For the last few months, I have been sending Scute, the ambassador of the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, to my friends and family all over the world. From the University of Georgia to Uganda and from Maine to the mountains of Nepal, this little Loggerhead has be has been quite the world traveler! Follow Scute on his blog, Travels With Scute, as he continues to travel around the world learning and sharing his knowledge with others about turtles of all types!

-Melissa Quinn Daniel, AmeriCorps Education Member

As summer comes to an end, so does much of the busyness that seems to accompany it. If you are looking for something new, fun and fulfilling to fill your “free time” with during the fall and winter months and…

• enjoy interacting with and meeting new people
• are looking to further your knowledge and skills in turtle conservation
• are wanting to “give back” in the way of your time and talents
• have celebrated your 16 birthday
• are able to commit 8 hours per month, 3 months per year

Then the Georgia Sea Turtle Center Volunteer Program is for YOU! We have volunteer opportunities in our Education, Husbandry, Research, and Gift Shop Departments. For detailed descriptions of volunteer position requirements, responsibilities, and benefits, please visit www.georgiaseaturtlecenter.org/join-us/volunteer. Our on-line volunteer application, found at the above website, must be submitted by September 8 in order to register for September’s two-day Volunteer Orientation Session on 9/11 & 9/18, 9:00am-1:00pm @ the Georgia Sea Turtle Center.

Have a great start to September!  Jenn Breehl, Volunteer Management Member

Phil, a juvenile Kemp’s Ridley turtle, swam out to deep water Friday, August 27, 2010. It was found with a fishing line wound around its neck. After a rehabilitative stay at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, Phil was ready to be released. AmeriCorps members who will finish their work on the end of the month celebrated its swimming away.

Phil’s Release video (click here)

Sea Turtle Conservation presentation by DNR Wildlife Biologist Mark Dodd

at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, Friday, September 10^th, 7PM-8PM.

This free public program is part of the 10^th Anniversary Celebration of the State Wildlife Grants co-sponsored by the Georgia Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll Island and the Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division.

• Friday, September 10^th,  7PM-8PM
• Georgia Sea Turtle Center at 214 Stable Road, Jekyll Island, GA 31524
• Free program, open to the public

For more information, contact the Georgia Sea Turtle Center at (912) 635-4076.

Stone Gossard, drummer of Pearl Jam, wrote an article in the S.W.O.T. (State of the World’s Turtles) report. He claimed that rock stars are like conservationists. Both types of people truly become their jobs…partly because their jobs require such dedication and introspection…partly because of the charisma of the individual. It’s interesting to ponder the idea that conservationists are rocks stars and role models of their field. Their two-part commitment can transform these individuals into more harmonious people.

Like musicians, not all conservationists are mainstream, by which I mean recognized on a national or global level. Notice, I did not add appreciated for quality of work in that definition. I speculated that maybe that is why the Grammy Awards occur. How would conservationists react if an equivalent award were to be created for them? Hmm.

Here’s a concept: mainstream musicians and conservationists are charged with the challenge of maintaining a positive role model presence for their peers and for, theoretically, the world. For those rock stars within their field, I have created the Roll Model Award as a means of honoring individuals who fit the criteria.

The Roll Model Award (Roll Model Award Crafter’s Guide) serves as a reminder of the responsibility of a metaphorical rock star. A positive role model is aware of the way in which he or she influences the behaviors or even emotions of other individuals. A skilled rock star can choose to control certain behaviors – possibly reactions – of others. This is achieved through experience and a genuine notion of humanity.

What I find truly intriguing is that both rocks stars and conservationists can seem super-human…intangible, different from everyday life. The irony I have witnessed and experienced is that pure humanity (qualities or characteristics that are distinctly human, like compassion for others) makes the conservationist a metaphorical rock star and certainly a role model. A conservationist redefines the term environmental stewardship, just as rock n’ roll tangibly changed music.

Here, at The Georgia Sea Turtle Center, we strive to make a difference.

Will you be a positive part of history?

The way you define yourself within your job helps others define you by your job.

