Aug 11
Our Adopt-a-Sea Turtle Program has been a HUGE success! THANK YOU to all the adoptive parents! Your adoption purchases ($50 donation per adoption) have allowed us to provide the very best hospital care to our patients including medications, x-rays and even MRIs! One great example is Griffin, a male loggerhead sea turtle, who is currently in our hospital and under our care. Griffin has a floating issue that we have been unable to resolve. We brought him for an MRI on Aug 1 and preliminary findings indicate that he does have some air trapped in his coelomic cavity and digestive tract. We are waiting for a specialist to take a look at the MRI to confirm. Adoption donations have also allowed us to raise enough funds to proved satellite trasmitters to a few of out turtles that we’ve released in the past year including: Golden Boy, Bevelyn, Spitfire, Vida, and Dylan.
Spitfire, Vida and Dylan are still eligible for adoption as well (Option #2)…why you ask? Well, once we release a turtle with a satellite transmitter, our responsibilities do not end! We still have to pay for satellite time and someone to manage the data (
http://www.seaturtle.org/) for as long as they continue to transmit a signal.
Now without further ado, let me introduce to you our newest sea turtle patient eligible for adoption (Option #1: Current Patient). DUFFY!
Duffy joins Griffin as one of our Current Patients ‘up for adoption’ and needs your help! Duffy arrived at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center on June 11, 2008 after being caught by the Georgia Bulldog, a research vessel that trawls for sea turtles to collect data and tag non-nesting turtles, north of Amelia Island, Fl. When Duffy arrived, he had a moderate small barnacle load, and was slightly dehydrated. Additionally, there was a small slice in the right carapace which extended to a more severe wound on the plastron and the right hind flipper. The wounds were severely infected and the femur was broken. We suspected that these injuries are due to a boat propeller strike. The initial exam showed that the femur not only was broken, but that there was also dead muscle and bone tissue running throughout the wound. While initially tube fed, Duffy is doing very well now and is eating on his own and swimming around his tank, however he still needs daily care of his wounds.
Please visit our website (
http://www.georgiaseaturtlecenter.org/) for more information on all of our patients and if you’d like to adopt Duffy, or any one of our other eligible sea turtles (Griffin, Spitfire, Vida, or Dylan), you can do so in the following ways:
1. During your next visit to the GSTC
2. Through our on-line store
3. Download and fax or mail in the application form and payment
4. Over the phone by calling the GSTC (912-635-4444)
Thanks again for you donation and continued support!
Sincerely,
Stefanie Ouellette
Education and Field Coordinator
Aug 08
Since August hit, sea turtle nesting has slowed considerably. Saturday night (considered 8/3 for our recording purposes) was the last night we’ve seen a turtles…until last night! We got another nest last night! YAY!!! Here are our current totals:
In other exciting news, as of July 31, 2008 Georgia’s sea turtle nesting numbers have reached an all time record high of 1,544 nests (with a few more weeks to go)! The previous nesting record for Georgia was in 2003 with 1,504 nests.
Nesting news from other parts of the southeast is also very good, with most places seeing very good numbers! My old friends from Broward County, Florida are having a good loggerhead nesting year (highest since 2003) and an all time recored green nesting year with still more nesting to go down there for both of these species! AMAZING!
Wondering about hatching?! Wonder no more…we’ve had 39 nests hatch already! Hatchling Walks are filling up quickly, so if you haven’t signed up for yours, CALL TODAY FOR YOUR RESERVATION!
*Like all other fees (admissions, Memberships, gift shop purchases, etc.) all proceeds from Hatchling Walks go directly to support the Georgia Sea Turtle Center!
Thank you for your continued support!
Sincerely,
Stefanie
Education and Field Coordinator
Aug 01
One World, One Water:
NMEA 2008 Conference
Beautiful Savannah, GA was the site for the 2008 National Marine Educators Association (NMEA) conference. NMEA is comprised of educators and researchers devoted to the study of marine and fresh water environments. Attendees gathered from all over the world to share recent research findings and innovative education ideas. The Georgia Sea Turtle Center had a strong presence at the conference as Alicia Marin and myself (Sarah Mathias) both were honored to be chosen to present and exhibit.
Visitors to our exhibit were often greeted by us as they browsed the table fill
ed with info on school programs, adoption and membership options, walkway to wonder brick info, and much more. A laptop computer display allowed passersby to take a virtual tour of the Center, and thanks to the wonderful world wide web we could track our released patients online right at the table!
On the first day of the conference I presented “Swim into Learning with Sea Turtles.” The audience was taken on a journey through the Georgia Sea Turtle Center learning how they can utilize our facility either through a virtual visit, our outreach programs, or even through our website! At the end of the program the room was instantly transformed into a treatment room filled with four sick and injured sea turtles, plush ones of course! The audience became sea turtle doctors as I presented “Sea Turtle Rescue 911,” an innovative program designed for high school students.
Later in the week Alicia presented her master’s thesis “Sun, Sand, and Sea Turtles: Conservation through Non-formal Education. Alic
ia wowed the crowd as she presented several craft, game, and program ideas that were used for a summer camp she created for children in the Caribbean. At the end of her slideshow she brought the fun of her camp and the GSTC to Savannah as she taught Amazing Adaptations. Amazing Adaptations is one of the GSTC’s most popular programs in which one lucky person is turned into a sea turtle and is one of the many activities created for her thesis.
The last day of the conference offered participants the chance to explore Georgia’s beautiful coast, and the Georgia Sea Turtle Center was proud to be chosen as a field trip option. Eighteen educators got the chance to take a journey through the Center as loggerhead sea turtles, visit with our patients, and go behind the scenes to view the food prep area, treatment room, surgical suite, and x-ray room.
One World, One Water was a great experience from which we gained new insight into marine science education and visited with colleagues from all over the world. We were proud to be a part of such an extraordinary gathering of exceptional people and hope to attend future conferences.
~Sarah Mathias, Educator
