http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php Sea Turtle Conservation Blog en-us Thu, 17 May 2012 02:56:18 -0500 Thu, 17 May 2012 02:56:18 -0500 SoftCab.com http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=83 Today’s blog post about working with sea turtles in Costa Rica is by Brian Drozd, a program officer at the U.S. Department of State. He has over 6 years of experience working for the United States Environmental Protection Agency, where he worked on grants and communications in the Climate Change Division. His Master’s degree in Natural Resources and Sustainable Development enabled him to focus on sustainable tourism and conservation.

In the summer of 2009 I spent 10 weeks working with sea turtles on the rugged coast of Tortuguero, Costa Rica. Working as a research assistant for the Sea Turtle Conservancy, I spent my time walking up and down a 5 mile stretch of beach in the middle of the night looking for green sea turtles to measure, tag, and count the number of eggs they laid. I did this only for meals and a roof over my head. Why would someone do this? Sea turtles have swum in the world’s oceans for 100 million years, and they are in danger of extinction. Threats from poaching, commercial fishing, and climate change, among others, are threatening these animals all over the world. Many people say healthy sea turtles mean healthy oceans.

There are many different species of sea turtles, but I primarily worked with green sea turtles. Some facts about these amazing animals:

• They only lay eggs every 3-4 years, and generally come back to nest on the same beach where they were born throughout their life. One turtle we found had nested on the same beach in 1982!
• They only lay their eggs at night, after digging a hole that can be up to 5 feet deep.
• They only come on land to lay their eggs.
• There are only an estimated 88,000 nesting green turtle females in the world.

The goal of my time in Tortuguero was to help the Sea Turtle Conservancy collect data to monitor the health and numbers of the sea turtle population. We also worked closely with the local people to educate them about sea turtles and help them conduct their eco-tourism business with the turtles in a safe manner.

One of the most amazing experiences as a research assistant was when we put a satellite transmitter onto a green turtle. Using a transmitter to monitor turtles we are able to learn about their feeding patterns, how long they stay under water, and much more. It is just this kind of valuable information that is helping scientists learn how to better help protect these animals.

Sea Turtles nest all over the world. Large nesting populations are found in many countries in Latin America and Africa, as well as in India, Indonesia, and China. All sea turtles are in need of protection, monitoring, and research in order to make sure they survive for future generations. There are many actions you can take to help sea turtles near your home and around the world. Some of them are: reducing pollution, not eating sea turtle meat or eggs, and protecting coastlines by slowing development and reducing light on nesting beaches. View more tips here and research just a few of the many organizations working to save turtles around the world. I had an incredible time working with sea turtles, and I’m sure you would too!


This blog was originally posted on the Global Conversations: Climate Blog (http://climate.america.gov/2012/03/09/sea-turtle-conservation/) ]]> Tue, 01 May 2012 10:09:33 -0500 http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=83#comment http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=82 From: Ashley

I am so proud of you guys, and I have always loved the sea. And when I grow up, I want to be a Marine Biologist with dolphins and turtles. Here is a little reminder of how proud I am of your guys.

Love,
Ashley

From the staff at STC, thank you for sharing your nice comments and sending us your beautiful drawing!]]> Mon, 19 Mar 2012 14:09:33 -0500 http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=82#comment http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=81
Meet Maddie

“¡Hola! Mi nombre es Madeleine Beange. I grew up in beautiful Vancouver, Canada. In 2009, I completed a B.S in neurobiology at McGill University. After a year of neuroscience research I got sick of killing mice.

I left my lab job to backpack Southeast Asia for a couple months. After a taste of wandering the world, I realized I needed more. Pursuing my dreams of working with sea turtles, I worked for 9 months and saved up enough money to fly to Costa Rica.

My fist experience with sea turtle conservation research was with PRETOMA, a Costa Rican NGO. From October to December 2011, I worked as a coordinator/research assistant for 3 months.

Next up is a 3 month research assistant position with Sea Turtle Conservancy. I will still be working in Costa Rica, but this time on the Caribbean side in Tortuguero.”

To read about Maddie’s adventures as a Sea Turtle Conservancy research assistant, click here for her blog, Mad About Sea Turtles.]]> Tue, 13 Mar 2012 14:28:37 -0500 http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=81#comment http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=79
Introducing Costa Rica’s Sea Turtles
Costa Rica is amongst the world’s premier destinations to view nesting sea turtles. The species that are found in Costa Rica include the Hawksbill, Green, Black (a Pacific subpecies of green turtles), Olive Ridley, Loggerhead and the massive Leatherback sea turtle. Sea turtles are important to the health of the world’s oceans, and unfortunately six of the seven turtle species in the world are on the threatened or endangered list.
National parks have been put in place to help protect the most important nesting areas. Tortuguero National Park for instance is a breeding ground of four species of sea turtle. Two other turtle-inspired spots are located in the Guanacaste province. Ostional National Wildlife Refuge is located near the town of Nosara and is one of the world’s key breeding grounds of the olive ridley sea turtle. Las Baulas (Leatherback) National Park is near the picturesque beach of Playa Grande, which is a large Leatherback beach.

Dangers
All of these species found in Costa Rica are either on the endangered or threatened list and all a number of dangers, including commercial fishing, egg poaching and both light and garbage pollution.

-Commercial fishing: Turtles are threatened by both long line and commercial fishing nets. Sea turtles like all reptiles breathe air. It is very common for a turtles to become entangled in nets or hooked in lines leading them to drown.

- Poaching: The fact is the local population enjoys the taste of sea turtle meat and uses turtle eggs as a supposed aphrodisiac. This leads to the hunting and harvesting of sea turtles and their eggs throughout. Restrictions have been put in place by the government and have helped reduced poaching, but these regulations are difficult to enforce.

-Light Pollution: Development of communities and commercial properties along nesting beaches has created light pollution that confuses and disorients the turtles and their hatchlings. Uneducated visitors are also a problem, as many go to the beaches looking for nesting turtles but are unaware that normal flashlights cause the same light problems as the developments. Red LED lights are the most eco-friendly way to view turtle nesting at night. The red light’s wavelength does not affect the turtles as much, allowing for successful nesting. It is always good policy to view nesting turtles with certified guides to ensure their safety.

-Garbage: There are many problems that result from humans polluting, but one of the direct threats to the leatherback species and other species is the presence of plastic bags. Plastic bags are easily mistaken for jelly fish, a staple in the leatherback diet. Plastic bag consumption leads to blockages the throat and digestive systems causing starvation and even death. Cigarette butts and oil droplets are also among the many hazardous items that do not belong in Earth’s oceans.

What you can do to help
Learning about sea turtles and not littering are some of the easiest thing you can do to help save not just Costa Rica’s sea turtles but the world’s oceans. If you have some free time and a big heart, you can also volunteer at one of many non-profits programs set in place to help sea turtle conservation. If we all help a little it will make a great difference.

Guest blog post written by Matt Ymbras for TV Pura Vida

tvpuravida.com/guanacaste
tvpuravida.com/grande
tvpuravida.com/nosara

To volunteer working with sea turtles in Costa Rica, visit www.conserveturtles.org to learn about our Eco-Volunteer Adventures.

If you would like to submit a guest blog post for consideration, please email your story to media@conserveturtles.org.]]> Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:08:31 -0600 http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=79#comment http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=78
I am a giant turtle
And with my shell I hurtle
Over rocks and sticks
To the blue, blue sea.

Though I may be slow on land--
My flippers struggle on sand--
My speed can’t be matched
In the deep, blue sea.

However . . .

I now swim zigs and zags
‘round plastic bottles and bags.
What’s all this doing
In the once blue sea?

Please promise to stop this mess--
Just recycle and use less--
So I can swim fast
In a clear, blue sea.

By Carole Mackey,
Educator and Sea Turtle Fan
]]> Thu, 07 Jul 2011 11:27:58 -0500 http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=78#comment http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=77 by Ludi Lellis, Orlando Sentinel on May, 23 2011

About three years ago, she crawled off a Brevard County beach, a satellite tag glued to her back so that turtle fans could track her. Now, the loggerhead sea turtle has returned to Central Florida, back again at our beaches to nest again.

The return of the Belle O’Brevard, as she was named, has thrilled turtle researchers, who have learned much through satellite tagging of the sea-faring reptiles.

“Usually the transmitters don’t last long enough but on this turtle, we’ve been able to track her for three years,” said Rocio Johnson, with the Sea Turtle Conservancy in Gainesville.

The Belle O’Brevard was so named as part of a contest during the 2008 Tour de Turtles, an annual event hosted by the Sea Turtle Conservancy in which several turtles are fitted with satellite tags and then tracked for a marathon distance of 2,620 kilometers.

In 2008, this particular turtle, then weighing 350 pounds, had come ashore at the Archie Carr Refuge near Melbourne Beach to dig a nest but before she could return to sea, a fist-sized satellite transmitter was glued to her shell.

The transmitter has stuck, sending a satellite signal every three days. Her favorite migration path is between the Carolinas and Maryland, where she is apparently following the horseshoe migration season. You can see her migration map at this website.



She headed south to Florida a few weeks back and has been staying close to the Brevard coast. Turtles normally return to the beach where they first hatched to lay their own eggs and loggerheads are known to lay eggs about every two to three years. So it would seem that her biological clock is due for another round of nests.

Johnson noted, though, that no one has confirmed a nest, because no one has yet caught up with her at a beach during the nocturnal egg-laying.
______________________________________________________________

On behalf of STC, thanks for continuing to cover sea turtles, Ludi!
]]> Tue, 24 May 2011 08:53:23 -0500 http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=77#comment http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=75
We are passing this alert from 1000 Friends of Florida on to our friends and supporters and recommend you take action as soon as possible. As many of you know, the Florida legislature is focused on cutting the budgets of state regulatory agencies and their environmental programs, streamlining or eliminating environmental regulations, and essentially gutting the growth management laws that have been in existence for decades.

As the legislative session winds down there are many bills that will reduce or eliminate environmental protections for surface and marine waters, wetlands, coastal habitats, sea grass beds, and wildlife. The alert below addresses two of the worst bills working their way through the legislature and what you can do to reduce the potential harm to Florida’s rich environment.

