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 ProtectorsTM 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