June 16 marked the 2 year anniversary of the Georgia Sea Turtle Centers grand opening!   This year, we celebrated in true sea turtle style with a week of fun filled activities!  All events were filled to capacity and we were bursting at the seams with guests ready to celebrate with us! Monday evening at the Center, Director and Veterinarian Dr. Terry Norton gave an update on the Centers progress the last 2 years and where we hope to go from here. Tuesdays Birds & Bees chat with Lydia Thompson and Jim Gertis was a huge success! Guests peeked into the nests of 2 not-very-well-known creatures: the honey bee and the Wilsons Plover.  Movie-goers at Wednesdays Finding Nemo were not only treated to a big-screen hit, but freshly popped popcorn to munch on during the flick. The thought of helping keep our beach clean and an ice cream treat drew a crowd for Thursday mornings Beachsweep. And who could resist our fun-loving mascot, Scute the Loggerhead Sea Turtle? A visit from Scute delighted the young and young-at-heart at an early morning breakfast served on the Center lawn. Scutes visit was followed by a tour of the Center-in our pajamas!  

Despite scorching temperatures, we guesstimated over 1000 visitors joined us for the Saturday finale party at the Beachdeck. Festival-goers were invited to partake in a number of activities on the upper deck. This year, we had the pleasure of hosting Naturalist Georgia Graves, Birding Enthusiast Brad Winn, our friends at Tidelands/4-H & the Coastal ARK- all with so much to share! Don’t know much about nesting on Jekyll Island? If you had the chance to check out the goings-on, consider yourself an expert!

Sea turtles & Diamondback Terrapins, sharks & snakes, the gopher tortoise & other burrow-dwelling animals, American Oystercatchers & Red Knots, horseshoe crabs & even live beach critters were all featured as part of the educational exhibits. It looks like children of ALL ages participated in the fun!

The lower deck gave way to an impromptu dance party with Island Sounds DJ, Justin. Three go-rounds of the Kid’s Turtle Crawl obstacle course throughout the day called to beach athletes itching for a little fun competition. And a festival would not be a festival without a feast! Teddy gave the grillside fare a thumbs up!

We topped off the day with the successful release of Simone & Duffy, two rehabilitated loggerhead sea turtle patients that arrived at the Center just a month apart. After almost one full year in the hospital recovering from illness & injury, the two were returned to their ocean home. Track their ocean adventures at www.georgiaseaturtlecenter.org.

A huge thanks to our tireless volunteers & staff, the Jekyll Island Authority and YOU! Thanks for making this event possible!

~ Kelly OKeefe, Educator