Sea Turtle Conservancy has been actively involved in this legislation and working with its partners in the environmental community to make this legislation better. We have offered amendments to improve these bills in ways that would ensure protection for sea turtle nesting beaches. Unfortunately it has been a difficult uphill battle. We are now asking for your help. The issues and the bills are complicated. Please read the alert below and take action:



While the schedule has not yet been released, the Senate Budget Committee is expected to pass the growth management bill, SB 1122, on Thursday, April 28. SB 1122 will then be ready for a floor vote by the full Senate sometime next week.

Representatives of Florida’s leading planning and conservation organizations, including 1000 Friends of Florida, Audubon of Florida, the Everglades Foundation, Florida Wildlife Federation, National Parks Conservation Association, Sierra Club, and The Nature Conservancy, have been consulting with key Senate leadership on growth management and have come to the conclusion that sweeping growth management legislation will pass this session despite strenuous objections. While it has many flaws, SB 1122 is clearly preferable to the House companion bill, HB 1729.

We are asking you to call your Senator as soon as possible to prevent damaging changes to SB 1122 when it comes up for a vote by the full Senate next week. Click here to find your Senator. Please ask your Senator to:

(1) Keep intact the existing SB 1122 language on the expedited review/alternative review process. The Senate version provides for fairer citizen challenge standards on plan amendments, and gives smaller local governments the option of keeping the current and more comprehensive plan amendment process; and

(2) Not allow “developer giveaways” on large scale projects (known as DRIs) to be amended on to SB 1122. These damaging amendments would allow a 150 percent increase in the size of projects that would be exempted from the state DRI review process, a 100 percent increase in the allowance for large scale changes to DRIs that do not require additional DRI review, and outright exemptions from the DRI process for MINING, INDUSTRIAL, and HOTEL/MOTEL projects.

Stop a Monster Environmental Bill:

HB 991 by Rep. Jimmy Patronis includes a series of special interest changes to 34 different environmental laws undermining citizen protection rights from polluters. It would limit local regulation of mining operations, allow groundwater contamination from landfills, and increase development provisions in wetlands. More information will be released at a 10:30 a.m. press conference called by The Sierra Club, National Parks Conservation Association, Audubon of Florida and 1000 Friends of Florida. Conservation groups are calling on Senators to resist efforts to amend this bill’s bad provisions on to other proposed legislation.

While you are calling your Senator about halting the damaging growth management provisions outlined above, please also ask your Senator to not amend the harmful provisions from HB 991 onto other bills. Please also contact your Representative to oppose HB 991. To find your Representative, please click here and then click on the “Find Your Representative” icon.]]> Thu, 28 Apr 2011 11:04:24 -0500 http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=75#comment http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=74
Here is what they had to say about Sea Turtle Conservancy’s blog:

“Fortunately, visibility for the need to protect sea turtles has boomed recently. This blog helps you direct your concern to practical and effective modes of support.”

Thanks for the kudos College Degree Net!]]> Fri, 28 Jan 2011 15:46:34 -0600 http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=74#comment http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=73 Manicaria saccifera.

The goal this new facility is to offer a better learning experience for tourists and the Tortuguero Community. The Education Kiosk will feature an informative video, information panel displays and serve as a meeting facility for the local community.

STC was able to build this facility thanks to support from Tourism Cares and three French volunteers who dedicated a month of sweat and expertise.

-- Update from the staff in Tortuguero, Costa Rica



From left to right: Ivan (STC staff), Alain, José (STC staff), René and Robert

]]> Thu, 06 Jan 2011 14:58:59 -0600 http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=73#comment http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=72 Click here to get your calendar today!

To see see the individual pictures and names of winning photographers, please visit our STC page on Facebook.

]]> Thu, 16 Dec 2010 15:45:54 -0600 http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=72#comment http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=71
Sammy donated $83 for the holidays that he collected from working at his lemonade/hot chocolate stand. Along with his donation, he sent us a letter and a decorated envelope.



Sammy at his hot chocolate/coffee stand


Thanks Sammy for spreading sea turtle love this holiday season!

From the staff at STC]]> Wed, 15 Dec 2010 12:25:11 -0600 http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=71#comment http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=70
They formed Altruette, a philanthropic line of charm bracelets.

“The Altruette concept couldn’t be simpler: 50% of the net profit from the sale of our charms goes directly to our cause partners,” said Julie.

Beyond financial support, wearing your Altruette turtle charm helps spread the word about sea turtle conservation in a fashion-forward way.

Visit Altruette.com today to check out their fabulous sea turtle charm benefitting STC!



]]> Fri, 10 Dec 2010 10:23:42 -0600 http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=70#comment http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=69
STC is traveling the state in search of problematic beachfront lights and working with residents, business owners and local sea turtle groups to install sea turtle-friendly lighting.

Supported by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the program is reducing the negative impacts of lighting on sea turtles and hatchlings during nesting season.

Check out a before-and-after shot of this condo from the beach.

Before Window Tinting


After Window Tinting
]]> Tue, 07 Dec 2010 10:24:02 -0600 http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=69#comment http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=53
After the Nov 2. elections, the Florida legislature wasted no time in overriding the Governor’s veto of one of the worst environmental bills in years. House Bill 1565, passed last year by the legislature but vetoed by the governor, would bring state rulemaking—environmental and otherwise—to a grinding halt.

HB 1565 requires expensive economic analyses on any state agency rules, and requires any rules with more than a minimal estimated economic impact ($200,000 a year for 5 years) to return to the Legislature for ratification. Adding insult to injury, the bill was offered last year late in the legislative session with almost no public debate. In the days prior to the Special Session, conservationists, business owners and local government leaders urged legislators not to overturn Governor Crist’s veto. Those pleas were ignored.

Several legislators from both parties eloquently objected to the veto in floor debate. In the final vote a very small handful of legislators voted nay but, both houses overwhelmingly voted to override Crist’s veto, making this new law effective immediately.

In a follow up article in the Tallahassee Democrat, both sides offered comments on what this vote means. “This is literally across the board. This would change the way government operates,” said Frank Matthews, a prominent Tallahassee lobbyist for the Association of Florida Community Developers.

Audubon of Florida Executive Director Eric Draper stated, “From the public health and safety standpoint, this is the worst possible thing they could come up with. This may be what they want to do, just shut down government altogether."

Crist justified his veto last year by saying this would result in a power grab by the legislature of executive authority over state agencies. Florida’s environmental agencies in responding to the bill, reported that almost all agency rules concerning environmental, growth management, water management and related issues will “trip the threshold” requiring approval from the legislature. The veto override was expected by this new legislature. Its anti-government regulation philosophy is closely aligned with the sentiments repeatedly expressed by the new Governor-elect.

I do not know how this will impact beach and turtle protection. But it could potentially impact everything from sea wall permitting to lighting ordinances. It will certainly have a chilling effect on issuing any future environmental regulations. Before DEP can issue a new regulation on anything, lets say beach raking to protect nesting, the agency would have to conduct an economic analysis. If the cost to implement the new regulation is over 200k statewide (remember this is a very large state so almost any rule could cost at least this much to implement) then the regulation would have to go to the legislature for hearings, analysis and approval. This will likely open up agency rule making to extensive special interest lobbying, delaying ratification for years.

The legislature has effectively taken executive branch authority for rule making away from the governor and state agencies and placed it in the hands of what some consider the most conservative legislature since reconstruction.

Gary Appelson
Policy Coordinator]]> Mon, 22 Nov 2010 15:50:00 -0600 http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=53#comment http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=52
I wrote a list of sea turtle threats and conservation efforts on the board. They chose the top 3 they wanted to do, and I narrowed it down to one student per scute and the remaining three worked on the outer edge. We discussed what each threat or conservation effort was because in 3rd grade, most of them have never heard the words before. For TEDs, I showed one student a picture of it to give him a better understanding. From there, I traced their scute onto a piece of paper and had them sketch out what they were going to draw. They got so into it and so very creative. I was quite impressed at the detail they put into the drawings. I plan on cutting those out to make a quilt out of just because I was impressed with those as well. After they sketched everything out, they were able to paint it on the felt scutes. They realized they weren't going to be able to be as detailed, but they still did a great job.

I think that they now have a very good understanding of sea turtle threats and conservation efforts thanks to this project. It ties in great with the sea turtle research project that they are working on right now as well. I really appreciate this project and the opportunity to tie it all in to my curriculum. Here are some comments from my students about it:



"I hope that you think it's really cool that third graders did this!" – Kevin

"I think it was really fun!" – Sophie

"I think it was exciting!" – Leah

"I think it was cool to learn about dredging and all of the other threats!" – Felicia

"I think it was awesome!" – Isabel

"I think it was really fun working on it!" – Gianicole

"I learned that sea turtles are very endangered and stuff and you should be more careful on the beach." – Nicole

"Sea turtles are endangered because they're eating garbage and starving to death. They're eating soda cans and getting hurt and dying." – Kameron

Thank you so much again for this opportunity!"

Ms. Ables
Third Grade Teacher
St. Augustine, Florida]]> Fri, 29 Oct 2010 16:05:34 -0500 http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=52#comment http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=46
Then on September 26, 2010, after nearly two months of work to translocate sea turtle nests from Florida's northwest coast and Alabama's coast, the unprecedented operation was suspended entirely. Oil and tar balls were no longer threatening area beaches. In addition, offshore surveys found healthy, un-oiled sargassum available to hatchlings entering the Gulf of Mexico. This type of floating seaweed is the main habitat for sea turtle hatchlings after they hatch from their nesting beach and begin their life in the open waters of the Gulf.

The FWC, as part of its ongoing response to the spill, had been conducting aerial flights over the region to locate sargassum mats. State biologists had also been doing surveys by boat to evaluate and sample the sargassum. The sampled sargassum no longer had visible signs of oil, the habitat contained abundant sea life and the young turtles that were observed showed no signs of oiling. Consequently, biologists determined that the risks to hatchlings emerging from beaches and entering waters off Florida's coast had diminished significantly and that the risks involved with translocating nests during late incubation to the east coast of Florida now outweighed the risks of letting hatchlings emerge into Gulf waters.

As off August 26th, 262 nests had been excavated from Florida beaches and 16 from Alabama beaches. Since July 10, more than 13,000 hatchlings had been released into the Atlantic Ocean. Almost all the relocated nests were loggerheads. Approximately 350 nests remained on Northwest Florida's beaches and about 20 on Alabama beaches.

