Some of you might recognize me from before as a Sea Turtle Patrol Intern during the 2008 or 2009 nesting season. I am happy to be back at the GSTC again, this time as the Diamondback Terrapin  AmeriCorps Member.

My name is Simon Dilts and I received my B.S. in Organismal Biology from Adams State College. I also have some training in wildlife photography/videography (including working 6 months in South Africa for a Wildlife TV station).

Interning with the Center previously is what introduced me to Terrapins and just like being introduced to Sea Turtles I fell in love with them too.

I am looking forward to learning more about Terrapins and being out on the causeway helping the nesting females.

If you would like to learn more about Terrapins yourself stop on by the center where you can see some hatchlings as well as adults. Or stop by at the Brunswick/Glynn County Library May 13^th at 7:00pm for our monthly Lecture Series with the topic being Diamondback Terrapins.

Cheers

Simon

1^st Place

#9: Logan B., Reese S. and Cooper J. from Frederica Academy, Saint Simons Island - These 3 students are the winners of a Sea Turtle Adoption!

2^nd Place

#10: Olivia P., Mara L. and Zoie G. from Frederica Academy, Saint Simons Island - These 3 students are winners of a GSTC Towel!

3^rd Place

#13: Shae, Alaysha, Malachi and Xavier from Burroughs Mollette Elementary School, Brunswick - These 4 students are winners of a small plush sea turtle!

A special thanks to the 296 fans that cast their votes to help us choose the winners!  I was truly impressed by the support we received from the local community, visitors to the GSTC and our online guests!

This was our first year hosting this contest and I had no idea what to expect.  A few years ago, my mom sent me a newspaper article where a teacher on Long Island, New York (where I grew up) created a giant caterpillar out of laundry detergent bottles and displayed it on her school’s front lawn. I thought to myself, what a great idea – I wanna do this with sea turtles! And thanks to the 3^rd graders at OPES, Burroughs Mollette, Satilla Marsh, Goodyear and Frederica Academy, this year we did! Thank YOU for making this dream a reality!

Congratulations again to our 2010 Litter Critter Contest Winners!  Until next year, (oh yes my friends, there will be a 2011 Litter Critter Contest) we encourage everyone to think twice before throwing away trash and invite YOU to make your own trash turtles at home.  Feel free to email pictures of your creations to Scute at scute@georgiaseaturtlecenter.org.  We look forward to seeing what amazing things YOU do with Trash!

And remember, EVERY day is Earth Day!

~Alicia B. Marin, Education Coordinator

That’s right!  Kera & Mr. Hyde, 2 juvenile loggerhead sea turtles afflicted by cold stunning during this past winter are going to be released!

KERA

MR. HYDE

First, a little background…..

Both Kera and Mr. Hyde (along with a 3rd turtle, Rostrum) were found in North Carolina.  All three (along with many others) were diagnosed as ‘cold stunned’. What is cold stunned you ask?  Since sea turtles are ectothermic (aka ‘cold blooded’), their body temperature adapts to their surrounding environment.  If it gets too cold, their body shuts down. Eventually they cannot move their flippers, which means they can’t dive, which means they can’t eat.  Essentially, they begin to freeze….think of it like a human who gets hypothermia.  Kera and Mr. Hyde were originally treated at the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center in Topsail, N.C., but because they were overrun by all the cold-stunned turtles and had run out of space, they asked if we could take a few off their hands.

Once they arrived at the GSTC, we proceeded to give them an exam to determine treatment.  Kera, short for ‘Keratin’, had a lot o keratin missing from her carapace (keratin makes up the scutes that cover her shell).  Mr. Hyde, on the other hand, defecated a pink balloon!  More proof that balloons and other trash pollution are harmful to sea turtles, as well as other marine life.

MR. HYDE

KERA

Both turtles received a final exam on Friday, April 16, 2010 and passed with flying colors!  Both also received a PIT tag, flipper tags and a satellite transmitter.  These transmitters (from Wildlife Computers) are different than the ones we typically use (from Telonics).  They are smaller and lighter, more suitable for smaller turtles like Kera and Mr. Hyde.  Battery power may not be as long, however.  We’ll just have to see how they do!

Now that you’ve been briefed, let’s get to the details of the release:

When: Saturday, April 24, 2010

Where: Tybee Island, GA (CLICK HERE for directions)

Time: following the end of the 5K run/walk; approximately 10am

*Please note that all releases are tentative and subject to change (date, time and/or location) in the best interest of the turtle(s).

This release is occurring in collaboration with the Tybee Island Marine Science Center.  Every year they host a 5K run/walk fundraiser called Turtle Trot.  Funds raised benefit the Tybee Island Sea Turtle Project.  Last year we released Blizzard, Snowball and Chilly Willy at this event, and it was a HUGE success!

We hope you will join us in saying goodbye to Kera and Mr. Hyde!

Sincerely,

Stefanie Ouellette

Marine Field Programs Coordinator