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Jul 27

GSTC Teacher Workshop: Week 2

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The Georgia Sea Turtle Center and Georgia Southern University hosted the second week of our Teacher Workshop, July 6 through July 12. Participants included Wanda Allen, Haley Fennell, Sean Fretwell, and Betsy Noland. Read below to view personal accounts of their experiences!

“…right under my nose and I never knew it!” This was my expression as I witnessed a loggerhead sea turtle emerging from the surf for the very first time just last night. Growing up in southeast Georgia, I spent many summer days here at Jekyll Island. Not once in 31 years of weekend getaways, day trips, and late night strolls was I ever aware that sea turtles nested here. Today I was able to assist in bringing awareness to four groups of 4-H campers through some of the many educational programs provided here. It felt fantastic to be able to share with them all of my newly found knowledge and hopefully to foster an understanding and appreciation for the jewels that lie right under their nose! ~ Haley Fennell

“This is what teacher training is all about! This is only the third day of the workshop and I’ve already dove right into the mix with prepping food, cleaning tanks, feeding and weighing the turtles, and even grabbing runaway Loggerheads at one o’clock in the morning to gather scientific data. I am inspired by the care and dedication these scientists have for these turtles, and for the cause they so strongly believe in. This opportunity to become a part of the volunteer staff is truly an honor and has really given me a wealth of knowledge and experience to take back to the classroom and share with my students for years to come.” ~ Sean Fretwell

“What an awesome day! The secrets of the island were revealed to us by renowned naturalist, Taylor Schoettle. It’s amazing how one can live with this natural beauty in ones backyard, and yet not know a great deal about it. The natural history of Jekyll Island was uncovered as we walked along the shores of the Clam Creek Picnic Area. With Mr. Schoettle’s guidance, we could actually see the different geologic time periods. Mr. Schoettle’s enthusiasm and passion for preserving the natural beauty of the island is contagious. I can’t wait to go back to my classroom and share the wonderful knowledge and pass this enthusiasm on to my students.” ~ Wanda Allen

“On the night of 7-8-08 we split into two teams and headed out for turtle patrol. We had a positive outlook since it was incoming tide during the peak of an above average nesting season. Around 9:45pm Stephanie spotted a mass at the edge of the water which was the first sea turtle emergence I ever witnessed. We watched the turtle crawl to the dunes and dig nest #117 on Jekyll Island for the 2008 nesting season. By 12:30 am another five sea turtles had come ashore to nest! What an amazing night of turtle watching! This mix of high quality entertainment and conservation education intensified my interest for the sea turtle project while sparking new ideas for teaching life science to my fourth and fifth grade students.”
~Betsy Noland

A special thanks to all 8 of the teachers who participated in our workshop this summer. I also extend my sincerest gratitude to Dr. Marti Schriver and Dr. Kenneth Clark from Georgia Southern University for all their assistance in the development and implementation of this workshop.

~Alicia Marin, Senior Educator

Jul 23

Sea Turtle Nesting Update

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It’s time once again for a sea turtle nesting update! Here are the numbers, hot off the camo cart….As you can see, we have tripled last year’s numbers! WOW!! The record for JI is 204 nests, and although nesting is starting to slow a bit, we still have a few weeks left to try to break the record! We are still conducting nightly Turtle Walks through July 31. Call the Center for reservations!

In other news……Are you wondering about hatching nests? Well, 8 of our nests have hatched so far! And we are beginning our Hatchling Walks THIS SATURDAY, JULY 26, 2008. These walks will be conducted on Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday mornings. We are scheduling through September, but please note these walks (especially later in the season) are subject to availability of hatching nests. Please see our website for more information and call the Center at 912-635-4444 for reservations today!

Happy Turtling!
Stef
Education and Field Coordinator

Jul 20

The boat strike bunch!

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Since the GSTC opened we have seen several turtles that had been struck by boats. Nearly everyone knew Nicky and Georgia. Currently in house we have four patients that have suffered boat strikes.


Duffy, a subadult loggerhead, was found during a UGA Marine Extension research trawl conducted on the vessel the Bulldog. Duffy has a very severe boat strike to his right carapace/plastron and right rear leg. The rear leg certainly looks the most dramatic as the femur is completely cut in half and has a very large open wound. The carapace/plastron fracture is actually the most severe as it is very deep and potentially is open to the coelomic cavity.

Duffy, has been getting bandage changes twice a week and Dr. Norton has come up with a very creative bandage technique. Instead of your more conventional things to place in the wound the staff has been using honeycomb! Honey has been used for centuries for wound care, and the honeycomb works the same as a wet to dry bandage by pulling out debris from the wound. So far we have seen great success! Duffy needed to be tube fed upon arrival but is now eating well.