]]> Fri, 10 Sep 2010 08:00:16 -0500 http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=46#comment http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=45


The 12-hour voyage departed from Venice, Louisiana, a small fishing community located at the southernmost point of land where the Mississippi River spills into the Gulf. Joining me on the trip were Dr. Brian Stacy, a NOAA veterinarian based at the University of Florida who has been coordinating sea turtle rescue efforts in the waters south of New Orleans and Dr. Joe Flanagan (a vet from the Houston Zoo). Also participating was Jonathan Gorham of In-water Research Group and representatives from two other conservation organizations (Chris Pincetich of the Sea Turtle Restoration Project and John Hammond with the National Wildlife Federation). Our primary task was to locate and rescue any sea turtles that might have been impacted by the oil spill.

Rescue efforts such as this have been underway since shortly after the spill began, and they continue out of several port cities around the Gulf. Since the start of the disaster at the end of April, nearly 1,000 sea turtles have either stranded on Gulf Coast shores or have been recovered at sea through rescue efforts such as this (update on the numbers of turtles recovered to date).



Our trip took us about 50 miles into the Gulf, where we began to spot mats of floating sargassum weed—an important pelagic habitat for both juvenile and hatchling sea turtles. Aside from tiny pieces of plastic and other types of common marine debris mixed in with the sargassum, the habitat we encountered appeared quite healthy. In fact, the mats were teaming with fish and other important marine species such as small shrimp, crabs and other vertebrates and invertebrates that sea turtles feed upon. Over the course of the day we also spotted and recovered two juvenile Kemp’s ridleys that showed no sign of having come in contact with oil.

Considering that this very region of the Gulf was once thickly coated with oil, it seems most likely to me that the sargassum we encountered had drifted into the area, likely from the west, where it never came in contact with oil. Since the beginning of the spill, large amounts of oil-soaked sargassum have been corralled and burned by BP and its contractors. An undetermined amount of oil-soaked sargassum also has died and sunk below the surface by now. In this way, a substantial amount of important turtle habitat has been eliminated from the Gulf. However, this trip gave me great hope that sea turtles and their sargassum habitat are moving back into the region, but full recovery will take significantly longer.

My most striking memory from the trip is the complete absence of oil on the surface, despite our close proximity to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill site. On one hand I found it encouraging that the habitat, at least on the surface, appeared healthy. Unfortunately, conditions on the surface don’t tell the entire story about how oil and chemicals used to disburse the spill continue to impact the wildlife and ecology of the Gulf of Mexico. For government and non-government biologists alike, this remains a major concern, and research on what is happening below the surface needs to continue.



Based on my observations on this day and in this location, the surface habitat for sea turtles appears to be recovering a lot faster than most people, including me, thought would be possible. NOAA and other personnel responding to oil-impacted sea turtles are suggesting that their efforts to recover turtles at sea will soon wind down. While in hindsight it would have been better if more boats and rescue personnel had been in place to rescue turtles at the height of the spill, I can’t find fault with agency plans to scale back now. In fact, at this point chasing little Kemp’s ridleys out of healthy habitat seems more intrusive than helpful. Other threats to sea turtles, and especially the risk posed by the reopening of shrimp trawling in Louisiana waters, where state law does not require shrimpers to use Turtle Excluder Devices, presents a more significant survival threat to both loggerheads and Kemp’s ridleys. As efforts to rescue oil-impacted sea turtles wind down, state and federal regulators need to focus on bringing Louisiana commercial fishing regulations into the 21st century, where the harvesting of shrimp is done in ways that safeguard sea turtles and other common bycatch.]]> Tue, 31 Aug 2010 10:18:33 -0500 http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=45#comment http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=44
In early July, Governor Charlie Crist called for a legislative special session for the purpose of placing a constitutional amendment to ban drilling onto the November ballot. In an effort to gauge public support and hopefully convince legislators to support the governor, STC and four other Florida conservation groups conducted a survey of likely Florida voters. The survey results, released on July 19, just before the Governor’s special session, found that a majority of Floridians now oppose drilling in Florida’s near shore waters and a whopping 71% of Florida voters would like the opportunity to vote on a constitutional ban. A press conference was held in Tallahassee announcing the poll’s results.

The Special Session was called to order on July 20th. It lasted just 29 minutes, with the legislature ignoring the Governor’s efforts by adjourning without any hearings or votes on placing a constitutional ban on the ballot. Several conservation groups are now initiating a statewide citizen petition drive to place the constitutional amendment on the ballot. The STC will be strongly supporting this effort.

In other beach related news, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling on June 17 upholding Florida’s beach restoration program. This very complicated case was initiated in 2004 when some beachfront property owners in the Florida Panhandle sued to stop the state from rebuilding their eroded beaches. When a “critically eroded” Florida beach is rebuilt, the new sand is considered to be public property. Since this new sand is placed between the old high tide line and the water, the beach front property owner’s property no longer touches the water and the new public sand effectively moves the high tide line further seaward. In a very simplified summation: property owners sued claiming the renourishment project resulted in a taking without compensation of their “riparian” rights to have their land touch the water. The case was appealed to the Florida Supreme Court in 2007 and eventually went to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Court ruled that the state’s beach nourishment program did not constitute a taking of private property without just compensation in violation of the U.S. Constitution. Had the property owners prevailed, Floridians would have had to pay first for the sand and then also for the right to place sand on a beach to protect the upland development. This could have effectively killed the state’s beach restoration program.

STC is involved in a myriad of issues addressing the long-term protection of Florida’s beaches. Beach management and protection is very complicated and attempts to balance environmental needs, public recreation, tourism, and protection of upland property. It is our mission to ensure the long term protection and health of Florida’s sea turtle nesting beaches and associated nearshore marine habitats.]]> Tue, 10 Aug 2010 09:07:06 -0500 http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=44#comment http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=42
Of immediate concern is the fate of hundreds of sea turtle nests that are being deposited right now by nesting loggerhead turtles along the north Gulf coast of Florida. Under normal circumstances, hatchlings from this coast would begin emerging from their nests after incubating for about 60 days and immediately swim out into the Gulf in search of floating mats of sargassum seaweed, where they find shelter and food for the first few years of life. Unfortunately, oil from the spill is accumulating in the same areas where the hatchlings would be heading. Conditions are so bad that there is very little chance any of this year’s hatchlings in the Panhandle would survive.

In response to this dire situation, federal and state officials (with input and assistance from the Sea Turtle Conservancy) have made a bold decision to relocate all of the nests from this part of the Gulf Coast to an incubation facility set up at the Kennedy Space Center on Florida’s east coast. The idea is to release the hatchlings into the Atlantic, where they have a far greater chance of surviving.

On average, about 700 nests are laid by turtles in this region each summer. Considering there are about 100 eggs in each nest, this adds up to an estimated 70,000 eggs that will be need to be carefully excavated, stored in special containers and transported to the east coast. As the hatchlings emerge inside their containers, they will be allowed to crawl down the beach and into the sea at a variety of locations on the east coast.

The operation is being coordinated by staff with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), National Marine Fisheries Service and Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. They are being assisted by a well-trained network of local sea turtle monitors from the Panhandle, as well as the Sea Turtle Conservancy and other contractors with years of experience working with sea turtles in Florida.

Each nest will be allowed to incubate in place until about the 50-day point, and then they will be carefully excavated and placed in specialized incubation containers. It is particularly encouraging that FedEx has stepped up to provide their expertise in shipping sensitive cargo in order to transport all of the eggs to the incubation site at the Space Center. FedEx has dedicated climate-controlled trucks and full-time drivers who will continually pick up and transport containers of eggs that are ready to be shipped. The transfer process will continue for two or more months as all of the nests gradually reach the 50-day mark.

All of the agencies, organizations and people working on this relocation strategy are very dedicated to getting it right, and the program has a high probability of success. As an independent, nonprofit group dedicated to the protection of sea turtles, the Sea Turtle Conservancy is providing its expertise to the operation as needed. We have been assisting with construction of the 1,500 or so modified coolers that will be used to hold and incubate the eggs. And in the coming weeks and months, we expect to be assisting with nest excavations and hatchling releases within the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge on Florida’s east coast. The Sea Turtle Conservancy normally would be opposed to the relocation of nests, but this is a highly unique situation. Given the conditions in the Gulf, we are supportive of the relocation plan and think the protocol now in place will minimize the potential risks associated with moving the nests and will give tens of thousands of sea turtle hatchlings a fighting chance at survival.

Sea Turtle Conservancy also has formulated a plan to begin mitigating for the impacts of the oil spill on sea turtles. Because the oil disaster is still unfolding, the first phase of the plan is to eliminate as many other causes of sea turtle mortality as possible. Of course, the damage caused by the spill can never be undone, but BP and other entities are looking to contribute immediately to sea turtle conservation in other ways. Our plan was accepted by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, which is handling some of the money being earmarked to begin addressing environmental impacts. Sea Turtle Conservancy is leading a major effort to identify and fix problem lights all around Florida that have been disorienting hatchlings. In the past, we could only ask homeowners and businesses to fix their lights. Now, we will actually design a lighting fix and pay for the installation. Next, we will conduct a major initiative to expand the capacity of every sea turtle rehabilitation facility in Florida to care for more turtles and give them the best veterinary care possible. We will provide for new turtle storage tanks, state-of-the-art surgical and medical equipment, medicines and supplies. There are several other aspects to the plan, including significant public outreach activities, predator control measures and even dune restoration in areas impacted by recent erosion.

The issues confronting sea turtles and their habitats as a result of the Gulf oil spill will be complex and long-lasting. The Sea Turtle Conservancy is committed to playing a leadership role in the direct rescue and rehabilitation of sea turtles impacted by the spill, while also conducting policy and educational campaign that ensure we never experience another disaster of this magnitude. Though we have recently changed our name, our single-minded dedication to sea turtle conservation has only become stronger in the face of the oil crisis. We hope our long-term and new members will continue supporting our important efforts on behalf of sea turtles.

Learn more about Sea Turtles & the Oil Spill Disaster.

