‘Tis the Sea-son for Holiday Festivities at the GSTC and Beyond!

There’s nothing better than setting out on a new adventure and jumping in feet first…  My name is Kira Stearns and I am the new Educator at the GSTC.  I moved from southeastern Minnesota where I spent the previous 3 years as a classroom life science teacher in Middle and High School.  I also had the opportunity to work with bald eagles at the National Eagle Center on the Mississippi River, which has ultimate drawn me back to animals, rehabilitation, and conservation education.  Feel free to read more about my background and what drew me to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center.  I joined the Education team in October just before the fall event, Turtleween and have since taken on the responsibilities of Special Events, Adopt-a-Sea Turtle, and in house programming.  This time of year is busy for all with a variety of holiday themed activities; and the GSTC is no different.  Beginning with Thanksgiving, the education team has been actively involved in 6 very unique holiday themed events of all sizes at the center, on Jekyll Island, and offsite.

The Holiday season began with a weekend filled with activities and events.  On Thanksgiving Day, the “Thankful Turtles” craft encouraged our guests to reflect and decorate a turtle with things they were thankful for this season.  Although the center was open for only a few short hours that day, guests enjoyed the little extra something to take with them.  As a staff, we even took a few moments for some holiday humor.

The day after Thanksgiving, while most were probably out for the biggest shopping day of the year, Nicole (one of our AmeriCorps Members) and I ventured off to Sapelo Island for a very special birthday gift.  The Lawrence family welcomed us with open arms that day to share our turtle knowledge in celebration of Nanny’s 85^th birthday.  It was while on Sapelo Island, I experienced one of what will be many firsts now living in the south of deep fried turkey.  I have to say, moving from the turkey capitol of world, that it was quite tasty!  We shared much of our turtle knowledge, but were also treated to anecdotes and memories of Nanny’s days living on Hilton Head Island as well.  The family even invited us to join in the family football game.  Although we weren’t able to stay they made sure that showed us their unique touchdown dances.  What a fantastic family and a memorable day!

The Thanksgiving weekend culminated with the annual Jekyll Island Authority’s Tree Lighting Festival outside the Club Hotel with activities, scrumptious food, music, and of course the important figure of the season, Santa.  In sea turtle holiday fashion, the GSTC offered “Turtle Wreefs” for visitors to decorate and take with them to hang on their tree or anywhere else that needed a little festive décor.  The Tree Lighting Festival gave the education staff a chance to take in the festive atmosphere, but also to converse about sea turtles and their significance to Jekyll Island.

After welcoming in the holiday season with a busy Thanksgiving weekend, December continued in its own festive fashion.  On December 6^th the Georgia Sea Turtle Center welcomed Santa’s Special Sleigh, a group of elementary students who must earn their seat by reading.  The students and teachers came from Unidos Dual Language Charter School in Forrest Park, GA, where students learn in both English and Spanish.  It was such a treat to listen and talk with the kids about the school.  I was fascinated by the interaction between the students and teachers in both languages after having studied Spanish myself for many years.  The kids were excited, many where on their very first flight, to see the center and the turtle patients.  The education staff joined them for lunch and just in time for Santa.  We even brought along our special friend, Scute!  The kids had a fun visit complete with gifts from Santa and we were blessed with great memories too.  I was so glad to be a part of such a rewarding gift of the visit the kids had to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center.

The GSTC also hosted two more holiday events on December 10^th and 17^th.  First of the two was the Jekyll Island Authority Employee Children’s party that featured our acclaimed puppet show, “Scute’s Christmas Adventure”, a visit to our turtle hospital, a holiday craft, treats and of course a visit from Santa and Scute!  The kids had a great time and enjoyed sharing their wishes with Santa.  The following Saturday, Santa visited once again for Santa & the Sea Turtles for more holiday crafts, programs, stories, and wishes.  “Scute’s Christmas Adventure” returned along with a special rendition of the well-known story, “’Twas the Night Before Christmas” that featured our sea turtle patients.  Guests had the opportunity to create Holiday cards for our turtles and to tuck them into each turtle’s stocking as well as making a holiday turtle ornament.  Many of our guests were decked out in their best holiday fashion to meet with Santa for pictures and to be sure Santa knew just what they wanted this year.  We hope Santa will grant everyone’s holiday wishes this year as many of our staff take some time to visit with their families and take some time to rest up so we will be ready to make 2012 another Turtley Awesome year!

Wishing everyone a safe and Happy Holiday season!

~Kira Stearns, Educator

Atlantic Southeast Airlines

By Cynthia Milner, rewards & recognition

The holiday season is always a special time filled with traditions. One of those traditions at Atlantic Southeast is Santa’s Special Sleigh, which takes the students of Hendrix Drive Elementary School in Forrest Park, Ga. on the field trip of a lifetime aboard one of our CRJ200 jets. Each year, the students who excel in the school’s reading program are rewarded with a spot on the trip and we visit a different city with a unique, educational venue.

This year’s trip was to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll Island, Ga. The trip marked the first time that many of the kids had been on an airplane, but any nervous feelings about flying quickly turned to excitement when they saw the cabin decked out with holiday cheer. Once we were in the air for the quick 35-minute flight, the students snacked on holiday goodies and sang carols, and we arrived at the Brunswick Golden Isles Airport in what seemed like just a few minutes.

