On February 11^th and 12^th Teddy, Renee, and I went to Savannah for the Georgia Science Teacher Association (GSTA) Annual Conference. Our time was spent presenting, tabling, and attending various seminars. Our presentation, Turtles for Tomorrow, focused on the Center’s three main goals of research, conservation, and education; highlighted upcoming events including Shell-e-brate Earth Day, Nest Fest, and Sea Turtle Camp; and showcased our new Turtle Tracker magnetic display board (generously funded by the Gopher Tortoise Council) during our program “Turtles, Tortoises, and Terrapins…Oh My!”. While tabling in the exhibit hall we made several contacts, had a blast teaching about sea turtles through Tic-Tac-Turtle, and debuted our newest outreach option of My Sea Turtle Journey To Go (more information to come soon). Teddy, Renee, and I also had the opportunity to participate in several seminars including Sand: Up Close and Personal, Water WOW!, Learning and Teaching Science from the Inside Out, and Georgia’s Habitats. Overall, our time at the GSTA Conference “inspired, ignited, and impacted” us to make science come alive through educating others about sea turtles and conservation!

Melissa Q. Daniel, Education Member

EMMA’S DILEMMA

The ocean is the home to a little turtle I know.

I must warn you that her story contains some sorrow.

My little friend’s name is Emma, and she has a dilemma.

Sometimes, turtles get injured when they surface to breathe air.

A boat moving forward may bump into one there.

A propeller moves a boat forward; that is it’s purpose.

Emma and a boat collided at the ocean’s surface.

Injured Emma had washed ashore. We say, “She stranded.”

Don’t worry. She was not left abandoned.

Scientists picked her up and brought her here, fast.

The vet and rehab staff weren’t sure how long she’d last.

Her wound was severe; so she looked rather sickly.

We use honey to help heal Emma quickly.

A vacuum on her bandage at night helped Emma to sleep tight.

We wanted her shell to scar and be well.

Now, here is the issue.

She has infection in one type of tissue.

She is losing strength in her bones, which means she is fragile.

Wild sea turtles need to be strong and agile.

We worry for little Emma because of her dilemma.

We are still using honey on Emma’s shell.

We are also giving her antibiotics so that her infected bones won’t swell.

If you are saddened by Emma’s situation, you may feel compelled to make a donation.

We would appreciate any help we can get so that we will be less likely to fret.

If you live near, come and see our Emma, dear.

If you live far away, do not delay.  Read Emma’s story on this site, today.

~Amanda Noble, Education Member~

If you find a turtle on the beach that looks sick or injured, like Emma:

Call 1-800-2SAVE ME

For more tips, follow this link:

http://www.georgiaseaturtlecenter.org/about-us/found-turtles

If you would like to know more about Emma, visit the GSTC or follow this link :

http://www.georgiaseaturtlecenter.org/our-patients/sea-turtle-patients/current-patients

Thank you for your concern.

Marathon, Florida Keys

December 5 & 6, 2009

The Marathon Sea Turtle Hospital.

Each year, the Marathon Sea Turtle Hospital hosts an annual Sea Turtle Workshop at their facility in the Florida Keys. Sea turtle staffers and researchers, from all over the world, come together to discuss new data and interesting patient cases from the past year. As part of a small network of sea turtle hospitals, the Georgia Sea Turtle Center staff packed up and migrated south to join and share our experience and expertise with other facilities like ours!

Day one started off with formal presentations in true workshop style. The diversity of topics was unending: Leatherback blood mercury levels, neonate Australian Flatback behavior, 2009 nesting statistics, even future sea turtle facilities under construction. Of the 20 or so lectures, the GSTC staff had the highest Center representation with 5 presentations! There were so many changes at the Center to share since the 2008 conference: Dr. Terry Norton, Michelle Kaylor, Jeannie Miller, Stefanie Ouellette and Rachel Thomas spoke about the past, present and future of the GSTC, interesting patient cases, the start of the AmeriCorps program, sea turtle satellite tracking and the Adopt-a-Sea Turtle program at the GSTC.

Dr. Norton lecturing about the Georgia Sea Turtle Center at the Sea Turtle Workshop.

Day two of the workshop included a hands-on Necropsy (animal autopsy) lab. The brave GSTC folks had the opportunity to perform two necropsies: a sub adult Loggerhead entangled in fishing line and also ingested a two inch fishing hook with fishing line embedded into his intestine; the second, a Green who perished from the effects of fibropapillomatosis, a type of herpes virus. This virus is becoming an epidemic among sea turtle populations worldwide. Although sad and unfortunate, these turtle necropsies offered an unmatchable learning experience. We’ll be able to put that knowledge to use as we see more and more cases in the coming years.