By David Godfrey
STC Executive Director]]> Wed, 14 Jul 2010 14:40:27 -0500 http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=42#comment http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=41 580 total sea turtles verified to date within the “designated spill area”

• 475 stranded*
• 430 of the stranded were found dead
• 45 of the stranded were found alive
• 4 recovered alive but died in rehab
• 4 turtles released alive
• 37 live turtles in rehabilitation
• 105 turtles collected during directed turtle sampling efforts
• 98 live turtles in rehabilitation
• 4 turtles collected dead
• 3 turtles died in rehabilitation
* For this event, a true turtle stranding is defined as a turtle that washes ashore dead or debilitated or is found floating dead or debilitated in the course of non-directed turtle surveys. Turtles observed and/or captured during directed sampling efforts are not categorized as strandings.

Turtle Necropsy Status (of the 430 dead stranded, 4 dead directed capture, and 7 that died in rehab):

• 7 assessed and unable to perform necropsies (i.e. advance decomposition)
• 17 partial necropsies (e.g. due to scavenging or autolysis)
• 59 full necropsies performed
• 46 carcasses not collected due to decomposition state or unable to recover but marked and/or buried
• 312 carcasses to be necropsied, if decomposition stage warrants
• Of the initial 75 full or partial necropsies completed, the two primary considerations for the cause of death of the non-oiled recovered turtles are forced submergence or acute toxicosis. Further results are pending.

Information on Signs of Sea Turtle Oiling:

• To date, visible evidence of oil has been documented externally on 7 dead stranded sea turtle and 7 live stranded turtles (2 of which were caught in skimming operations).
• To date, visible evidence of oil has been documented externally on 93 live sea turtles and 3 dead sea turtle captured during directed turtle surveys.

Historical Sea Turtle Strandings:

• The total number of sea turtle strandings that we have documented from the Louisiana/Texas border through the Florida panhandle from June 1- June 27 is 219.
• This is much higher than the number of turtle strandings that have been documented in recent years in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and the Florida Panhandle during this approximate time frame. The breakdown by state for the range of animals historically stranding in the month of June (2005-2009) is as follows:
• Louisiana: 0-3 stranded sea turtles
• Mississippi: 0-1 stranded sea turtles
• Alabama: 0-4 stranded sea turtles
• Florida panhandle (Escambia – Wakulla Co.): 5-17 stranded sea turtles
• There has been an increase in awareness and human presence in the northern Gulf of Mexico, which likely has resulted in some of the increased documentation of stranded turtles; however, we do not believe this factor fully explains the increase.
]]> Wed, 30 Jun 2010 08:58:56 -0500 http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=41#comment http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=40
• Increase of 4 turtle strandings (1 dead in AL, 3 dead in MS)
• Increase of 1 dolphin stranding (1 live oiled spinner dolphin calf in FL, which died on scene prior to transport)
• The on-water directed turtle search team operating under Unified Command was on the water today but did not collect any turtles for rehabilitation.
Total Turtle Numbers
539 total sea turtles verified to date within the “designated spill area”
• 449 stranded (increase of 4 from June 22)
• 407 of the stranded were found dead
• 42 of the stranded were found alive
• 4 recovered alive but died in rehab
• 4 turtles released alive
• 34 live turtles in rehabilitation
• 90 turtles collected during directed turtle sampling efforts
• 83 live turtles in rehabilitation
• 4 turtles collected dead
• 3 turtles died in rehabilitation
Turtle Necropsy Status (of the 407 dead stranded, 4 dead directed capture, and 7 that died in rehab):
• 7 assessed and unable to perform necropsies (i.e. advance decomposition)
• 17 partial necropsies (e.g. due to scavenging or autolysis
• 59 full necropsies performed
• 46 carcasses not collected due to decomposition state or unable to recover but marked and/or buried
• 289 carcasses to be necropsied, if decomposition stage warrants
• Of the initial 75 full or partial necropsies completed, the two primary considerations for the cause of death of the non-oiled recovered turtles are forced submergence or acute toxicosis. Further results are pending.
Information on Signs of Sea Turtle Oiling:
• To date, visible evidence of oil has been documented externally on 5 dead stranded sea turtle and 6 live stranded turtles (2 of which were caught in skimming operations).
• To date, visible evidence of oil has been documented externally on 78 live sea turtles and 3 dead sea turtle captured during directed turtle surveys.
]]> Mon, 28 Jun 2010 08:34:05 -0500 http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=40#comment http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=38
As has been reported in a number of media outlets, it is true that some sea turtles rounded up by oil skimmers were burned alive by contractors working for BP. There have not been enough wildlife monitors out at sea with the skimmers to adequately inspect these large pools of oil before they are set ablaze. The burning of turtles, obviously, has generated extreme media attention and backlash from the public, groups like ours and federal wildlife officials. I have had discussions with colleagues from several different national conservation groups in which we discussed filing an immediate Endangered Species Act takings case against BP seeking an injunction to stop the burning. We have heard directly from senior officials with the National Marine Fisheries Service and the US Fish and Wildlife Service, who are equally upset about this issue. They are assuring us that they are on top of this issue and that adequate wildlife observers will now be in place to inspect the oil pools before they are lit on fire. The Sea Turtle Conservancy (STC) will be watching the issue closely and will respond with legal action if we are not 100% convinced that new protocols are being followed to avoid this from happening again.

In the meantime, STC has formulated a plan to begin mitigating for the impacts of the oil spill on sea turtles. Because the oil disaster is still unfolding, the first phase of the plan is to eliminate as many other causes of sea turtle mortality as possible. Of course, the damage caused by the spill can never be undone, but BP and other entities are looking to contribute immediately to sea turtle conservation in other ways. Our plan has been accepted by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, which is handling some of the money being earmarked to begin addressing environmental impacts. With this NFWF funding, the Sea Turtle Conservancy will lead a major effort to identify and fix problem lights all around Florida that have been disorienting hatchlings. In the past, we could only ask homeowners and businesses to fix their lights. Now, we will have the funding to actually design a lighting fix and pay for the installation. Next, we will conduct a major initiative to expand the capacity of every sea turtle rehabilitation facility in Florida to care for more turtles and give them the best veterinary care possible. We will provide for new turtle storage tanks, state-of-the-art surgical and medical equipment, medicines and supplies. There are several other aspects to the plan, including some public outreach activities, predator control and even dune restoration in areas impacted by recent hurricanes.

Down the road, the Sea Turtle Conservancy likely will also be involved in the direct response to oil impacted sea turtles and nesting beaches. Among other things, we’ve been asked to assist with an initiative to detain all hatchlings emerging from nests on the north Gulf coast and transport them for release on east coast beaches. This relocation initiative is unprecedented and would not be something we ordinarily would support. However, the condition of the marine environment off of Florida’s west coast is so toxic that none of the hatchlings would be expected to survive.

This whole disaster has our staff stretched pretty thin right now. I apologize if it takes us a little longer than normal to reply to your calls and emails. While all of this is going on, CCC remains engaged in all of our other ongoing research, education and advocacy initiatives. For example, just last week, STC co-hosted an important conference in Tallahassee examining long-term coastal management policies in Florida. The event was well attended and provided an important forum for advancing many of our recommendations for reforms. And, of course, our work at critical nesting beaches in Costa Rica and Panama continues uninterrupted, and we are making final plans for the launch of the 3rd Annual Tour de Turtles.

We are being asked by a lot of people what they can do to help. The real truth is that there are not a lot of avenues for direct public participation in the oil response. A central command, run by federal and state authorities, is tightly controlling all activities on the beach and in the water. What the Sea Turtle Conservancy really needs the most is your continued support – both moral and financial. The oil spill will continue to consume considerable amounts of our time for months to come. This places great strain on our ability to do the normal things it takes to operate a nonprofit like ours – things like writing grant proposals and conducting other necessary fundraising activities. Much of that work is being placed on the back burner for the time being, though our need for support from our financial backers has never been greater. Any support you can provide would allow us to keep our attention focused where it’s needed now – ensuring that sea turtles are properly cared for in the wake of the spill and that mitigation measures are undertaken to help sea turtle populations survive this disaster.

Thank you,
David Godfrey
Executive Director
Sea Turtle Conservancy]]> Thu, 24 Jun 2010 22:35:17 -0500 http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=38#comment http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=37
• Increase of 13 turtle strandings (2 dead in AL, 10 dead in MS, 1 dead in LA)
• Increase of 10 live turtles collected during offshore bird and turtle surveys (Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries). Two of these turtles were visibly oiled.
• The current designated spill area encompasses the coastline from the Texas/Louisiana border to Apalachicola (Franklin County), Florida. All stranded animals within this geographic range are being examined following the oil spill response protocols.

Total Turtle Numbers

527 total sea turtles verified to date within the “designated spill area” (increase of 23 from June 20 report)

• 437 stranded* (increase of 13 from June 20)
  • 396 of the stranded were found dead (increase of 13 from June 20)
  • 41 of the stranded were found alive (no change from June 20)
    • 4 recovered alive but died in rehab (no change from June 20)
    • 4 turtles released alive (no change from June 20)
    • 33 live turtles in rehabilitation (no change from June 20)
• 90 turtles collected during directed turtle sampling efforts (increase of 10 from June 20)
  • 83 live turtles in rehabilitation (increase of 10 from June 20)
  • 4 turtles collected dead (no change from June 20)
  • 3 turtles died in rehabilitation (no change from June 20)

* For this event, a true turtle stranding is defined as a turtle that washes ashore dead or debilitated or is found floating dead or debilitated in the course of non-directed turtle surveys. Turtles observed and/or captured during directed sampling efforts are not categorized as strandings.

Turtle Necropsy Status (of the 396 dead stranded, 4 dead directed capture, and 7 that died in rehab):

• 7 assessed and unable to perform necropsies (i.e. advance decomposition) (no change from June 20)
• 17 partial necropsies (e.g. due to scavenging or autolysis) (no change from June 20)
• 59 full necropsies performed (no change from June 20)
• 46 carcasses not collected due to decomposition state or unable to recover but marked and/or buried (no change from June 20)
• 278 carcasses to be necropsied, if decomposition stage warrants (increase of 13 from June 20)
• Of the initial 75 full or partial necropsies completed, the two primary considerations for the cause of death of the non-oiled recovered turtles are forced submergence or acute toxicosis. Further results are pending.

Information on Signs of Sea Turtle Oiling:

• To date, visible evidence of oil has been documented externally on 5 dead stranded sea turtle and 6 live stranded turtles (2 of which were caught in skimming operations).
• To date, visible evidence of oil has been documented externally on 78 live sea turtles and 3 dead sea turtle captured during directed turtle surveys.

