Latest news with #GeorgiaSeaTurtleCenter
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
From Jekyll to Wassaw to Tybee, sea turtle experiences in Georgia and education await
Requiem's flapping flippers almost sounded like bird wings fluttering as Morgan Flannagan, a Georgia Sea Turtle Center hospital technician, pulled the green sea turtle from a rehabilitation tank. Flannagan dried the turtle off and took it inside to the center's hospital room. 'Sea turtles don't have health insurance,' said Michelle Kaylor, the Jekyll Island center's director. She and a crowd of center visitors watched Requiem through the hospital room's public observation window as the endangered turtle was fitted with a microchip on June 6. The turtle, whose sex is not known, was nearly ready to be returned to the ocean since arriving May 3 with a large J hook embedded in its esophagus. Kaylor said Loggerhead and Green Sea turtles account for most of the center's patients, many of which have suffered human-caused injuries. In addition to sea turtles, people bring other wildlife in need of triage to the center. Situations could also involve diamondback terrapins as well as birds such as eagles. Sea turtle cases can come from off the coast of Georgia's 15 barrier islands or as far north as the Massachusetts. Some turtles that travel to the Cape Cod area can get cold-stunned because they get stuck in bay due to the land mass shape and, since they cannot internally regulate their body temperature, become hypothermic. Such situations come to the New England Aquarium, Kaylor said. 'They'll triage them, take them in, and then they, with NOAA, coordinate sending them out to different facilities throughout the U.S.,' she said. Providing emergency and rehabilitation care for Loggerheads, Kemps Ridley, Leatherback and Green sea turtles is merely one element in a series of decades-long conservation efforts made by the center and other organizations within the Georgia Sea Turtle Cooperative, which is coordinated in part by Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Wildlife Conservation Section Sea Turtle Program Coordinator Mark Dodd. Dodd said some conversation efforts started as far back as the late-1960s under former University of Georgia Odum School of Ecology Professor Jim Richardson, who retired in 2016. His research on shrimping trawls leading to stranded sea turtles helped lead to federal protection. He was also instrumental in the early expansion of the use of TEDs or turtle excluder devices, which prevent turtles from becoming ensnared in shrimping and fishing nets. Throughout coastal Georgia, multiple organizations afford turtle enthusiasts to learn such tidbits and more through educational and experiential opportunities. Home Free: Mystic Aquarium released 22 rehabilitated sea turtles back into the wild on Jekyll Island Pump the brakes: Marine Science Center reminds drivers to slow down for terrapin crossings In addition to the hospital viewing room and the ability to observe turtles in the rehabilitation pavilion, the center offers interactive educational activities. It also features a full scale replica of a prehistoric sea turtle in its gift shop. Proceeds from the shop and admissions tickets help fund the center and its programs. The center has rehabilitated and released nearly 750 sea turtles since it opened in 2007. Where: 214 Stable Road, Jekyll Island, Georgia Cost: $9 for ages 4-12, $11 for teens and adults. Yearly supporter membership options are offered as well as group rates. Website: The Caretta Research Project is not a facility. Education and Outreach Coordinator Kristen Zemaitis said its unique program is volunteer operated. People pay to stay on the Wassaw National Wildlife Refuge for week. On any given week of the program, six volunteers and two biologists collect data for research. "Everyone who comes out there during the summer learns firsthand what it's like to be a biologist, what it is that these turtles need," Zemaitis said. Roughly 100 people can access the experience each summer, and about 40% of them are returner volunteers who share their experience with others and wind up bringing folks back with them. "We've had people from six countries and all 50 states," she said. Caretta also partners with schools to bring sea turtle education into the classroom. All the organization's efforts serve its mission "to ensure the long-term protection and full recovery of the Northwest Atlantic loggerhead population and the ecological roles that it plays through research, conservation and education.' Where: offices located in Savannah, but sea turtle research and protection activities occur on Wassaw National Wildlife Refuge Cost: ranges from $950 to $1,100 per person per week depending on time of registration Website: Tybee Island Marine Science Center's Veterinary Tech Sarah Alley and others offer educational programming for locals and tourists alike. The center's biologists and approved volunteers also actively track and relocate turtle nests on the island, which are up to eight as of June 13. Much like the Sea Turtle Center, the science center on Tybee addresses the needs of and educates the public about more than Loggerheads and Leatherbacks. The public can learn about bird migrations and about wildlife such as horseshoe crabs, sea gulls, diamondback terrapin and more. Tybee's center offers year-round walks on the beaches and in the marshes. It also often shows local artists' works in its Coastal Galleries such as Cat Ward's "Deep Dive" installation. Reach out to see how you might be able to assist with ongoing conservation and research initiatives on Tybee and Little Tybee Islands. Where: 37 Meddin Drive, Tybee Island, Georgia Cost: 4 and under are free while children 5-12, seniors and military personnel pay $12, regular admission is $15 Website: Dodd said all the sea turtle conservation efforts across the state aim to to restore turtles to a "viable population that's fulfilling its role in the ecosystem." He said in some ways the population is getting to that point, noting a recent situation at the Jekyll center where a gravid female had to be euthanized. The turtle was brought in because it was missing significant