Honestly,

Amanda Noble

Education Member 2009-2010

Thank you for reading and pondering!

Now that the 2010 nesting season has come to an end on Jekyll Island, we would like to give everyone a quick recap of our busy summer. Georgia beaches have a total of 1,738 sea turtle nests so far this season! Jekyll has had 140 nests, leaving us just six nests shy of doubling the season total from 2009. Our first nest of the season was a leatherback nest and the other 139 were all loggerheads. It was a very productive year for us. We had an activity, be it a false crawl or a nesting female, just about every night. On one particular night we saw eight turtles and had six nests! It was our busiest night of the season.

Patrol Members "working up" a Nesting Female

We had many interesting encounters this season as well. There was one particular turtle who we encountered 14 times throughout the season! She must really like Jekyll Island. Another turtle who we saw quite a few times was affectionately named Stumpy, as she is missing almost all of her left rear flipper, leaving just a little stump. Poor Stumpy. On multiple occasions we spent over an hour with her helping her dig the left side of her chamber, and once we thought she was satisfied with it, she would leave! But our time with Stumpy paid off one night when we finally got to see her drop some eggs.

We had a few turtles who impressed us with their climbing skills by crawling up to the top of some very high dunes to nest. Some of those nests were even hard for us to climb up to! And another turtle surprised us by crawling right underneath Glory Dock and nesting on the other side. One turtle even decided to nest at 2:00 in the afternoon!

A Nesting Female Returns to the Water

With all of the nests this summer, we are now seeing lots of little hatchlings. It was exciting to see that this year, unlike last year, our leatherback nest hatched! When it was excavated we found two straggler hatchlings that we were able to watch, as they made their way down to the ocean and swam away. Now that we are nearing the end of the summer, it seems as though we are finding tiny turtle tracks on our beach just about every morning.

Hatchlings Heading Down the Beach

Overall, this was a very productive and exciting summer filled with nesting mother sea turtles, baby sea turtles, new friends, and a lot of fun. We have been very busy on the beach, working hard and learning a lot, and enjoying our time here at the GSTC. Before we all part ways at the end of the month, we wanted to say a quick thank you to all of our volunteers who gave so much of their time this summer to help us out on our patrols. Thank you! Be sure to check back on our blog for more updates at the end of hatchling season.

Sincerely,

The 2010 AmeriCorps Night Patrol Team

The GSTC education staff loves sea turtle camp so much, that five weeks here on Jekyll Island was just not enough!  We decided to take camp on the road to Nevis, West Indies!  This is the natal island of Sea Turtle Camp, the place where it all began.  It was only four short years ago when our current education coordinator, Alicia Marin, spent the summer of 2006 conducting her masters research on Nevis.  Alicia was invited to the island by Lemme Pemberton and his colleagues of the Nevis Turtle Group (NTG) to help establish the nesting population on the island.  The NTG was approached by the Four Seasons Hotel to create a sea turtle inspired activity for local children.

Alicia quickly jumped on the idea and created a Sea Turtle Camp curriculum on the spot!  She later compiled the efforts of Sea Turtle Camp into a user friendly guidebook, Sun, Sand, and Sea Turtles: Inspiring Youth Through Hands on Learning.  This Guidebook serves as the basis for education programs here at the GSTC and is currently being used by organizations across the United States and beyond.  It is currently being published and will be available in the GSTC Gift Shop this fall!

This year we returned to Nevis to teach the 3rd Annual Sea Turtle Camp on Nevis, July 19th through the 26th.  We hosted two week-long sessions geared toward 8-12 years.  However, we did have some sea turtle enthusiasts as young as 5 years old join us!   Teddy Ivey (GSTC Educator), Sarah Eckert (former GSTC Educator), Griffin Eckert (Sarah’s husband, the namesake of one of our most popular turtles) and Alicia Marin (GSTC Education Coordinator) led the first week of Camp.  Sarah Stock (AmeriCorps Education Member) joined us the second week to replace Teddy and Griffin.  While attendance started off light, we had 50 plus children graduate as junior conservationists.  This included 10 Campers from 2009 that came back to join in more Turtle fun!