Historical Sea Turtle Strandings:

• The total number of sea turtle strandings that we have documented from the Louisiana/Texas border through the Florida panhandle from June 1- June 21 is 182.
• This is much higher than the number of turtle strandings that have been documented in recent years in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and the Florida Panhandle during this approximate time frame. The breakdown by state for the range of animals historically stranding in the month of June (2005-2009) is as follows:
  • Louisiana: 0-3 stranded sea turtles
  • Mississippi: 0-1 stranded sea turtles
  • Alabama: 0-4 stranded sea turtles
  • Florida panhandle (Escambia – Wakulla Co.): 5-17 stranded sea turtles
• There has been an increase in awareness and human presence in the northern Gulf of Mexico, which likely has resulted in some of the increased documentation of stranded turtles; however, we do not believe this factor fully explains the increase.

]]> Wed, 23 Jun 2010 09:53:19 -0500 http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=37#comment http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=34

To date, visible evidence of oil has been documented externally on 5 dead stranded sea turtle and 6 live stranded turtles (2 of which were caught in skimming operations).

To date, visible evidence of oil has been documented externally on 76 live sea turtles and 3 dead sea turtle captured during directed turtle surveys. Historical Sea Turtle Strandings:

• The total number of sea turtle strandings that we have documented from the Louisiana/Texas border through the Florida panhandle from June 1- June 20 is 169.
• This is much higher than the number of turtle strandings that have been documented in recent years in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and the Florida Panhandle during this approximate time frame. The breakdown by state for the range of animals historically stranding in the month of June (2005-2009) is as follows:
• Louisiana: 0-3 stranded sea turtles
• Mississippi: 0-1 stranded sea turtles
• Alabama: 0-4 stranded sea turtles
• Florida panhandle (Escambia – Wakulla Co.): 5-17 stranded sea turtles
• There has been an increase in awareness and human presence in the northern Gulf of Mexico, which likely has resulted in some of the increased documentation of stranded turtles; however, we do not believe this factor fully explains the increase.
]]> Tue, 22 Jun 2010 15:35:00 -0500 http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=34#comment http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=32 Caribbean Leatherback Tracking & Conservation Project.

For the past two nights, CCC and Puerto Rico's Department of Natural and Environmental Resources have been looking for a leatherback along the beautiful beach of Fajardo, part of the Northeast Ecological Corridor. This 7.2-miles beach hosts between 200 to 460 leatherback nests a year, but so far the team has not had any luck finding a turtle.

As CCC's research is focused on the migratory movement of these endangered leatherbacks, scientists wait until the end of the nesting season to attach the transmitter. This helps ensure that we receive the most accurate migratory data, but it also means that we risk having less turtles nesting on the beach.

Tonight is the last chance to find a turtle before returning to Florida, so we are keeping our fingers crossed. But we know that in working with nature, nothing is ever guaranteed.



from left: Dan Evans (CCC satellite-tracking expert), Carlos Diez (Endangered species specialist for PR-DNER), Rosa Diez (Carlos's wife, expecting any day), and Rocio Johnson (CCC communications coordinator)- posing before heading out to the beach for the night.]]> Sat, 12 Jun 2010 16:02:45 -0500 http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=32#comment http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=31
Noteworthy Developments During this Reporting Period:

• Increase of 7 turtle strandings, all dead (2 in MS, 1 in LA (externally oiled) for June 8, 2 in MS and 1 in LA for June 7, and 1 in AL on June 6 that were late reports)
• The current designated spill area encompasses the coastline from the Texas/Louisiana border to Apalachicola (Franklin County), Florida. All stranded animals within this geographic range are being examined following the oil spill response protocols.
  
  Sea Turtles:
  
• 322 total sea turtles verified to date within the “designated spill area” (increase of 7 from June 7 report, including 1 late report from a June 6 stranding)
• 292 stranded* (increase of 7 from June 7)
• 270 of the stranded were found dead (increase of 7 from June 7)
• 22 of the stranded were found alive (no change from June 7)
• 3 recovered alive but died in rehab (no change from June 7)
• 3 turtles released alive (no change from June 7)
• 16 live turtles in rehabilitation (no change from June 7)
• 30 turtles collected during directed turtle sampling efforts (no change from June 7)
• 25 live turtles in rehabilitation (no change from June 7)
• 2 turtles collected dead (no change from June 7)
• 3 turtles died in rehabilitation (no change from June 7)
  
  * For this event, a true turtle stranding is defined as a turtle that washes ashore dead or debilitated or is found floating dead or debilitated in the course of non-directed turtle surveys. Turtles observed and/or captured during directed sampling efforts are not categorized as strandings.
  
  Turtle Necropsy Status (of the 270 dead stranded, 2 dead directed capture, and 6 that died in rehab):
  
• 7 assessed and unable to perform necropsies (i.e. advance decomposition) (no change from June 7)
• 17 partial necropsies (e.g. due to scavenging or autolysis) (no change from June 7)
• 55 full necropsies performed (no change from June 7)
• 46 carcasses not collected due to decomposition state or unable to recover but marked and/or buried (no change from June 7)
• 153 carcasses to be necropsied, if decomposition stage warrants (increase of 7 from June 7)
  
  Information on Signs of Sea Turtle Oiling:
  
• To date, visible evidence of oil has been documented externally on 3 dead stranded sea turtle and 4 live stranded turtles (2 of which were caught in skimming operations).
• To date, visible evidence of oil has been documented externally on 28 live sea turtles and 2 dead sea turtle captured during directed turtle surveys.
]]> Wed, 09 Jun 2010 17:14:33 -0500 http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=31#comment http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=30 Deep Water Horizon Response

Noteworthy Developments During this Reporting Period:

• Increase of 2 turtle strandings (1 in AL – alive, oiled; 1 in MS – dead, unoiled)
• Release of 2 live, stranded turtles from rehabilitation (originally incidentally captured on hook and line in MS, released in Ten Thousand Islands, FL)
  
  Sea Turtle Overview:
  
  • 280 total sea turtles verified to date within the “designated spill area” (increase of 2 from June 2)
  • 255 stranded (increase of 2 from June 2)
  • 234 of the stranded were found dead (increase of 2 from June 2)
  • 21 of the stranded were found alive (no change from June 2)
  • 3 recovered alive but died in rehab (no change from June 2)
  • 3 turtle released alive (increase of 2 from June 2)
  • 15 live turtles in rehabilitation (decrease of 1 from June 2)
  • 25 turtles collected during directed turtle sampling efforts (no change from June 2)
  • 24 live turtles in rehabilitation (no change from June 2)
  • 1 turtle collected dead (no change from June 2)
  • For this event, a true stranding is defined as a turtle that washes ashore dead or debilitated or is found floating dead or debilitated in the course of non-directed turtle surveys. Turtles observed and/or captured during directed sampling efforts are not categorized as strandings.
  
  
  Turtle Necropsy Status:
  
  • Of the 234 dead stranded, 1 died of directed capture and 3 died in rehab
  • 7 assessed and unable to perform necropsies (i.e. advance decomposition) (no change from June 2)
  • 17 partial necropsies (e.g. due to scavenging or autolysis) (no change from June 2)
  • 50 full necropsies performed (no change from June 2)
  • 46 carcasses not collected due to decomposition state or unable to recover but marked and/or buried (correction, increase of 2 from June 2)
  • 118 carcasses to be necropsied, if decomposition stage warrants (correction, decrease of 2 from June 2)
  • Of the 67 full or partial necropsies completed, the two primary considerations for the cause of these strandings are forced submergence or acute toxicosis.
  
  
  Information on Signs of Oiling:
  
  • To date, visible evidence of oil has been documented externally on 1 dead stranded sea turtle and 3 live stranded turtles (2 of which were caught in skimming operations).
  • To date, visible evidence of oil has been documented externally on 24 live sea turtles and one dead sea turtle captured during directed turtle surveys.
  
  
  Historical Strandings:
  
  • The total number of sea turtle strandings that we have documented from the Louisiana/Texas border through the Florida panhandle from April 30th through June 3 is 255.
  • This is much higher than the number of turtle strandings that have been documented in recent years in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama during this time frame (combined range of 4-30 for LA, MS, and AL)
  • Overall Northern Gulf range for recent years has been 18-46.
  • From 2005 – 2009 the number of turtle strandings for the month of May has ranged from 1 to 15 in Louisiana
  • From 2005 – 2009 0 to 13 in Mississippi
  • From 2005 – 2009 1 to 15 in Alabama
  • In the Florida panhandle, from 2003 – 2007, the number of strandings in May has ranged from 13 to 37
  • There has been an increase in awareness and human presence in the northern Gulf of Mexico, which likely has resulted in some of the increased documentation of stranded turtles; however, we do not believe this factor fully explains the increase.
]]> Fri, 04 Jun 2010 16:27:00 -0500 http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=30#comment http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=27
Dr. Ehrhart presenting to staff and volunteers


Juvenile Green Turtle


Board President Laura Forte holding a small green turtle


Dean Bagley and the UCF Marine Turtle Research Team


Baby Sam looking at the large green turtle


Volunteers pose with Communications Coordinator Rocio Johnson


CCC exhibit at MarineQuest in St. Petersburge


Kids working on the Causes Quilt for Tour de Turtles


Parents and child learning about sea turtle threats


Quilt highlights sea turtle threats
]]> Mon, 19 Apr 2010 17:30:35 -0500 http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=27#comment http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=26
At the beginning of March, CCC staff and the new research assistants gathered at the Tortuguero Research Station for the start of a new leatherback nesting season.

We welcome the new CCC family members and are happy to see familiar faces back at the station this year. The members of the Tortuguero family are: Xavier Debade (Station Manager – France), Clare Atkinson (Field Coordinator – England), Dagnia Nolasco (Education and Outreach Coordinator - Peru), Perla Servian (Visitor Center Coordinator - Paraguay), Ivan Ramos (Track Surveyor, Boat Captain and Maintenance – Costa Rica), Juanita Fernández (Cook - Nicaragua), and Isabel Beckford & Jackeline Brandt (Cleaning and Laundry – Costa Rica).