Dr. Terry Norton, Simon Dilts, Michelle Kaylor and Jessica Self performing a necropsy on a Loggerhead sea turtle.

Overall, the short trip to Marathon was a great experience! I personally enjoyed learning about the other facilities and research, as well as meeting people who share the same interest and passion of sea turtle conservation. I also left feeling very grateful to be a part of the GSTC. This center has done so much for sea turtle conservation in a very small amount of time.

Thank you,

Jessica Self

GSTC Americorps Education Member

Hello Turtle and Opera Enthusiasts!

My name is Amanda Noble.  I was born in 1986.  That same year, Andrew Lloyd Webber debuted a musical entitled, “The Phantom of the Opera.”  The great opera composer had adapted a 1911 novel, Le Fantôme de l’Opéra, by French writer Gaston Leroux.  Well, the Opera was a hit!  It is the longest running Broadway, NY musicals in history!  (http://www.thephantomoftheopera.com, “The Show,” “Facts and Figures”)

On July 30, 2009, naturalists from Little Saint Simon’s Island brought us a 96 pound, sub-adult loggerhead sea turtle.  The turtle was later named, “Phantom,” because of its facial injury.  Here is why:

Phantom was missing half of its face and left eye; we were stunned by this patient’s injury.  When we performed a full-body X-ray on this particular turtle, we found a fishhook embedded in the throat!  Based off of past turtle patients, it was assumed that Phantom swallowed the fishhook in order to eat the bait, the line was reeled in, and the propeller of the boat may have sliced off most of the top beak and an eye of the turtle.*

The Phantom of the opera house had a severe facial injury, like our sea turtle.  However, one key difference (besides species) is that the opera’s Phantom wore a mask.  Our turtle patient is exposed for patrons of the Georgia Sea Turtle Center to view.  Phantom, the sea turtle, helps us explain the necessity for responsible fishing and boating practices.  Phantom is an obvious reminder that our behaviors can greatly affect the creatures that live on this planet with us.

The fishhook, which was embedded in Phantom’s esophagus, was extracted surgically and sent to a lab for analysis.  We wanted to know what type of hook it was and potentially where it came from.  We JUST found out that the hook was from a recreational (’rec’) fishing line and that it appeared to have been stuck in the throat for quite some time.  The GSTC respects that fishing is a way of life and hopes people in such industries respect our worlds’ turtles.

While recovering in our hospital, Phantom was treated with 1. Metacam, a pain medicine.  2. Ceftazidime & Metronidizole, antibiotics.  3. Iron pills, to help treat anemia.  4. Cisapride, for gut motility.  5. Fluid therapy, for hydration.  Recently, Phantom has been able to (slowly) capture and consume live blue crab!

Now, may I present to you,

‘The Phantom of the GSTC!’

(APPLAUSE)
Eh-em.  Background music, please….

“Beneath the water’s surface, you’ll see it there.
It’s missing half it’s face!!  Please, be aware.
When we offered whole food, Phantom tried to bite.
The Phantom of the GSTC is fighting for life.”

Ba-da-bada-da-dah….

“Those who have seen it’s face exclaim, ‘Oh, Dear!
Will Phantom, the sea turtle, ever leave here?’
I learned it swallowed a large fishhook from a ‘rec’ line.
The Phantom of the GSTC has had a tough time!”

Ba-da-bada-da-dah….

Thank you for joining me!

~Amanda Noble, GSTC Education Member~

If you are unfamiliar with The Phantom of The Opera theme song, please visit:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ej1zMxbhOO0

On Wednesday, November 4^th, fourteen volunteers (eight Georgia Sea Turtle Center staff, four Jekyll Island Authority staff, and two residents of Jekyll Island) helped clean the salt marsh along the Jekyll Island Causeway. The cleanup effort was in collaboration with the Keep Brunswick-Golden Isles Beautiful and Rivers Alive organizations. While working, we encountered (and braved) giant crickets, banana spiders, huge cacti, and thousands of sand spurs. However, our efforts were not in vain as twenty-two bags of trash, a plastic children’s swimming pool, a plastic storage container, and three large carpet squares were removed from the salt marsh. And all within just one hour! We were willing to participate in such an important task as it is vital that our environment be healthy and safe; not only for the animals that call the salt marsh home but for us and future generations as well!

~Melissa Q. Daniel, Education Member

Picasso the Gopher Tortoise

The Annual Fall Service Kick-Off event is a time when AmeriCorps programs across the state have the opportunity to come together for a day of service and share in the AmeriCorps spirit. As the AmeriCorps GSTC team prepared to head to Atlanta, there was plenty of anticipation and excitement. There wasn’t however, the expectation of bringing a patient back with them. That is, until the phone rang….