We followed the same curriculum as Camp here on Jekyll Island, only this time focusing on Caribbean sea turtles.  The week began with a general overview of the 6 species found in the Caribbean sea.  The Campers learned unique facts about each species and how to tell them apart.  Day1 was not only filled with exciting information, but fun crafts, and of course lots of games!  As you can see, even adults joined in on the fun!

On the second day, the children learned about the nesting process and how to identify the different turtle tracks.  This skill really came in handy when we visited the beach later in the week and the children were able to tell us which sea turtles had nested there the night before.  We were also lucky enough to have Mr. Pemberton bring in some Hawksbill sea turtle hatchlings!  The Hawksbill sea turtle is the most common nester on Nevis.

The next two days focused on natural threats and humans associated threats to sea turtles.  This is when we introduced our young turtle enthusiasts to the always popular Egg-cellent Nest Protectors^TM game.  At first our Campers were tentative to become nesting females and bury their eggs (mini-marshmallow) in their nest (vanilla pudding, crushed graham crackers and whipped cream).  However, after the counselors showed them how much fun it was, they were eager to give it a try and get dirty!

When asked in a TV interview, the students indicated that their favorite activity was going to the beach on Day 4.  We traveled to Lover’s Beach, Nevis’ main nesting beach.   While at the beach, we talked about how each of us can do simple things to help our sea turtle friends.  The students eagerly picked up many pieces of trash to provide a clean beach for the three species of sea turtles nest that may nest there.  The three species known to nest on Lover’s Beach include the Hawksbill, Leatherback, and the Green sea turtle.

On the last day of Camp, Mr. Pemberton, presented on the Nevis Turtle Group, talking about how it was established, their current projects and how the Campers and their families could get involved.  He also encouraged them to join him on the beach to help with research and possibly see a nesting turtle!  Mr. Pemberton was thoroughly impressed with all of the knowledge the children gained in one week and we have already been talking about Sea Turtle Camp on Nevis for 2011!

Each of the Campers also made a poster showcasing ways that people of all age can help sea turtles.  There were many great ideas from picking up trash to simply telling them how much you love them, our personal favorite.  All graduates were presented with a Certificate of Completion and a GSTC (Giving Sea Turtles a Chance) bracelet.

At this time we would like to express our deepest thanks to the following individuals that made Sea Turtle Camp a reality;  Ellis Chaderton and his staff at Scuba Safaris Ltd and Oualie Beach Resort for their continued support and friendship.  Ms. Pam Berry, owner of Golden Rock Inn for her generous donation of housing for the entire two weeks.  This beautiful resort was much more than we expected.  It was a beautiful setting with breath taking views, excellent food, and even monkeys on the roof. And most importantly, Lemme Pemberton and the Nevis Turtle Group, for inviting us to partake in this unforgettable experience.  We look forward to assisting with these annual Camps in the future!

To our online viewers, if you are looking for a magical, Caribbean getaway, may we suggest Nevis, West Indies?!?!  It is a beautiful island, with extremely friendly people and we know you will love it as much as we did.  If you do visit, be sure to visit the above mentioned places and tell them the “Turtle Gyal” (Alicia) sent you!

~Alicia Marin, GSTC Education Coordinator and Teddy Ivey, GSTC Educator

With the summer season in full swing, many visitors to Jekyll Island are enjoying activities like swimming, lounging and even fishing! Fishing on Jekyll Island has been a wonderful past time - so many guests have created memorable moments while fishing with family and friends. Being a responsible fisherman (or woman!) is an important part of participating in fishing activities.  Using appropriate hooks, respecting catch laws and leaving nothing behind are all great rules to follow. Mono-filament fishing line that is left behind can pose many dangers to marine animals- including sea turtles. Since the summer began, the Georgia Sea Turtle Center has received three patients that have either ingested or been entangled in fishing line. 