This year we have eight Research Assistants from eight different countries; these unconditional turtle lovers are leaving behind their home comforts to give us their time and energy for three months: Alex (Canada), Arturo (USA), Ernesto (Mexico), Luisa (Venezuela), Marlene (Germany), Mónica (Colombia), Santiago (Spain), and Tim (England). We also have a Volunteer Assistant, Indira Torrez, who is from the community of Tortuguero; she participated in our Junior Research Assistant Program in 2008 and is now helping out with monitoring and environmental education activities. And we can’t forget our youngest turtler, 6-month-old Yana (French/Peruvian)!

After two weeks of intensive training, the Research Assistants and the field coordinator have been conducting nightly patrols and track surveys of the entire beach every three days.

Here are the turtle encounters during 203 hours of night patrols in March:
15 leatherback turtles – 6 new and 9 with old tags
7 green turtles – 6 new and 1 with old tags

Jaguar kills:
Two leatherbacks in two weeks – one originally tagged in Pacuare in 2005
6 green turtles – one tagged in Tortuguero in 2006

One of our research assistants (Ernesto) was lucky enough to see a jaguar while he was doing a track survey one morning; it was in the vegetation close to a freshly killed green turtle.

Our first Eco-volunteers have arrived, and are settling into the routine of early morning track surveys and late night patrols; and the turtles are starting to nest more frequently now too. We’ll keep you updated on how things progress during the season, and will be sure to share any exciting tales from the beach.

Dagnia and Clare
CCC Research Station]]> Thu, 08 Apr 2010 17:38:14 -0500 http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=26#comment http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=25
Like other binding international agreements, the IAC got off to a slow start as member nations learned to trust each other with regard to sea turtles and figured out how the Convention would live up to its potential. All decisions of the IAC are made by consensus, which in our experience has supported collaboration and cooperation remarkably well. Bcause sea turtles are highly migratory and move into and out of the waters of numerous nations in their lifetimes, international collaboration and cooperation are the cornerstones of this treaty.

In the Western Hemisphere, as in many other areas of the world, nesting turtles face threats from intense development on coastal beaches while turtles of all ages are exposed to marine pollution, accidental and purposeful capture in fisheries and habitat destruction at sea. In remote areas rampant drug trafficking creates special challenges for turtles and those who work to conserve them. With the support of their governments, conservationists deal with these problems in creative ways, such as turning former turtle poachers into research assistants or developing small factories to produce turtle-themed products for tourists.

Having participated in the four rounds of negotiations that brought the IAC into being, I am pleased with the progress the Convention has made. A number of administrative issues, such as annual reporting, will soon be resolved. Member nations are implementing individual technical resolutions for leatherback and hawksbill conservation, reducing turtle capture in fisheries, and considering the effects of climate change, all of which benefit regional sea turtle conservation. In 2009 the IAC hired Verónica Cáceres as its dynamic new Pro Tempore Secretariat and, at the invitation of the United States, relocated her to the Fish and Wildlife Service just outside Washington, D.C.

By getting involved in ICA and other international efforts to protect sea turtles, CCC is helping to set international policy to protect sea turtles.

Marydele Donnelly
Policy Director]]> Mon, 29 Mar 2010 14:49:41 -0500 http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=25#comment http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=24
The website, www.helpingseaturtles.org, now features a gallery of images from projects around the state; a news room with updates on turtle license plate issues; a section where the public can order materials to help promote the plate, and more. It also makes it easy to find information about the Sea Turtle Grants program, which is funded solely by the sale of the sea turtle specialty license plate.

This year, the Sea Turtle Grants Program awarded $335,000 to 15 different organizations, scientists and local governments for sea turtle research, education and conservation programs benefiting Florida sea turtles.

The following organizations received grants for the 2010-2011 cycle: Archie Carr Center for Sea Turtle Research at University of Florida; Brevard County Natural Resources Management; Caribbean Conservation Corporation; Clearwater Marine Aquarium; Florida Atlantic University; Hobe Sound Nature Center; Inwater Research Group; Lee County Division of Environmental Services; Mote Marine Laboratory; Sea to Shore Alliance; Sea Turtle Conservation League of Singer Island; The Conservancy of Southwest Florida; The Turtle Hospital; University of Central Florida; University of Georgia Research Foundation - Natural Resources.

To learn more about the Sea Turtle Grants Program and the “Helping Sea Turtles Survive” specialty license plate, please visit the new www.helpingseaturtles.org website.

Rocio Johnson
Communications Coordinator]]> Wed, 24 Mar 2010 13:55:22 -0500 http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=24#comment http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=23
Loggerheads are found in coastal waters along the eastern seaboard and Gulf of Mexico and nest on beaches from North Carolina to Texas, with Florida accounting for over 90% of U.S. nesting. Until 1998, increasing numbers of nesting females in Florida made American loggerheads an Endangered Species Act success story. But since that time, nesting populations have been declining dramatically, especially in Florida where nesting has decreased by nearly 50%. Despite these declines, however, this population remains the world’s second largest assemblage of loggerheads, and saving it is critical to the global survival of the species.

Loggerheads face numerous dangers on nesting beaches and at sea, but today evidence points to accidental capture, injury and death in commercial fisheries as their greatest threat. In particular, the varied loggerhead diet of soft invertebrates and hard-shelled animals puts it more at risk from U.S. and international fisheries than any other species of sea turtle. CCC is a strong advocate of urgent and comprehensive protection for declining numbers of loggerheads, including year-round area restrictions for the reef fish bottom longline fishery in the Gulf of Mexico and long-awaited requirements for Turtle Excluder Devices in U.S. trawl net fisheries.

In January, the ominous absence of juvenile loggerheads among the 4,500 sea turtles rescued from record cold waters in Florida elevated our concern. Unlike previous cold-stunning events, when nearly equal numbers of green and loggerhead turtles were found, less than 100 loggerheads (2%) were recovered, indicating that juvenile as well as U.S. nesting adult populations may be in decline.

The public is invited to comment on the proposed changes by June 14. To submit comments on this proposal, visit http://www.regulations.gov/search/Regs/home.html. Please include the federal code for this particular federal registry item: RIN 0648–AY49.

You can also write a letter to: NMFS National Sea Turtle Coordinator, Attn: Loggerhead Proposed Listing Rule, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service, 1315 East-West Highway, Room 13657, Silver Spring, MD 20910 or USFWS National Sea Turtle Coordinator, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 7915 Baymeadows Way, Suite 200, Jacksonville, FL 32256). Another way to submit a comment is via fax to: NMFS National Sea Turtle Coordinator at 301–713–0376 or USFWS National Sea Turtle Coordinator at 904–731–3045.

Marydele Donnelly
Policy Director]]> Wed, 17 Mar 2010 12:41:23 -0500 http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=23#comment http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=22
On the nesting beach at Tortuguero, Costa Rica, CCC researchers patrol the beach each night during the nesting season (March – October), searching for nesting adult turtles; every turtle we observe has two tags applied to her flippers. Since the 1950’s flipper tags have been used to identify individual turtles when they return to the beach in different years, as each tag has a unique number. On the reverse side of the tag is the address for the Archie Carr Center for Sea Turtle Research (ACCSTR) at the University of Florida. Anyone who finds a tag can send it to this address, along with information about where, when and how the tag was encountered. The ACCSTR coordinates the tag return information for many different sea turtle projects around the Caribbean, contacting researchers each time one of their project tags is found.

Linda contacted the ACCSTR to tell them that she had tag number 70553 and was informed that this tag had been used at Tortuguero. She got in touch with me, and I was able to review the nesting history of turtle 70553, who had originally been tagged on July 25, 1997. The turtle was seen on two occasions that year, but surprisingly has not been encountered on the nesting beach in Tortuguero since 1997. This was the first news we had on her in almost 13 years!

The same day that Noel handed the flipper tag to Linda, she was able to report back to him with details on when and where this turtle had been originally tagged. It’s a great example of how the tag return system works; a rapid exchange of information between turtle researchers working in two different countries, one where the turtle comes to nest and the other where she returns to feed between nesting seasons. It also highlights the migratory nature of turtles, and the need for international conservation efforts to protect them.

It was a happy ending to what could have been a very sad story if the fisherman hadn’t been able to release the turtle from the gillnet in time.

Hopefully there will be many similar inspiring stories to share with you throughout the 2010 nesting season, which gets under way in Tortuguero in March.

All the best from Costa Rica,

Dr. Emma Harrison
CCC Scientific Director]]> Mon, 08 Mar 2010 17:32:12 -0600 http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=22#comment http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=21
The U.S. Postal Service has not issued a new semipostal since 2001, but this situation could change in the near future thanks to Congressman Henry Brown of South Carolina. Last year Mr. Brown introduced H.R. 1454 to create a series of semipostal wildlife stamps supporting the Multinational Species Conservation Funds (MSCF), which support conservation for numerous species including leatherback and hawksbill turtles, Sumatran rhinos, bonobos, African elephants, and Siberian tigers.. Each year Congress appropriates funding for these programs but passage of this bill will raise critically-needed monies to combat poaching, resolve human-animal conflicts, protect habitat, and support research and conservation education.

H.R. 1454 passed the House of Representatives with 154 Democratic and Republican co-sponsors in December 2009. The bill is now scheduled for a Senate hearing in late March in a Subcommittee of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. On February 2nd a small group of conservation organization representatives and I met with Committee staff to discuss this issue. We are confident MSCF wildlife stamps will be popular with Americans and be a significant source of funding for the U.S. Postal Service as well as MSCF species because many will be purchased for collection instead of use. However, not all 10 Senators on the Subcommittee (Carper, Levin, Akaka, Pryor, McCaskill, Burris, McCain, Coburn, Voinovich and Graham) are likely to support the bill.

If you would like to help CCC and other conservation organizations promote passage of H.R. 1454 in the Senate, please call your Senator (Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121). If your Senator is on the Subcommittee, your support will be especially valuable.

Marydele Donnelly
Policy Director]]> Thu, 25 Feb 2010 18:38:23 -0600 http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=21#comment http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=20
Our complaint charges that the NMFS violated the basic requirements of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) by failing to use the best available science, omitting key factors from consideration, and not making a rational connection between the facts and the conclusions in its new Biological Opinion issued in October 2009.

The new Biological Opinion came as a result of CCC’s first lawsuit, which argued that the NMFS failed to restrict bottom longline fishing after determining that this fishery had captured 900 more sea turtles than legally permitted. This led to an emergency closure of bottom longline fishing from mid May – mid October 2009 in waters less than 300 feet to give the NMFS an opportunity to address the claims presented in the lawsuit.