Once at the airport, our great Brunswick Airport Customer Service team helped everyone off the plane and to the bus that would take us to the Sea Turtle Center. Some of our Airport Customer Service team members even came along to visit the turtles. Even as an adult, I have to say that the Georgia Sea Turtle Center is a cool place. We saw all types of turtles: big, small, old and young. The team at the Center is compassionate about their work, and you can tell that these turtles hold a special place in their heart. I think it’s safe to say that the kids most enjoyed the room that housed more than 10 turtles who were visiting the Center for rehabilitation.

After our time with the turtles, we headed out to lunch and a visit with Santa Claus before flying back home to Atlanta. All in all, it was another fun journey with the Hendrix Drive Students, and we look forward to keeping up this special holiday tradition.

Shared by Kira Stearns (GSTC Educator)

One of our GSTC family has been nominated for a very special award! Gary Buckles has been nominated for the International Sea Turtle Society’s Ed Drane Award for Volunteerism.

The Ed Drane Award for Volunteerism was established in memory of Ed Drane who was Treasurer of the ISTS for more than 20 years. His passion for the sea turtles and his commitment to the ISTS and its international mission were both energizing and inspiring. This award will be presented to a person who is working outside their professional life who voluntarily commits a significant portion of their time, energy, and passion to the conservation of sea turtles.  They do not seek academic or monetary credit for their efforts but they make a significant contribution to the study and conservation of sea turtles.

Gary Buckles has been an integral part of the Georgia Sea Turtle Center’s Program since the center opened in 2007. Gary started as a volunteer working on our night patrol program assisting the staff and interns with our saturation tagging program. Starting in the fall of 2007, Gary started volunteering with our rehabilitation and education programs as well. Gary is extremely dedicated to his volunteer service here at the GSTC. He frequently works 10-12 hour days, multiple times a week with our veterinary staff.  He is known to be here before the staff even arrives in the morning in order to get things started for the day. He happily takes on the tasks considered monotonous or less than thrilling with vigor. Whether it’s cleaning tanks or doing immense amounts of laundry, we know that Gary will be the one of the ones to step up and get it done.

When the GSTC started collaborating with the St. Kitts Sea Turtle Monitoring Network in 2008, Gary was one of the original volunteers to go. Since then he has expanded his role with the program both at the GSTC and in St. Kitts. He now participates in training volunteers and staff that are going for the first time before he leaves and spends several weeks in country assisting Dr. Kimberly Stewart. The center is always sad when we don’t have him with us for several weeks, but it is a source of great pride that he is doing so much to fulfill the missions of both organizations.

From the biggest tasks of driving turtles to Florida or spending months abroad working on international initiatives, to the smallest details of folding laundry and bringing cookies to the staff twice a week to boost morale, Gary has proven that he isn’t just a volunteer. He is a critical part of the GSTC infrastructure and we would not be able to accomplish our mission without him.

The staff of the GSTC is very proud of this accomplishment and would like you all to join us in congratulating Gary!

As the holidays approach us, are you wondering what to get for that special someone?  Perhaps you want to give a gift that gives back…to the sea turtles!  Well, the Georgia Sea Turtle Center has plenty of turtle-friendly options just for you.

Do you know someone that would you like to be the proud parent of an ‘adopted’ sea turtle? With your $50 donation, you can contribute funding to support Georgia Sea Turtle Center patients! Choose a current patient in our sea turtle hospital and follow their journey from hospital to sea. The donation helps offset operating costs such as medication and food for in-house patients as well as supports research we are conducting to help sea turtles all over the world!

Or perhaps you know an individual or a family that just LOVES the GSTC.  Why not give them a GSTC membership to help them visit us year round?  Maybe they will even invite YOU to go along with them!

Are you looking for a gift for your youngest sea turtle enthusiast?  Why not sign them up for Sea Turtle Camp? We invite children ages 6 to 12 to join us for the ultimate camp experience as junior conservationists! Come be a part of this groundbreaking program with fun-in-the-sun activities, sand adventures and unforgettable sea turtles!

Still not convinced?  Wait to you see all the turtle-rific items available through our on-line store!  Coming soon – we hope to launch it early next week.

For more information about any of these gift giving options, please visit our website at www.georgiaseaturtlecenter.org or call us at 912-635-4444.

SEA-sons Greetings!

~Alicia B. Marin, Education Coordinator

Looking for the perfect birthday surprise for the turtle enthusiast in your family?

The Lawrence family treated “Nanny” Lawrenceto the weekend of her life for her 85^th birthday. Nanny has been an active sea turtle conservationist for years, taking her children and grandchildren on turtle patrol walks and getting involved with the sea turtle programs on Hilton Head Island inSouth Carolina.

For Nanny’s 85^th birthday, theLawrence family wanted to celebrate with a very special and memorable trip. Heading toSapeloIsland for a weekend getaway at the beautifulReynoldsMansion, the family invited the Georgia Sea Turtle Center to join them for an afternoon of education, fried turkey, spectacular beaches, and friendly family football.

Taking the quick 20-minute ferry over to Sapelo, Kira, our new educator, and I took specimens, a sea turtle costume, and Cory the Leatherback to the majestic mansion. We surprised Nanny with a hybrid of our GSTC educational programs. The excitement on Nanny’s face was priceless! After spending time answering Nanny’s questions, we sat down to a lovely lunch, learning about Nanny’s beautiful family and getting to know them all individually. Nanny has so much love for sea turtles, but her love for her family is so enormous, it warms your heart. It was easy to see why the family wanted to do something extra special for Nanny’s 85^th birthday.

So the next time you are looking for a great gift for your turtle enthusiast, consider spending a day with all of us at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. There is nothing we love more than to meet other turtle enthusiasts like ourselves, supporting the efforts of conservation programs all over the world.