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

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!

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

With the a new beach lighting ordinance soon to be in effect (amended in August 2008, grace period ends May 1, 2010), many Jekyll Islands residents and beachfront business owners came out for the 2010 “Sea Turtles and Lights” workshop held at the Jekyll Island Convention Center on March 17, 2010. Many approved turtle-friendly lighting distributors were in attendance to display their approved products and spread the word about wildlife-friendly lighting.

After Eric Garvey, Senior Director of Marketing, welcomed the participants, Dr. Terry Norton, GSTC Director and Veterinarian, kicked off the workshop with a presentation about the Georgia Sea Turtle Center; what it is, what we are all about, and what we’ve accomplished in 3 very short years. Next Mark Dodd, GADNR Sea Turtle Program Coordinator, brought us up to speed on sea turtle natural history and the research conducted on the Sidney Lanier Bridge’s turtle-friendly lighting.  To wrap up the program, GSTC Marine Field Programs Coordinator, Stefanie Ouellette, gave a educational presentation on understanding lights,how lights effect sea turtles and answered the question: What is a turtle-friendly light?

After the presentations wrapped up and all questions were answered, manufacturers/vendors from Wildlife Lighting LLC, Electro Elf, Acclaim Lighting, The Coppersmith, and Justice Design Group displayed their state-of-the-art, approved turtle-friendly products in eye-catching exhibits for the participants.

A few other manufacturers/vendors (Turtle Safe Lighting, Starry Night Lights, the Lighting Science Group and Eco Smart)  were unable to attend in person, but they did send us some sample products prior to the workshop to display.

You can find LINKS to these companies on our website, as well as many other links that might be helpful or interesting to you!  You can also visit our BEACH LIGHTING page on our website to learn and understand more about sea turtles and lights.

As successful as this workshop was, we are sure we can make the next one even better! Stay tuned for information regarding our next workshop coming up this summer…..

Sincerely,

The 2010 Sea Turtle Patrol Team

You may have heard a lot in the news recently about sea turtles.  From the cold stunning event in Florida to the push to get loggerheads on the endangered species list.  But what is happening with the population on our local beaches?  Join us Thursday, April 8th for a discussion on the nesting females of Jekyll Island!  Georgia Sea Turtle Center Research Coordinator Stefanie Ouellette will discuss the Jekyll population and all of the exciting research being done right here in Georgia!

What: Lecture Series - Jekyll Island’s Nesting Females

Who: Georgia Sea Turtle Center Research Coordinator Stefanie Ouellette

Where: Brunswick/Glynn County Library

When: Thursday April 8, 2010  7:00 p.m.

Spring has sprung at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, where many of our patients are enjoying the warmer temperatures and sunlight. With the warmer climates, turtles and terrapins in the wild are becoming increasingly active and sometimes manage to find their way near dangerous roadways being subject to trauma and even death. Some species of male turtles are actively searching for mates during this time of year and reproduce with females. The gravid females then search for prime nesting sites in which to deposit her eggs.  Often times, these sites are located in areas that require the turtle to cross dangerous roadways and be subject to the elements.  We would like to remind people to drive safely and take caution for turtles during this time of year, relocating a turtle to a safer habitat may be necessary.

Roadway Fatality

One of the most common turtles we see hit my cars are Diamondback terrapins. These turtles live are turtles that live in brackish water (partial salt water)the marsh.  The females nest from May-July and deposit their eggs near roadways as this is often the highest/driest point of land (i.e. Jekyll Island Causeway).  Females that attempt to cross the roadways in search of prime nesting sites often get struck by vehicles; they are then brought to the center and triaged. Although the female terrapin may not survive the trauma, her eggs are extracted and incubated here at the GSTC.  The incubation for the eggs ranges from 45-50 days on average, when hatched and stable, they are then introduced back into the wild.  Naturally incubated terrapin eggs will hatch out in the late summer months where they will climb to the surface of the nest and head out into the marsh.  On occasion however, some females nest late in the summer months and therefore her eggs would incubate and hatch out in the fall and early winter months.  With the colder temperatures at this time, the eggs will hatch but the hatchlings will remain within the nest chamber several inches under the dirt living off their yolk sac, harboring energy and will emerge from the nest when temperatures being to rise in the spring months. We call this “overwintering.”

Terrapin Hatchling

Many people are currently finding terrapin hatchlings that are emerging from their overwintering state.  It is important to remember that these are wild animals and they do not make good pets, if you find an hatchling terrapins and they are in a safe environment (away from roadways) leave them alone, if they are in danger however, relocate them to suitable habitat (marsh edges) as best as you can.  Many terrapin hatchlings will fail to make it safely to the marsh due to environmental exposure or predation.  Make sure you stop by the center to visit all of our patients!

-Steven Nelson, Hospital Technican

Artificial lighting can have negative impacts on all nocturnal wildlife, including sea turtles.  Both the nesting females and the hatchlings can be affected by improper artificial lighting.  Nesting females will not nest in brightly lit areas and hatchlings can easily get mis- or dis-oriented (LEFT).  What can you do?  Glad you asked!  Believe it or not, there are ways to have lights where you need them AND be turtle-friendly…all at the same time!

We are happy to say that Jekyll Island amended its Beach Lighting Ordinance in 2008, which requires all properties along the beach, and in view of the beach, to become turtle-friendly with their lights.  How do you do this?  What are turtle friendly lights? Can you still have some lights?  Which ones?

These questions and more will be answered at the upcoming ‘SEA TURTLES AND LIGHTS‘ workshop, hosted by the Georgia Sea Turtle Center and Jekyll Island Authority.

While there are many problems with lights all along Georgia’s coastline, this workshop will concentrate on Jekyll Island specifically, including the Jekyll Island Authority staff,  Jekyll Island residents, hotels and businesses.  We will have presentations by sea turtle experts,  some lighting vendors with examples of turtle-friendly approved (FWC & FWS) fixtures, bulbs and/or shields, and lots of take-home information so YOU can make your lights turtle-friendly!

We hope to get everyone compliant with the lighting ordinance before sea turtle nesting season begins on May 1. Please see the flyer above for workshop information.   CLICK HERE for a PDF version of the flyer.

Hope to see you there!

Sincerely,
Stefanie Ouellette
Marine Field Programs Coordinator

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.