In late October, the NMFS re-opened the fishery and issued a Biological Opinion that authorizes the bottom longline fishery to capture 732 loggerheads between 2009 and 2011 and 623 turtles every three years from 2011 onward– many more than the 85 turtles allowed every three years under the previous regulation.

Despite data showing that Florida’s nesting loggerhead population is declining dramatically and that the bottom longline fishery is contributing to this decline through excessive bycatch, NMFS has failed to address these issues in their Biological Opinion.

As Florida is the only state in the Gulf of Mexico that allows bottom longline fishing in less than 300 feet of water, CCC’s goal is to protect sea turtles, fish and bottom habitat by prohibiting bottom longlining in Florida waters less than 300 feet.

We will keep our readers apprised of continuing developments on this issue.

Marydele Donnelly
International Policy Director

* Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife, Earthjustice, Gulf Restoration Network Inc. and Turtle Island Restoration Network.]]> Fri, 22 Jan 2010 16:48:35 -0600 http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=20#comment http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=19 www.cccturtle.org. CCC staff and I went to the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge yesterday to help, including CCC Scientific Director Dr. Emma Harrison that flew in from Costa Rica.

Check out videos of volunteers in action at the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge on CCC's YouTube page: http://www.youtube.com/ccc4seaturtles.

Thanks again to everyone who helped in this effort!
David Godfrey
CCC Executive Director]]> Fri, 15 Jan 2010 18:37:52 -0600 http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=19#comment http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=18
For this reason, CCC is strongly opposed to offshore oil drilling. For many months I have been taking part in weekly conference calls with other environmental organizations, tourism organizations and others opposed to drilling. We share information, meet with legislators and testify at legislative committee meetings and other public forums where this issue is being debated. I have met with and had very productive conversations with a number of key legislators on this issue.

Now you can help too. On February 13th, Floridians will have a powerful, unique and fun opportunity to express their support for our natural resources and their opposition to drilling for oil next to our beaches. A grassroots effort called Hands Across the Sand will take place throughout Florida, when thousands of Floridians will join hands on their favorite beach in a solid and dramatic expression of public opposition to oil drilling. CCC encourages those that love sea turtles and Florida to learn about this event and take part. All you have to do is spend an hour or two on the beach and let your voice be heard!!

You can learn about Hands Across the Sand at www.handsacrossthesand.com. You can click on the maps and see who is organizing an event on a beach near you. We have also been working with many conservation groups to build a very informative and comprehensive website on the oil drilling issue. Go to www.protectfloridasbeaches.org to learn about oil drilling near our turtle nesting beaches, review news stories, see which local governments have passed resolutions against drilling, and to contact your elected representatives in Tallahassee. And you can learn about oil’s affects on sea turtles at the CCC website at cccturtle.org/seaturtleinformation.php?page=oilspills.

Enjoy the beach, even if it’s cold outside!
Gary Appelson
CCC Policy Coordinator]]> Fri, 08 Jan 2010 17:50:42 -0600 http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=18#comment http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=16
We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has been involved in our project and with turtle conservation efforts in Tortuguero this year: Research Assistants; participants; students in the Junior Research Assistant Program; turtle spotters; guides; tourists and hotel owners.

We also want to thank the CCC staff from the San Jose office; the station managers; the boat captain Jorge; the cook Zelmira; the housekeepers Martha, Jeannette and Rebeca; the gardener Roberto and our security guards Wilfredo and Jose.

Thank you to Mawamba, Laguna and Pachira lodges for allowing us to use their swimming pools to relax from time to time.

Special thanks to the teachers from the local schools for allowing us to conduct environmental education activites with their students.

And finally, to the 81 adults and children of Tortuguero who accompanied us during night patrols.

November 2008 Tortuguero Newsletter
November 2008 Tortuguero Newsletter - Espanol]]> Thu, 11 Dec 2008 18:07:20 -0600 http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=16#comment http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=15
During his stay in Tortuguero, Eliseo worked hard and learnt a lot about green turtles, as there are not so many in Chiriquí. This is a valuable experience for Eliseo that we hope he’ll take back with him to Panama. Good luck Eliseo!

In early September we received a group at the station who were participating in a workshop organized by the Inter-American Convention for the Protection and Conservation of Sea Turtles. The topic of the workshop was “Standardizing research methods on turtle nesting beaches”. We were also honoured by the visit of Dr. Archie Carr III and Jeff Phipps (family of some of the founders of CCC), members of the board and David Godfrey (CCC executive director).

Another piece of good news is that we reached our annual goal of a 1000 newly tagged green sea turtles on the 19th of September! To reach our target we had to carry out some extra 7-hour patrols beyond mile 5, our normal patrol limit.

October 2008 Tortuguero Newsletter
October 2008 Tortuguero Newsletter - Espanol]]> Mon, 13 Oct 2008 17:38:33 -0500 http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=15#comment http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=14
The smallest green turtle encountered during this season measured 91cm, and the biggest 120cm in curved carapace length.

This year we have been visited by the oldest nesting turtle in the history of Tortuguero, with a history of 26 years coming to this beach to nest since the year she was first tagged (1982).

We have marked 76 Green turtles nest so far in the season and 5 Hawksbill nests.

The last encounter with a Leatherback was in the 14 of July.

Full August 2008 Tortuguero Newsletter]]> Mon, 06 Oct 2008 16:26:49 -0500 http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=14#comment http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=13
Thanks to this, the CCC is recruiting the kids who are interested in work with marine turtles.

The kids are learning to tell each of the nesting stages apart, reading tag numbers out, measuring the turtles, checking for any anomalies on the turtles and taking notes of the data in the field books.

The idea behind these patrols is to eventually create projects with marine turtles initiated by the same students of Barra de Tortuguero high school.

Our ideas for the future is to train the next research assistants amongst the local population enabling them to protect the turtles and representing their village.]]> Mon, 06 Oct 2008 16:25:52 -0500 http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=13#comment http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=12
At the Colegio Barra de Tortuguero the students were introduced to a few basic principles of ecology, and soil contamination by banana and pineapple plantation byproducts was discussed with the youngsters.

On the other hand, the kids from San Francisco learned about the way in which the food web works, and how important each species is.]]> Mon, 06 Oct 2008 16:24:44 -0500 http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=12#comment http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=11
The new students were very enthusiastic and learnt a lot from each lecture that took place in EARTH´s building (Escuela de Agricultura de le Region Tropical-Humeda).

The coordinator of the CCC field station gave a talk on the work that is carried out in the Tortu-guero project.

Several different sea turtle projects were presented in this symposium, which inspired the students from Tortuguero to perhaps create their own projects in the future.]]> Mon, 06 Oct 2008 16:23:40 -0500 http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=11#comment http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=10
The first group of Research Assistants came from a di-verse group of countries: Mexico, Spain, Columbia, Aus-tralia, the United States, France, India and Costa Rica.

Several of the Research Assistants arrived with previous experience working with sea turtles in their own countries as well as in Costa Rica. For example, Adhith Swamina-than worked with Ridley turtles in his home country, India, where the most important arribada (mass nesting) occurs with this species in the world.

Two of our Assistants are conducting studies examining the impact of tourist visitations on the sea turtles. We hope the results of these studies provide us with new in-formation and provide even more justification for the Spotter Program.

We hope that this will be a great year for the green sea turtles with the guides, spotters and CCC employees work-ing together to accomplish the same objective: the conser-vation of the green sea turtles.]]> Mon, 06 Oct 2008 16:22:54 -0500 http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=10#comment http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=9 Leatherback = 81
Green = 22
Hawksbill = 3

Greetings from Costa Rica!

If you have read the first ‘Notes from the Field’, you will be aware that the 2008 Leatherback Program is well under way; in fact the nesting season is going by so quickly that the research group has under two weeks left at the station. They have worked extremely hard during the last three months, walking many miles on the beach throughout the day and night, counting tracks and tagging nesting turtles. In the last week the first of the leatherback nests that they marked at the start of the season, and have monitored each day during its incubation period, hatched. Everyone was thrilled to get the opportunity to see a tiny leatherback hatchling when they went to excavate the nest a couple of days after they saw evidence of hatching. It’s always rewarding to be able to see the complete cycle of events on the nesting beach, from the moment the adult female lays her eggs in the sand, to when the tiny tracks leading from the nest signal the departure of a new generation of turtles to the sea. Unfortunately, turtle nests in Tortuguero face a myriad of threats; some are natural, such as crabs or flooding from the sea, but others are artificial, such as illegal poaching or predation from feral dogs.

The CCC continues to work in conjunction with Tortuguero National Park staff to try and provide information about illegal poaching levels, so that they can effectively patrol the beach and enforce the strict laws protecting sea turtles in Costa Rica. We are also dedicated to ensuring that all non-natural threats to the turtles nesting in Tortuguero are reduced; they have plenty of natural enemies to deal with, without the added pressures of the artificial ones. One way in which we are striving to achieve this goal is by helping to reduce the problem of feral dogs on the beach in Tortuguero. Packs of dogs are regularly seen by the research teams out on the beach close to the village during the day, and they have even been spotted during night patrols too. In 2007, 119 sea turtle nests were recorded as predated by dogs during the Green Turtle Program, but this is not a problem that is confined to this turtle species; already in 2008 there have been reports of dogs predating leatherback nests.

The particular problem with dog predation is that they typically disturb the nests when the hatchlings have emerged from their eggs but are still within the egg chamber. Dogs will dig down and find the hatchlings, and either kill them or eat the eggs. Even those hatchlings that do not die are often injured, or they fall victim to other predators, such as crabs or ants.

In recent years there has been a noticeable, and disturbing, increase in the number of dogs in the village of Tortuguero; many of whom do not have an owner, and so who are left to fend for themselves. Obviously turtle eggs and hatchlings are an easy meal for a dog; and once they learn how to get at them, then they will readily destroy other nests when they are hungry in the future.