Fishing line ingested by three sea turtle patients

Mono-filament fishing line is not readily biodegradable. It takes about 600 years to degrade once it reaches the ocean. During that time marine birds, fish and turtles could become entangled in the line and cause any number of problems.  It has the potential to wrap around a sea turtle’s limbs causing deep wounds or lacerations. Birds beaks can become entangled leading to starvation. If any animal were to ingest the line it could cause gastrointestinal injuries that can often be fatal. 

To help keep beaches and piers for everyone, we would like to share a helpful hint: monofilament is recyclable. Glynn County offers many sites to recycled fishing line. Clam Creek Fishing Pier and five other sites are available on Jekyll Island, as well as the pier on St. Simons Island and Blythe Island. These collection bins are large, white, elbow- shaped PVC pipes where used line can be conveniently deposited.

Once the bin is full, the line is collected and is sent to the Berkley Conservation Institute to be made into items such as tackle boxes, fishing habitats, and other fishing-related materials. The Institute is apart of Pure Fishing, an Iowa based company. For fishermen outside of Glynn County Georgia you can mail your used fishing line to:

Pure Fishing

Recycling Collection Center

1900 18^th Street

Spirit Lake, Iowa 51360

We at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center hope that this information is helpful to you and your fishermen friends. The more fishing line is recycled, the less chance it has to pollute our oceans and harm our wildlife.

Renee Pascale

AmeriCorps Education Member

Edited by Kelly Price

Emma!

Congratulations to the first Green sea turtle winner of our 3^rd annual contest!

Each year, the Georgia Sea Turtle Center shell-e-brates its anniversary with a Patient of the Year contest. For a $1 donation, guests can vote on their favorite sea turtle patient that best represents our mission of Research, Rehabilitation and Education.

Emma is no stranger to the GSTC. In 2009, Emma was found floating in the river near Fernandina, FL. Thanks to Jason, an employee of the Fernadina Port Authority, Emma was safely delivered to the Amelia Island Sea Turtle Watch for transport to the GSTC. Emma (short for emerald) has a very severe boat strike injury to his/her carapace. The fracture runs about 2/3 of the way down his/her carapace, paralleling her spine. The lung is actually visible from the wound. As part of our rehabilitation efforts, treating her with a sterile honey coated bandage called Medi-honey (often used in human burn victims) and Vacuum Assisted Wound Care (VAC) has expedited Emma’s recovery.  She is most likely the most severely wounded sea turtle that we have treated to date. Boat strike injuries are found in over 20% of the stranded sea turtles that are seen on the Georgia coast and are a huge issue worldwide. Emma is a remarkable survivor and has served as an ambassador for all boat strike-injured turtles. By educating the public on responsible boating and water recreation, Emma’s story has opened the eyes of many guests to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. Perhaps that’s why she received 29 votes!

Tying for second place with 25 votes each were Caretta Hope and Amy! Both Loggerhead sea turtle patients have been long-time favorites over the past year.

Caretta Hope was found in the Matanzas River in St. Johns County, Florida on June 11, 2009. Named Caretta Hope by our first sea turtle campers of the summer, the turtle was missing both rear flippers! Her injuries had already healed upon arrival. However, the red blood cells present in her body were extremely low. She was treated with Procrit, a medication used in human cancer patients to stimulate cell growth and she fully recovered. Caretta Hope was released with a satellite transmitter on July 14, 2010 and is now swimming happily where every sea turtle should be!

You may have met Amy on one of your visits to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center.  As the smallest sea turtle patient, Amy resides in a special tank just inside our exhibit gallery. Amy was found by 2008 turtle patrollers that excavated a hatched nest right here on Jekyll Island. As they put her on the sand to make her triumphant crawl to the ocean, patrollers noticed that she was unable to move her front flippers. Tucked underneath her body, they were completely paralyzed. 2 full years of physical therapy have resulted in 60% mobility in Amy’s front flippers! Although she’s not able to swim as well as other sea turtle patients, she’s well on her way to a full recovery. Her petite size and have won over the hearts of many GSTC guests.

Come by to visit Amy and Emma and pass along your get-well wishes. Follow Caretta Hope and her ocean travels by visiting http://www.seaturtle.org/tracking/?project_id=262

~ Kelly Price, Education Specialist