On Friday January 6^th, 2009 a few of the Georgia Sea Turtle Center’s education staff and volunteers participated in Oglethorpe Point Elementary School’s (OPES) ‘Georgia History Day’. We joined a number of other exhibitors to deliver fun and exciting programs for the students. The programs started off at 9:00 AM and each one lasted around 30 minutes. We educated nearly 200 students and teachers about the history of sea turtles.

We started off our program by explaining how long sea turtles have been around. How long, you ask? 250 MILLION YEARS! We are lucky enough to have a replica of a dinosaur sea turtle’s skeleton hanging in our gift shop. This dinosaur sea turtle was named Archelon and his skeleton was found in South Dakota! This may sound weird, but it actually makes a lot of sense when you think about where the oceans used to be.

We weren’t able to bring Archelon’s whole skeleton to Oglethorpe Point but we did bring a replica of his skull. The students were amazed at how large his skull was compared to theirs.

The loggerhead is the most common sea turtle that we get here in Georgia, so we also showed the students some of our specimens. We took skulls and shells from two different loggerhead sea turtles, including the skull and shell of a 500 pound loggerhead sea turtle!

Our wrap up activity was one of the most enjoyable parts of the trip. We used student volunteers to show the different lengths of Archelon, a leatherback sea turtle, and a loggerhead sea turtle. It took one student to make up a loggerhead, three to make up a leatherback, and 4 to make up an Archelon.

We were very excited to be invited back to Oglethorpe Point’s ‘Georgia History Day’ for the second year. We enjoyed all of the wonderful questions and unique personal stories. Thanks to everyone who made this day a success.

Can’t make it to Jekyll Island to visit the GSTC? Our Outreach Staff can come to you! For more information or to schedule an Outreach Program, please visit our website or call us at (912) 635-4076.

~Liz Jeyes
Education Intern

Brunswick-Glynn County

Library

Getting to Know Georgia’s Sea Turtles!!

Join Georgia Sea Turtle Center education intern Teddy Ivey for an exciting and informative discussion on Georgia’s Sea Turtles. Come learn about their plight and see real sea turtle specimens!

Don’t miss this informative FREE public program on

Monday January 26, 2009 at 7:00 p.m.

At the

Brunswick-Glynn County Library

208 Gloucester Street Brunswick, GA 31520

912-267-1212

Sea Turtles and You:

Getting Involved in Sea Turtle Conservation

at the

Georgia Sea Turtle Center!

Have you always wanted to learn about Georgia’s sea turtles? Are you looking for something to do that is fun and exciting? Then meet Georgia Sea Turtle Center educator and volunteer coordinator, Sarah Eckert, to learn about ways you can become involved with the ongoing conservation efforts at the center on Jekyll Island. She will talk about volunteer and educational opportunities at the center on:

Monday, December 15, 2008 7:00 p.m.

At the

Brunswick-Glynn County Library

208 Gloucester Street Brunswick, GA 31520