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

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!

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

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

We here at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center spend a lot of time working with and talking about the most common sea turtle in Georgia; the loggerhead sea turtle.  However, at this months lecture series, we’d like to introduce you to a different kind of loggerhead.

The loggerhead shrike is a unique bird that can be found right here in the Golden Isles!  Listed as a species of special concern, this exciting and intense creature is on the decline.  Join us at the Brunswick/Glynn County Library this Thursday August 12th at 7:00 p.m.  The speaker will be local educator, researcher, and shrike enthusiast Jonathan Gray.  Jonathan received his masters in Natural Resources from the University of Georgia and has researched shrikes all across the state. Come learn all about this unique bird, why it’s on the decline, and why you should care.

What: August Lecture Series

When: Thursday August 12th, 2010 at 7:00 p.m.

Where:  Brunswick/Glynn County Library

It’s once again time for Nest Walks here at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. These educational walks are a great way to learn about the nesting process as well as enjoy a beautiful morning on Jekyll Island’s beaches!

**Reservations are required.  Please call 912-635-4444 to reserve your spot!

What is a nest walk?

A nest walk begins with a 30 minute beach ecology walk.  Towards the end of the walk you will meet a patrol member at a nest that has already hatched.  There you will become sea turtle scientist for the day as you watch the excavation and fill out your own data sheet right along with our staff!  During this excavation the staff member will dig in the sand to find out how many eggs hatched, how many did not, and many other cool facts!

**The goal of a nest walk is not to see hatchlings.  Often, no live hatchlings are found during these excavations

When are nest walks?

While we try to have them every sunday, wednesday, and saturday during August and September, we cannot guarantee this will be the case.  For there to be a nest walk, we must have a nest to excavate.  This is all dependent on when the nests start to hatch.  They will usually start at 7:00 a.m. depending on the tides.  Location will also vary.  You will be called two days before your walk to confirm the time and location.

How much does it cost?

Nest walks are $12 for non-members and $6 for members.  This does not include admission to the Center.

For more information on nest walks including our cancellation policy, please go to http://www.georgiaseaturtlecenter.org/education-programs/summer-programs/nest-walks/

Hope to see you on the beach!!

As the day progressed the realization the that our grand adventure was coming to an end. The farewell luncheon with Alicia was filled with conversation of the week’s events. The final decision to name the new turtle Freedom, to represent the GSU teacher’s workshop, was made.
As we left Sea Jay’s, Alicia presented the class with a GSTC certificate and the “official” bracelet of turtle champions!

~ Cindy Dean

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

“The Return to the Sea”

After a very busy and rewarding week, we were given the opportunity to participate in the release of 8 sea turtles, 4 from the Georgia Aquarium and 4 from the Sea Turtle Center. We spent all morning helping the staff at the center to get ready for the release. We even delivered a patient update on 15 turtles for the public! The time came to finally pack up and head to the beach. Once we arrived at the beach, we were to go around and talk with the large crowd about the turtles and answer their questions. We were given signed farewell posters to display the four turtles from the GSTC. After having many pictures taken of our posters by newspapers and television news stations, it was time for the great send-off.

The first GSTC turtle to make their way to the sea was Carning. Carning is a sub-adult loggerhead sea turtle. He was brought to the GSTC because he had air trapped in his body cavity, he was dehydrated, and he had epibiota (barnacles and algae) on his carapace. After approximately 3 months of treatment, he has fully recovered.

The second GSTC turtle to make their way to the sea was Caretta Hope. Caretta Hope is a sub-adult loggerhead sea turtle. She was brought to the GSTC because she was found with debilitated turtle syndrome, and she was missing her rear two flippers. Debilitated Turtle Syndrome happens when the turtle has a large amount of epibiota on the carapace and/or skin. The flippers were thought to have been bitten off by a shark. During her year in the hospital, Caretta Hope has recovered and is adjusting to her life without rear flippers quite well.

The next GSTC turtle to make their way to the sea was Rostrum. Rostrum is a sub-adult loggerhead sea turtle. He was brought to the GSTC because he was cold stunned and suffered from a nose injury. After approximately 5 months in the hospital, Rostrum was treated for his injuries and has now returned home.

The last GSTC turtle to make their way to the sea was Ed. Ed is a juvenile green sea turtle. Ed was brought to the GSTC because he was found floating, by the GA Department of Natural Resources. Initial examination of Ed showed that he suffered from swollen eyes and neck, and he had a hematoma on his lung. After 10 months in the hospital, Ed has fully recovered and was the first green sea turtle to ever be released from the GSTC.

As if the release of these turtles wasn’t exciting enough, nest #3 had a surprise waiting. During the Turtle Patrol and Turtle Walk, it was discovered that nest #3 had hatched, which would be the first hatchlings of the season!

- Ashley Crosby and Carol Kahrmann

“Record Setting Turtle Walk”

Our first full day working at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center was set up for part of the group to be in Husbandry (helping feed and clean tanks) and the other part to be in Education (answering questions and providing educational presentations to the visitors). The husbandry group was busy preparing food, feeding the turtles, giving vitamins, cleaning tanks, assisting with patient rehabilitation and doing whatever the staff asked of them. Part of the education group was in the gallery, preparing a presentation that would be delivered at the turtle walk that night. The other part of the education group was walking around the gallery, answering questions and highlighting the displays.

After lunch, we met with Dr. Norton (Director of the Sea Turtle Center). He delivered a presentation on sea turtle rehabilitation. Dr. Norton is the man who turned a dream of a Sea Turtle Rehab Facility into reality. He described the different reasons turtles end up in the hospital, as well as their treatment and therapy options.

After a history tour of the island, it was time to show off what we have learned about sea turtles to the public. We met at the Sea Turtle Center and delivered a presentation to a record pushing group. The presenters tried their very best to instill “turtlely thoughts” within the group. Various age groups actively participated throughout the entire presentation. As the presenters were covering natural threats of sea turtles, a raccoon appeared at the rear glass door. How ironic??

It was finally time to head to the beach and search for emerging sea turtles or their tracks on the Turtle Walk. As the group was herded onto the beach and a ghost crab was sighted immediately, the phrase “TP1 to TP2, we have an emergence” came across the radio. As the presenters danced in celebration, the group awaited the location of the emergence. We went north to find the nesting sea turtle. We kept the group away from her while she built her body pit and egg chamber. Once she started to lay eggs, small groups of 3 or 4 were taken near her to see the process. Once she was done laying her eggs, she covered the egg chamber using her back flippers, disguised the nest, and made her way back into the ocean.

Thank you “July 12, 2010 turtle” for helping to add another record for “quickest emergence on a turtle walk” to our record breaking week.

- Ashley Crosby and Carol Kahrmann

Beach Patrol   Monday, July 12, 2010

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.

What an experience!  It was truly a magical night.

~Betsy Frye, Richard Middle School