Gail, also was found by the research vessel the Bulldog. Gail has a very dramatic wound on her carapace that was also caused by a boat. There was a very large amount of necrotic tissue and bone that has been slowly removed since she arrived. Gail is eating very well on her own and is recieving bandage changes and bloodwork twice a week.

Ry, a Kemps Ridley, was found by Aquarist Jeannie Miller during a sampling run on Sea Island. Ry was brought to the center and appeared in very good body condition, and her bloodwork looked great. Unfortunately, she has a head wound potentially from a skeg. She was taken for an immediate CT scan and the consulting radiologist confirmed the staffs worst fear, the neurocranium, the area of the skull that houses the brain, was fractured and the brain was most likely compromised.

The staff decided to try to give her a chance and tried vacuum assisted wound therapy to try to relieve some of the pressure. She was still bleeding a little to much and so the staff removed the bandage. During her water test she was swimming, although floating, and so she was placed in a shallow tank after air was removed. Sadly, she didn’t respond well and had to be euthanized.
Even in events as sad as that we still take the opportunity to learn as much as possible. Dr. Norton performed a laproscopy to help refine his technique and found that she was a female. He also completed a fully necrospy during which several staff members and volunteers learned about sea turtle anatomy. Severe hemmorage was found on the brain when the necropsy was performed.


These three new patients join Charlotte, a green sea turtle that has been at the center since December. Charlotte’s shell wounds have healed and she is eating very well! She has actually been placed on a diet to help her lose some weight! She is still not using her rear flippers due to the compression of her spinal cord. The staff is looking into permanent captive placement options. Every year more and more turtles are being hit by boats

Approx 20% of the turtles that strand on Georgia’s coast have been injured by boats. Please remember that if you are boating to go slow and keep an eye out for turtles!

~Jeannie Miller, Aquarist

Jul 18

Arribada Adventures…The Cure for Saturday Morning Boredom

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Still looking for a fun, family activity on Saturday mornings? Join us for Arribada Adventures!

This summer, guests have learned about and released Diamondback Terrapins for our Totally Terrapins program, turned into nesting sea turtles with Nifty Nesters, and did some investigative work during Cracking the Crawl!

But don’t fret… there are still three more chances to participate!

Think its tough being a sea turtle? Discover the difficulties sea turtle face and see if you can beat the odds with interactive role playing and games with the Its Tough Being a Sea Turtle program on July 26th.


Learn how YOU can help our fine, flippered friends with Lend ‘em a Flipper on August 2nd. Participate in a beach sweep and create sea turtle art out of recycled materials.

And Finally, on August 9th, find out 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!

Space is limited so reserve your spot now! For registration and location information, please call (912) 635-4444.

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

JoAnna Josey

Education Intern
Jul 16

Can you identify this animal?

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Is it a bird? A plane? No! It’s a pelican! This past weekend, Educator Kelly O’Keefe and Vet Extern Steve Kubiski, under the direction of Dr. Terry Norton, traveled to Charleston, South Carolina in search of these not-so-pretty bird babies. There, they met up with Ph.D. candidate Lisa Eggert of Clemson University, who contacted Dr. Norton as part of a collaborative effort between the Georgia Sea Turtle Center and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. Lisa and her project assistant, Emma, are assessing the health of endangered brown pelican chicks in three critical nesting sites around the Charleston area. Crab Bank, a 16-acre barrier island in Charleston Harbor, has become an important nesting sanctuary (rookery) for many seabirds, including brown pelicans, black skimmers, American oystercatchers, snowy egrets and royal terns. The island was recently closed to the public and the seabirds are now able to take advantage of prime nesting sites that were once trampled by day explorers and boaters. A major threat to the survival of these species includes loss of and disturbed nesting sites. The recent closing of the island to foot traffic, while met with resistance from many, is a huge step for seabird recovery and survival.

Armed with a litany of medical supplies and SPF 70 sunscreen, the group, headed by Felicia Sanders of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, hopped aboard two skiffs for the 20 minute ride to the island. An almost Jurassic Park scene with a flurry of pelican and seabird activity over the island was a sight to behold.

Terry and Steve began by thoroughly examining each chick, then passing them along to Lisa and her team for weights and measurements. Kelly recorded data and photographed unusual findings, including oral plaques caused by a bacterial infection in some of the chick’s mouths. Following examination, each chick was deposited back in their home nest, but not without a little vocal protest. While many of the 20-30 day old chicks appeared thin, they were in good overall health with full bellies, thanks to care offered by both pelican parents.

Lisa and Terry will continue health assessments throughout the summer nesting season until the chicks reach the juvenile stage. (At that point, they are too large and aggressive to handle.) Lisa hopes to correlate the brown pelican chick health to the recent sanctuary designation of Crab Bank and has already seen positive results. Stay tuned for more information about the project and work at other rookery sites!

~Kelly O’Keefe
Educator
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