portions of its front flippers. Unlike Requiem, though, the other turtle's injuries weren't caused by humans. Biologists determine that it had been bitten by a shark. In a way, the biologists let natural selection take its course since the turtle could no longer swim or feed. Dodd said getting ever closer to that viable population would mean humans can start to scale back their interventions while continuing to innovate elements such as the TEDs. Zemaitis said full recovery to the Caretta Project refers to "full recovery of the entire North Atlantic recovery unit." She said while Georgia and and Florida may appear to have huge spokes in nesting, challenges could still be facing turtles on the coasts of North Carolina and South Carolina. Cape Romain, South Carolina, for example, typically sees 1000s of Loggerhead nests, the largest amount outside of Florida. "It is now almost completely inundated at high tide due to sea level rise, and their dunes have been flattened from hurricanes," she said. Over 98% of this year's sea turtle nests in Georgia belong to the Loggerhead species. Six are Green Sea Turtle nests and four are unknown. While Greens and Leatherbacks are commonly spotted foraging off the Georgia coast, they tend to nest elsewhere. Dodd expects this to be an average year, in relation to the last decade's worth of counts, with around 2,500 nests. DNR logged the most nests in a single year back in 2022 with over 4,000 documented throughout the state. When Dodd started at DNR in 1999 the Collective was tracking roughly 1,500 nests a year. Dodd said macro data implies turtles nest about every two to three years, so its not surprising the numbers are average this year. DNR knows this because, every year, the contents of a single egg from each found nest is sent to DNR and University of Georgia (UGA) Senior Research Scientist Brian Shamblin for maternal DNA analysis. All member organizations of the state's Sea Turtle Cooperative contribute to the DNA collection, which now has decades of data that can pinpoint nesting habits of individual turtles, some of which are are 70+ years old. He said while the statistics are complicated, DNR believes it has identified a grandmother Loggerhead. 'So that's a female that's over 100 that is still reproductively active,' he said. Joseph Schwartzburt is the education and workforce development reporter for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at JSchwartzburt@ and JoeInTheKnow_SMN on Instagram. This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Sea turtle conservation in Georgia has been decades in the making
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Baby sea turtles arrive in Georgia: First hatchlings reported on local beach
Is watching baby sea turtles crawl across the beach on your bucket list? Your window of opportunity is here. On Wednesday, the Georgia Sea Turtle Center reported the state's first hatchlings of the season at their "Nest No. 1" on Jekyll Island with tracks in the sand nearby. The spot was also the first nest of the season and is marked by a sign with its number and its identification as a loggerhead nesting area. Georgia Department of Natural Resources says only five species of sea turtles can be found in Georgia's waters, with loggerheads being the only one to nest regularly on islands like Jekyll, Sea, Sapelo, and Ossabaw. The other four species (hawksbill, Kemp's ridley, green, and leatherback), prefer more tropical nesting locales, but use our coast for food, shelter, and a travel corridor. All five are protected. Thousands of loggerhead nests are found in the Peach State every year, according to Georgia Wildlife. Last year there were 2,490. A loggerhead may lay up to six clutches per nesting season with each clutch consisting of 100-150 eggs. Don't disturb turtles or their nest. Once a turtle has begun nesting, observe her only from a distance. Don't crowd her. Don't shine lights in a sea turtle's eyes or take flash photography. Never disturb a sea turtle that is crawling to or from the sea. Report a sighting by calling the Georgia Department of Natural Resources at (478) 994-1438 or the Georgia Sea Turtle Center at (912) 215-5046. In addition to donating to conservations efforts, experts shared some steps you can take: Level the sand of your beach area―fill holes and stomp down sandcastles before you head home from a beach day because holes can trap turtles and mounds can deter them from nesting. Place trash in designated bins, especially plastics such as straws, bottles, and broken beach toys which can all make their way into the water and be consumed by all manner of sea life. While boating, be mindful of speed along the coastline as turtles are harder to spot than dolphins or pelicans. While fishing in the ocean, know that a bated hook may attract turtles and can snag them. Call DNR if this happens as hook removal could require a turtle being taken to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. The Georgia Sea Turtle Center provides education and rehabilitation to sea turtles including interactive exhibits as well as year-round indoor and outdoor programs for all ages. The Georgia Sea Turtle Center is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Georgia Sea Turtle Center is located on Jekyll Island at 214 Stable Rd. Admission to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center is $10 for ages 4-12 and $12 for older guests. You can buy tickets at Joseph Schwartzburt of Savannah Morning News contributed to this article. Miguel Legoas is a Deep South Connect Team Reporter for Gannett/USA Today. Find him on Instagram @miguelegoas and email at mlegoas@ This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Georgia Sea Turtle Center confirms first hatchlings of 2025
Yahoo
16-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
From Jekyll to Wassaw to Tybee, sea turtle experiences in Georgia and education await
