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

The oil spill in the Gulf has been on the minds of many lately.  There is of course great concern for how the oil may affect all kinds of wildlife including sea turtles.  Below is a link to an article and video from the New York Times.  The website takes a look at many factors that could be increasing sea turtle strandings in the gulf, some of which may come as a surprise.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/15/science/earth/15necropsy.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss&src=ig

We at the GSTC have not yet been called upon to assist with sea turtles in the Gulf, but are ready if the need does arise.

“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

          June 1^st marks the beginning of the GSTC’s annual summer  Turtle Walks. Held twice each evening (8:30pm & 9:30pm) during the months of June and July, Turtle Walks are not only popular with the public, but also with the GSTC staff and volunteers.  Many volunteer Guides have been leading “turtle walks” on the beaches of Jekyll Island for five-plus years. In addition, participants in the GSTC’s June Teacher Workshop, led three of our Turtle Walks, and this month’s Teacher Workshop participants will be Guides for three walks next week as well!  What exactly is a “Turtle Walk” you may be wondering???  A GSTC Turtle Walk consists of both an indoor and outdoor portion.  The indoor portion is held at the GSTC and includes a PowerPoint presentation on sea turtle biology, nesting behavior, and threats, as well as, many, simple ways YOU can be ‘turtle friendly’ both on and off the beach.  Following the presentation, Turtle Walk Guides and participants head to the beach for a guided beach ecology walk in search of nesting sea turtles!  

The beach portion is a fun, educational experience for both children and adults.  Turtle Walks include activities such as beach-combing for natural objects & beach critters, engaging in hands-on activities such as seeing the cool phenomenon of bio- and tribo-luminescence, and a brief presentation by the GSTC’s Turtle Patrol.  For those participants who are fortunate enough to come across sea turtle tracks or to see a sea turtle nesting, that of course makes for a magical, memorable walk along the beach!  With three more weeks left in July, there are still plenty of evenings and thus opportunities to join us for a Turtle Walk! For more information on the GSTC’s Turtle Walks or to learn how to register, just click on http://www.georgiaseaturtlecenter.org/education-programs/summer-programs/turtle-walks/ or call (912) 635-4444 to make a reservation.        

~Jenn Breehl, Volunteer Management Member

As the seasons shift and we move into Spring on the Island we wanted to share some new and exciting gifts we have received in the gift shop.  We want to focus on one of our Pottery enthusiasts by the name of Rod Jackson.  Rod received his PhD from the University of Texas in 1975 and worked for Coastal Zone Management for the State of Texas and also served as a private consultant for 5 years. He then accepted a job with the Federal Government, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in Alaska.  Afterward he relocated to Asheville, North Carolina where he makes magic.  As you will read below he loves Sea Turtles and pottery so he has managed to blend both of these fascinating worlds into one.  Please come visit our gift shop to see all the different styles he has produces for us.  We carry bowls, platters and mugs in all sizes, colors and shapes.   (CLICK HERE for JPG)

Thank you,

Peggy Van Buren
Gift Shop Coordinator
912-635-4444

Top: Adult Male. Bottom: Adult Female

Terrapin Time:

This is the first installment of “Terrapin Time” a frequent update on how things are going on the causeway with the Terrapin nesting season, and anything interesting that might occur.

The season first kicked off with a wet and muddy start when a team from UGA and the Savannah River Ecology Lab comprised of 2 professors, 2 grad students, and a bunch of their friends/classmates came down April 29^th -May 1^st and joined forces with teams from the Center to seine three creeks for Terrapins.

The idea behind the seining was to be able to get a sense of terrapin abundance around the causeway, mark turtles for recapture data in the future, and put radio transmitters on 8 lucky adult females to track their movements during the nesting season.  All of this information will help us assess the current condition of our terrapin population and guide future management of these animals.

In the three days we managed to capture 130 Terrapins total, 10 recaptured from previous studies or this trip, 102 males, and 28 Females. 8 Females were outfitted with radio transmitters and will be tracked during the season.

Despite being cut up by oyster shells, rammed into by fish, shrimp, and who knows what, pinched by crabs, and often stuck in the deep marsh mud. Everyone had a great time.

Stay tuned for more installments of Terrapin Time.