Towards the end of the 2007 green turtle nesting season some of the local tour guides in Tortuguero started to express their concern over the negative effects that the dogs were having out on the nesting beach; the subject was raised in a letter that they presented to the Ministry of Environment and Energy staff responsible for protection in Tortuguero National Park, requesting their assistance to reduce the problem of dog predation of nests. In response to this issue the National Park, together with CCC, another non-governmental organization, ProParques, and concerned members of the community formed a committee to organize a veterinary clinic for the area. Over the next few months staff this committee approached several different animal welfare organizations, the National University veterinary school, and a private vet from the Caribbean region, for their support in finding a solution to this problem; with their help it was decided to conduct a spay/neuter clinic in the area, to tackle the growing population of stray dogs in the community. Their experiences suggested that in addition to the clinic it would be of great benefit to also run a simultaneous educational campaign, to raise local awareness about caring for their pets. Medical pharmaceutical companies were also approached for sponsorship of the project through the donation of veterinary supplies necessary for the operations and after-care medication of the animals.

In the weeks leading up to the first of the spay/neuter clinics in 2008, staff from Tortuguero National Park, ProParques and the Costa Rican Humane Association for the Protection of Animals (AHPPA in Spanish), visited the schools and high schools in the communities of Tortuguero and San Francisco; giving talks about how to care for their dogs and cats, and telling them the health and social benefits of having their animals spayed/neutered. The focus of the clinic was on the damage that the over-population of dogs was causing to the local wildlife, primarily the turtles. They also conducted interviews to find out an estimate of the number of pets in the village, and the opinion of the community towards veterinary care. The results of these interviews were quite worrying, for they revealed that there are almost 200 pets (dogs and cats) in Tortuguero, and that hardly any had visited a veterinarian.

Armed with that information, and prepared for a busy schedule, on the weekend of the 28 – 30 March, 2008, the first veterinary clinic was realized; veterinarians from AHPPA, the National University Veterinary School and Dr Hernán Barrantes (from the local area) arrived in Tortuguero and began the first of many operations that would take place over the next couple of days. That afternoon several dogs were spayed/neutered at the temporary clinic that was set up at a central location in the middle of the village. News of the vets arrived quickly spread, and they were soon surrounded by a group of local school children very keen to see what was happening, having recently learned about the vet clinic in the presentations given in school the week before.

The following morning the vets started early to try and beat the heat, and worked tirelessly (in both villages) throughout the day. There was soon a long line of dogs, and cats, waiting patiently in the shade for the next available vet. While most were brought in by their owners, the local children were also able to bring along some of the stray dogs too. Each animal was spayed/neutered and treated for external and internal parasites; they were also given antibiotics to prevent post-operation infection. Each owner was also given a list of detailed aftercare instructions when their animal was ready to go home. The lack of cars in the village meant that there were some ingenious methods of transporting the still sleepy animals back to their house; some were carried, some went on the back of an ATV and many were ferried home in style in a fleet of wheelbarrows lined with cardboard! CCC staff and volunteers were pressed into action to assist with the transportation of animals, and to help coordinate the arrival and processing of the animals for the vets.

At the end of the weekend all those involved agreed that it had been a huge success; 93 dogs and cats had been spayed/neutered and deparisatized between the two villages (almost half of those that were recorded during the surveys). Everyone was very impressed with the level of support shown by the communities, and as the vets were leaving people were already starting to ask when they would be returning. While this will not be an instant fix to the problem of predation of turtle nests, the idea is to repeat the clinics at least twice a year, so that the dog population cannot spiral out of control. In addition, the education component of the programme will improve the general health of the pets in the village, and raise awareness of the huge responsibility that owning a pet entails.

The next clinic has been planned for the end of June, and in the next couple of weeks CCC volunteers will assist in the publicity of this event, to try and continue with the success of the first. One of the programme sponsors, the pharmaceutical company FaryVet, has already offered to donate vaccinations for this next clinic, and several generous private donations have also been received. Hopefully with this financial assistance and the support of the community for the programme it can continue into the foreseeable future. And such a project brings only benefits; there will be a reduction in the number of dogs (and cats) in the village, and they will be vaccinated and well cared for, and so less likely to be out on the beach depredating endangered turtle nests. CCC will continue to be involved in this programme, and will also actively monitor the levels of nest predation in an effort to validate its success.

Hasta luego!

Emma Harrison
CCC Scientific Director
Costa Rica]]> Tue, 01 Jul 2008 11:14:34 -0500 http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=9#comment http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=5
This is the first of the “Notes from the Field” for 2008; from now on we will hopefully provide at least a monthly summary of all the exciting events taking place at our field station in Tortuguero, Costa Rica.

Turtles Tagged During the Leatherback Turtle Season:
LEATHERBACK = 42 (21 nests marked)
GREEN = 12
HAWKSBILL = 0

So much has happened since the start of the 2008 Leatherback Program on 1 March, it's been a busy couple of months for the Field Coordinators (FCs), Xavier Debade and Dagnia Nolasco, and the group of eight Research Assistants (RAs). We are very lucky because Xavier and Dagnia have returned for another year to supervise the RAs, run the monitoring program and coordinate community activities in the villages of Tortuguero and San Francisco.

Following their arrival the RAs received an intensive training program; they spent two weeks learning about turtle biology, species identification, the role of the CCC in Tortuguero and the details of the monitoring protocol they will be using during their time with CCC. During the day there were theoretical sessions at the station, and then practical, hands-on training out on the beach at night.

This photo shows FC Xavier Debade instructing RA Isabel Díaz, from Spain, on the correct way to find a marked nest; the 'nest' in question was actually a coconut buried by her colleagues several days before as part of the practical session on how to mark nests out on the beach at night!

As well as learning about turtle biology and research methods, the RAs also helped to set up the beach for the season. They spent many hot and sweaty hours placing and painting mile marker posts at 4/8 mile intervals along the entire 22 miles of beach they will survey during the Leatherback Program. It wasn't all hard work though; the RAs also got to go out with a local guide on a canal tour one morning. They learned about the local flora and fauna of the region, and were lucky enough to see firsthand some of the amazing species found in the park. To appreciate the importance of the National Park in helping to conserve endangered species, park rangers gave a talk about the creation of Tortuguero National Park, and detailed the laws relating to turtle conservation in Costa Rica. A member of one of the founding families of Tortuguero also spoke to the group about the history and development of the community; they had a unique opportunity to question him about the changes he has witnessed over the years, and to hear his opinion on the growth and future of his village. As you can see, the RAs received a very comprehensive orientation, which didn't just focus on turtles and the beach, but hopefully also gave them a greater understanding of the link between turtles, the National Park, tourism and the community of Tortuguero.

Obviously the reason that everyone is in Tortuguero is to collect information about the sea turtles that come ashore every year to lay their eggs. Right now it is the turn of the leatherbacks, the biggest of the sea turtle species; they began arriving in late February, and will carry on nesting until June. The researchers were keen to encounter their first leatherback after all their training, to put what they had learned to the test. However, the first few night patrols at the start of the season were rather disappointing as they didn't see any females. Their track surveys showed that leatherbacks were coming ashore and nesting, but down in the middle of the beach, miles beyond the limit of the night patrols. It took the arrival of the first volunteer participants on 16 March to entice the leatherbacks ashore. Elizabeth and Robert were lucky enough to see several females during their stay at the station, and even got to count the eggs for one female while she was laying; that nest will be due to hatch in the next couple of months.

Since then, 42 leatherback encounters have been reported during nightly patrols; of these 15 are new recruits, receiving tags for the first time this year and 18 had tags when seen (including turtles originally tagged in Pacuare and Gandoca; nesting beaches further south from Tortuguero on the Caribbean coast). Nine of these females we have been fortunate enough to see more than once during the last 2 months; it's always nice to follow the nesting schedule of individuals, and see them repeatedly over the course of a nesting season. In the last couple of weeks we have also seen more green turtle nesting activity; 12 females have been seen to date. Typically this species nests later in the year in Tortuguero (from June – November); however, every year we find several early nesters during the leatherback season. For the RAs it is a fantastic experience to get an opportunity to work with two of the seven species of turtle that exist in the world, and as May approaches we are all eagerly awaiting the arrival of the first hawksbills at the beach. The research team has also been lucky enough to mark 21 leatherback nests; these are monitored each morning for signs of disturbance, predation or erosion. When the hatchlings have left the nest we inventory the contents of the egg chamber to estimate the hatching success. The first of these marked nests is due to hatch in the next couple of weeks; I'll be sure to let you know how many hatchlings made it safely to the sea.

Keep reading the 'Notes from the Field' as the season progresses to learn more about life at the station, exciting turtle encounters on the beach, and special community events in Tortuguero.

And remember, if you want to know more about how you can become part of the research team, all the necessary information can be found in the “Participate in Research” section of the CCC website.

I look forward to welcoming you to Tortuguero in the future!

Hasta luego!
Emma Harrison
CCC Scientific Director]]> Mon, 05 May 2008 10:44:34 -0500 http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=5#comment http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=3 sea turtle research participant or a neotropical bird research participant. No experience needed, you will receive training in the field!]]> Thu, 01 May 2008 10:32:19 -0500 http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=3#comment http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=7
Our new Research Assistants (RAs) and the Field Coordinators (FCs) still have lots of work ahead! This is the reason why the team of RAs has changed since the beginning of September. The last group worked very hard and it was time for them to rest. We wish the new group good luck and a great working experience.

During those months, the RAs have worked not only on the beach, but also in the visitor center and helping with selling the stickers for the spotter program. They have also prepared different activities for the elementary school of San Francisco, Tortuguero and high school of Tortuguero.

All that work is being carried out only for the sake of sea turtles and personal satisfaction. It’s important to remind that the spotter program is still running, minimizing the impacts of tourism on the sea turtle nesting activity. We already know that it is better for the sea turtles, but also more tourists (therefore (therefore more guides) can go out at night to enjoy turtle watching...that’s why we all have to promote this program!

Early results of the 2007 green turtle program ]]> Wed, 12 Sep 2007 11:17:10 -0500 http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=7#comment http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=6
In a way, we know that we all work for the same cause, which is to ensure a good future for sea turtles, via a sustainable tourism or conservation projects like this one.

Although bad news occur, like the one from the last 30th of May, where a leatherback was found cruelly killed on the beach, we believe and trust that more people take conscience of how important these animals are , not only for the marine ecosystem but also for the local economy of Tortuguero.

We know that we have to take care of this natural resource to keep growing as a touristic village.

Full Summary of 2007 Leatherback Field Season ]]> Tue, 05 Jun 2007 11:12:38 -0500 http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleblog/index.php?number=6#comment