A veterinarian in Albany called the center with a gopher tortoise that had been brought to him in pretty poor condition. He consulted with Dr. Norton and it was decided that the tortoise needed medical care that only the GSTC could provide. The question then became how we get the tortoise from Albany to Jekyll Island.

In a shining example of true AmeriCorps spirit, the Albany Police Cadets, led by Denise Barnes, rose to the challenge and came to the tortoises’ aide. With some guidance from center staff, Denise and her team met with the veterinarian Friday night and transported the tortoise to the Fall Service Kick-Off event Saturday where she met with the AmeriCorps GSTC team.

After an initial triage in a storage closet of the service site the tortoise was tucked in for the day before the long drive back to Jekyll. During the day of service, the AmeriCorps GSTC team was part of the painting crew that was helping to paint murals. The GSTC team was inspired by their service and decided to name the tortoise Picasso.

After a long drive back and spending the night at staff member Jeannie Miller’s house due his critical condition, Picasso finally arrived at the center Sunday morning. Once Picasso got to the center, he received a complete medical evaluation, including x-rays, fluids, antibiotics and tube feeding. Picasso is very severely impacted, emaciated, and likely has multiple infections. Although, his condition is still very critical, the staff and members of the GSTC are fighting to give him every chance possible at recovery.

This one small tortoise and his extra large journey is just one example of the extraordinary impact that AmeriCorps members throughout the nation make on a daily basis.

~ Jeannie Miller AmeriCorps program Coordinator

AmeriCorps members: Simon Dilts, Jennifer Breehl, Jessica Self, Ashley Raybould, Renee Pascale, and Melissa Quinn Daniel

A lot of exciting things have been happening at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center (GSTC) this year. After a flurry of activity by our veterinary, education and research departments to prepare ourselves, we welcomed eight full-time members the second week of September as our first AmeriCorps class.

The first week was spent orienting members in topics such as the goals of the GSTC, completing paperwork, gaining insight of activities in GSTC’s various departments, first aid and CPR training, a CNCS Ethic of Service curriculum, and completing more paperwork.. Also during orientation, members had the opportunity to shadow the departments of the GSTC that they wouldn’t be directly serving in to get a better understanding of how everything worked. Throughout the week, Members participated in all of the center’s educational programs. During one program, husbandry member Jessica Thompson was transformed into a sea turtle! She struck a pose and AmeriCorps Next Top Model GSTC was born.

Jessica Thompson, an AmeriCorps Husbandry member, strikes a pose during the Amazing Adaptation program!

Shortly after members arrived, so did a new green sea turtle patient! As a surprise treat, the AmeriCorps team got to name the newest patient! They decided to name him “Ed.” They chose this name because he will be used to educate the public and was exhibiting neurologic symptoms similar to Ed from the movie “The Lion King.”

Ed, the Green Sea Turtle

One of the highlights of orientation week was members participation in the release of three of the center’s patients during a public event on Jekyll Island beach. The members’ character and enthusiasm sparkled as they jumped right in carrying signs and talking to the public about sea turtles and their amazing stories.

Education member Melissa Quinn Daniel carries a sign during the release!

The members’ first week spent at the GSTC gave everyone a preview of the spirit and excitement ahead during this service year!

~ Jeannie Miller, AmeriCorps Programs Coordinator

After many months of staff effort the Georgia Sea Turtle Center recently received a grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service/Georgia Commission for Service and Volunteerism to become one of 13 AmeriCorps programs throughout the state of Georgia. The GSTC is one of only two new programs for the 2009-2010 year and currently the only program in Georgia with an environmental and education focus.

AmeriCorps is a federal national service program with a rich history.   In 1993, President Bill Clinton signed the National and Community Service Trust Act, which established the Corporation for National and Community Service and brought the full range of domestic community service programs under the umbrella of one central organization. This legislation built on the first National Service Act signed by President H.W. Bush in 1990. It also formally launched AmeriCorps, a network of national service programs that engage Americans in intensive service to meet the nation’s critical needs in education, public safety, health, and the environment. The newly created AmeriCorps incorporated two existing national service programs: the longstanding VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) program, created by President Lyndon Johnson in 1964 and the National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC).   

So what does this mean to the GSTC team?  It means that we were able to convert our former internship program to an AmeriCorps program enabling us to have more members for a longer period of time.  These extra helping flippers are much needed as the center continues to grow and expand its rehabilitation, research and education initiatives.

~ Jeannie Miller AmeriCorps Program Coordinator