Cheers
Simon Dilts
AmeriCorps DBT member

The turtle patrol team awoke at 6am on May 3^rd, to do their regularly scheduled dawn patrol of Jekyll’s beach. It was a beautiful day and we arrived at Driftwood at 7am. It felt like an ordinary Monday, but we soon found it was not so ordinary. We found a cold and lonely fawn whom needed a friend and a jacket. We quickly covered the cold fawn with a GSTC jacket and called JIA to help save the little fella from the clutches of cold weather.

We continued on our journey and headed south when suddenly a distant indentation in the sand caught our eyes. It was the first track of the season… and it belonged to a leatherback! We immediately stopped the vehicle to investigate. We followed the track beginning at the high tide line, went in a few circles, and eventually came to the nest near the Brice street beach access point. We were overcome with joy as we had found Georgia’s first nest of the season!

She had laid her nest in a poor location, along the rock wall, so it was necessary to relocate it in order to prevent it from being inundated and possibly washed out. We called our faithful leader, Ms. Stefanie Ouellette, and she immediately came down to assist. The patrol team relocated the nest to a more suitable location farther south to protect the (hopefully) soon-to-be hatchlings.

While that has been our only nest so far, we wish the nest a successful 70-90 day incubation period and are looking forward to the rest of the season.

Thanks for Reading,

The 2010 patrol team

Integrating the natural world into elementary school curriculum can be a daunting task. That’s why the Georgia Sea Turtle Center is having its first Professional Learning Unit Course Sea Turtle School: Incorporating the Wet & Wild into the Classroom! The course, although open to all, was designed to provide information and lesson plan ideas for Georgia Educators in Kindergarten through 5^th grade that are correlated to the Georgia Performance standards. Teachers will become familiar with ocean habitats, turtles, and conservation in order to convey a greater appreciation and understanding of sea turtles, and their marine ecosystem.

Participants in this workshop will gain background knowledge about sea turtle species, their respective biology, conservation, and the threats that they face. They will also learn about conservation of other threatened reptilian species, specifically the gopher tortoise and the diamondback terrapin. In addition, participants will see how the Georgia Sea Turtle Center works to minimize effects humans have on sea turtles, gopher tortoises, and diamondback terrapins by providing the animals with rehabilitative care and providing the community with conservation education. Throughout the course, participants will learn how to plan and implement instructional lessons about sea turtles and other marine wildlife. This course will also demonstrate how teachers can encourage students to take an active role in conservation at home and in the classroom.

Sea Turtle School: Incorporating the Wet & Wild into the Classroom, will be held July 16^th & 17^th, at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. The cost of the course is $70. Teachers can download, print, and fax in their registration forms.

For registration forms and more information visit http://www.georgiaseaturtlecenter.org/education-programs/teacher-professional-development

If you have any difficulty viewing any item on the page, you may want to try using a different internet browser. You may also request more information by contacting Renee at 912.635.4076

Hope to see you there!

~Renee

AmeriCorp Education Member

Every year AmeriCorps member nationwide participate in a special week known as AmeriCorps week. During this time members do a service project that is “off the beaten path” from their daily routine and celebrate AmeriCorps and what it means to them. This year the 2009-2010 AmeriCorps GSTC team decided to “get things done” to help the people of Haiti and other countries struck by natural disasters for their service project. Members also wanted to show off their team spirit by creating a member wall in the exhibit gallery.

With these decisions made it was time to start the planning! The GSTC team found a great opportunity for service with nearly MAP International.

MAP International is a global nonprofit with the mission to promote the total health of people living in the world’s poorest communities by partnering to: provide essential medicine, promote community development and prevent and mitigate disease, disaster and other health areas. MAP International has its headquarters here in Brunswick and frequently accepts volunteers to assist in packaging medical boxes to be shipped throughout the world.

On the morning of May 5^th, the AmeriCorps GSTC team was joined by Rick Sooy, a AmeriCorps VISTA member serving in Camden County and started their service with MAP. After an orientation and tour of the warehouse the team set out to package oral rehydration packets that would later be included in the larger medical kits. The work went quickly and after what seemed like just a few laughs it was finished!

The AmeriCorps Week project was a great chance for members from all departments to spend some time together “outside of the bubble” and learn about new fun ways they can impact the world. At the end of the week members will be creating their member wall which will highlight the national diversity of the GSTC program. Stop by to check it out and join the GSTC team in thanking the members for their hard work!

~Jeannie Miller AmeriCorps Coordinator