Cruella de Vil

Georgia

Nicky

Dolly

Scuttle

Spitfire

Wil E. Coyote

Tinkerbell

~Kelly O’Keefe

Educator

The GSTC offers a variety of Internships; some seasonal, some ongoing. Our Interns are an important part of every day life at the GSTC and we couldn’t get by with out them! They assist us in too many ways to count! So we’d like to take this time to recoginze and introduce you to this term’s interns!

Group Photo

Education Interns: JoAnna Josey, Maura Larson, Melissa Rettig

Sea Turtle Patrol Interns:
Top:Ashley Wiser, Angela Gallardo, Emily Walker Bottom:Clint Collins, Amy Hupp, Simon Dilts

Husbandry Interns-Luke Williams and Max Maurer

On behalf of the GSTC Staff…….THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO!!!

Sincerely,
Stefanie Ouellette
(Education and Field Coordinator)

Looking for something to do with the kids this summer? Want an activity that is both fun and educational? The Georgia Sea turtle Center has just the thing. Every Saturday from June 21st to August 9th the GSTC is offering Arribada Adventures.

Arribada Adventures is a family program designed for turtle enthusiasts both young and old! These two hour programs will introduce you and your hatchlings to Georgia’s turtles! Become an expert Turtler through hands-on activities, games, crafts, and
outdoor exploration.

Just choose the program that best suit your interest and we will take it from there.

Choose from:

June 21 Totally Terrapins – Get to know the Diamondback Terrapin up close and personal through a live animal presentation. Learn about the threats they face and participate in a release!

June 28 So YOU want to be a Sea Turtle – Sea turtles spend the majority of their lives in the ocean! How do they do it? Learn about the 5 species of sea turtles that visit Georgia’s coast and learn what makes them unique.

July 5 Nifty Nesters – Sea turtles are egg-cellent nesters. Become a momma sea turtle and learn all about the nesting process by playing a fun and interactive game on the beach. You’ll also learn how they do it by building your own edible nest!

July 12 Cracking the Crawl – Become a sea turtle detective and learn how to identify tracks in the sand and who they belong to. Sea turtles are not alone out there on the beach. Explore the beach environment and discover other critters who call the dunes home.

July 19 Turtles on the Move – Where in the world do sea turtles go? They begin their lives on the beach and then spend the majority of their lives in the ocean. Sea turtle biologists use a variety of methods to follow sea turtles as they migrate through the ocean. Learn about the different tags we use and how you too can follow sea turtles online!

July 26 It’s Tough Being a Sea Turtle – Discover the not-so-glamorous part of being a sea turtle and the difficulties they face. Through interactive role play and games, participants will simulate how humans contribute to the pollution of the marine environment.

August 2 Lend ‘em a Flipper – Learn how YOU too can help our fine, flippered friends by participating in a beach sweep and creating recycled sea turtle art.

August 9 Giving Sea Turtles a Chance – Come learn what the Georgia Sea Turtle Center is doing to help sea turtles. Participate in a mock sea turtle rescue and learn how we rehabilitate a turtle!

Cost: $10/adult, $5/child*. Saturdays 9:00am -11:00am
*Please note that price does not include general admission to the GSTC.

Space is limited and reservations are required. For registration and location information, please call (912) 635-4444.

~JoAnna Josey, Education Intern