It is now 3:23 am and we just got back from beach patrol, walking up and down the beach looking for nesting turtles and measuring them. We saw not one, not two, but THREE! I guess our luck came from thinking all those “turtle-y” thoughts! As part of the Turtle Patrol Team, we were allowed to measure them, as well as look down in the hole and actually see the eggs drop. Many organisms make their homes on the back of Loggerheads so the carapace or shell, felt fuzzy. When you ran your finger across her back a trail of “glitter” followed……magical….. The glowing sparkles are caused by bioluminescence, a “living light” given off my tiny single celled organisms.
Turtle #1 showed up just in time for the Beach Walk tour group to join us. The 2nd turtle crawled around on the dune but did not make a nest so we had to try and keep her from going back into the ocean while trying to read her tag numbers and take her measurements. That was amazing! She was huge and strong, weighing about 300lbs. We would try and keep her from moving, two of us holding her from the front as she just pushed us down the beach! Turtle #3 was found laying her eggs on the side of a sand dune, good for her and the babies, awkward for measuring. We found the markings of another nest but did not see the turtle herself.
Day Two: Sunday, July 11, 2010
A tour of the Tidelands museum and canoe trip began our Sunday morning here at Jekyll. The looming heat (heat index over 100) had our team concerned about our afternoon plans of exploring the beaches
with local naturalist Georgia Graves. Being purpose focused, we coated ourselves with sunscreen and bug spray and headed out. Heat did not turn out to be our biggest problem, the summer thundershowers moved in setting a record high for the amount of rain within an hour here at the island. All the sunscreen rinsed off, we were completely soaked, but were no longer threatened by the scorching sun. We must have been a sight looking like drowned rats seining off the southern end of the island.
We made stops at a couple different beaches, exploring and learning a wealth of information from our knowledgeable guide. We were fortunate to have a live, in the wild, sea turtle sighting. Swimming down the channel at the northern end of the beach, we saw a dinner platter sized juvenile green sea turtle. Apparently, this is a rare experience. I found the bone-yard beach the most interesting, having never seen a beach littered with giant driftwood pieces.
The evening beach walk, although informative, was turtle-less and therefore disappointing. We will continue thinking “turtle-y thoughts” in hopes of seeing some nesters tomorrow.
Today six teachers entered the Georgia Sea Turtle Center with a youthful joy and excitement. As we were greeted by Archelon the giant prehistoric turtle and the friendly staff at the center, we were eager to do or see anything they were willing to give us! Although it seemed overwhelming at times, the amount of knowledge that the staff at the center has is amazing and as teachers we are willing to learn! As we toured the center, met the patients, and learned about this amazing animal, we couldn’t help but think about the night cap…would we see a turtle….but all we could do is think positive turtley thoughts that we would be blessed with the sighting of a healthy female playing her part in the creation of life.
As the night fell, in came the thunder and lightning. We couldn’t help but be gloomy about the possibility that tonight our turtle walk would be canceled. But through the sprinkles and gorgeous flashes of lightening over the ocean, we continued our walk! Our wonderful guide (Alicia Marin, GSTC Education Coordinator) led us down the beach to discover ghost crabs, knobbed whelk egg casings, and even a dead horseshoe crab! Believe me these things were great to see but lets be honest, you could feel the groups burning desire to see a turtle. As our guide said goodbye, we heard the words that would change our course of the evening… “TP1 TO TP2, we have emergence…” And we all knew what that meant….a turtle!
We rushed into our cars and drove down to another part of the beach to see a female nesting in the dunes. What an exciting event! Nothing can prepare you for the beauty and grace of the dance of a female nesting turtle.And after midnight, as we laid our heads on our pillows, turtley thoughts filled our heads and you couldn’t help but smile and be thankful that we are able to be a part of their story, a story more than thousands of years old! Thank you turtles and thank you staff at GSTC!
~ Breanna Young, Oglethorpe Point Elementary School
June 1st marks the beginning of the GSTC’s annual summer Turtle Walks.Held twice each evening (8:30pm & 9:30pm) during the months of June and July, Turtle Walks are not only popular with the public, but also with the GSTC staff and volunteers. Many volunteer Guides have been leading “turtle walks” on the beaches of Jekyll Island for five-plus years.In addition, participants in the GSTC’s June Teacher Workshop, led three of our Turtle Walks, and this month’s Teacher Workshop participants will be Guides for three walks next week as well! What exactly is a “Turtle Walk” you may be wondering??? A GSTC Turtle Walk consists of both an indoor and outdoor portion. The indoor portion is held at the GSTC and includes a PowerPoint presentation on sea turtle biology, nesting behavior, and threats, as well as, many, simple ways YOU can be ‘turtle friendly’ both on and off the beach. Following the presentation, Turtle Walk Guides and participants head to the beach for a guided beach ecology walk in search of nesting sea turtles!
The beach portion is a fun, educational experience for both children and adults. Turtle Walks include activities such as beach-combing for natural objects & beach critters, engaging in hands-on activities such as seeing the cool phenomenon of bio- and tribo-luminescence, and a brief presentation by the GSTC’s Turtle Patrol. For those participants who are fortunate enough to come across sea turtle tracks or to see a sea turtle nesting, that of course makes for a magical, memorable walk along the beach! With three more weeks left in July, there are still plenty of evenings and thus opportunities to join us for a Turtle Walk! For more information on the GSTC’s Turtle Walks or to learn how to register, just click on http://www.georgiaseaturtlecenter.org/education-programs/summer-programs/turtle-walks/ or call (912) 635-4444 to make a reservation.