Requiem's flapping flippers almost sounded like bird wings fluttering as Morgan Flannagan, a Georgia Sea Turtle Center hospital technician, pulled the green sea turtle from a rehabilitation tank. Flannagan dried the turtle off and took it inside to the center's hospital room. 'Sea turtles don't have health insurance,' said Michelle Kaylor, the Jekyll Island center's director. She and a crowd of center visitors watched Requiem through the hospital room's public observation window as the endangered turtle was fitted with a microchip on June 6. The turtle, whose sex is not known, was nearly ready to be returned to the ocean since arriving May 3 with a large J hook embedded in its esophagus. Kaylor said Loggerhead and Green Sea turtles account for most of the center's patients, many of which have suffered human-caused injuries. In addition to sea turtles, people bring other wildlife in need of triage to the center. Situations could also involve diamondback terrapins as well as birds such as eagles. Sea turtle cases can come from off the coast of Georgia's 15 barrier islands or as far north as the Massachusetts. Some turtles that travel to the Cape Cod area can get cold-stunned because they get stuck in bay due to the land mass shape and, since they cannot internally regulate their body temperature, become hypothermic. Such situations come to the New England Aquarium, Kaylor said. 'They'll triage them, take them in, and then they, with NOAA, coordinate sending them out to different facilities throughout the U.S.,' she said. Providing emergency and rehabilitation care for Loggerheads, Kemps Ridley, Leatherback and Green sea turtles is merely one element in a series of decades-long conservation efforts made by the center and other organizations within the Georgia Sea Turtle Cooperative, which is coordinated in part by Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Wildlife Conservation Section Sea Turtle Program Coordinator Mark Dodd. Dodd said some conversation efforts started as far back as the late-1960s under former University of Georgia Odum School of Ecology Professor Jim Richardson, who retired in 2016. His research on shrimping trawls leading to stranded sea turtles helped lead to federal protection. He was also instrumental in the early expansion of the use of TEDs or turtle excluder devices, which prevent turtles from becoming ensnared in shrimping and fishing nets. Throughout coastal Georgia, multiple organizations afford turtle enthusiasts to learn such tidbits and more through educational and experiential opportunities. Home Free: Mystic Aquarium released 22 rehabilitated sea turtles back into the wild on Jekyll Island Pump the brakes: Marine Science Center reminds drivers to slow down for terrapin crossings In addition to the hospital viewing room and the ability to observe turtles in the rehabilitation pavilion, the center offers interactive educational activities. It also features a full scale replica of a prehistoric sea turtle in its gift shop. Proceeds from the shop and admissions tickets help fund the center and its programs. The center has rehabilitated and released nearly 750 sea turtles since it opened in 2007. Where: 214 Stable Road, Jekyll Island, Georgia Cost: $9 for ages 4-12, $11 for teens and adults. Yearly supporter membership options are offered as well as group rates. Website: The Caretta Research Project is not a facility. Education and Outreach Coordinator Kristen Zemaitis said its unique program is volunteer operated. People pay to stay on the Wassaw National Wildlife Refuge for week. On any given week of the program, six volunteers and two biologists collect data for research. "Everyone who comes out there during the summer learns firsthand what it's like to be a biologist, what it is that these turtles need," Zemaitis said. Roughly 100 people can access the experience each summer, and about 40% of them are returner volunteers who share their experience with others and wind up bringing folks back with them. "We've had people from six countries and all 50 states," she said. Caretta also partners with schools to bring sea turtle education into the classroom. All the organization's efforts serve its mission "to ensure the long-term protection and full recovery of the Northwest Atlantic loggerhead population and the ecological roles that it plays through research, conservation and education.' Where: offices located in Savannah, but sea turtle research and protection activities occur on Wassaw National Wildlife Refuge Cost: ranges from $950 to $1,100 per person per week depending on time of registration Website: Tybee Island Marine Science Center's Veterinary Tech Sarah Alley and others offer educational programming for locals and tourists alike. The center's biologists and approved volunteers also actively track and relocate turtle nests on the island, which are up to eight as of June 13. Much like the Sea Turtle Center, the science center on Tybee addresses the needs of and educates the public about more than Loggerheads and Leatherbacks. The public can learn about bird migrations and about wildlife such as horseshoe crabs, sea gulls, diamondback terrapin and more. Tybee's center offers year-round walks on the beaches and in the marshes. It also often shows local artists' works in its Coastal Galleries such as Cat Ward's "Deep Dive" installation. Reach out to see how you might be able to assist with ongoing conservation and research initiatives on Tybee and Little Tybee Islands. Where: 37 Meddin Drive, Tybee Island, Georgia Cost: 4 and under are free while children 5-12, seniors and military personnel pay $12, regular admission is $15 Website: Dodd said all the sea turtle conservation efforts across the state aim to to restore turtles to a "viable population that's fulfilling its role in the ecosystem." He said in some ways the population is getting to that point, noting a recent situation at the Jekyll center where a gravid female had to be euthanized. The turtle was brought in because it was missing significant portions of its front flippers. Unlike Requiem, though, the other turtle's injuries weren't caused by humans. Biologists determine that it had been bitten by a shark. In a way, the biologists let natural selection take its course since the turtle could no longer swim or feed. Dodd said getting ever closer to that viable population would mean humans can start to scale back their interventions while continuing to innovate elements such as the TEDs. Zemaitis said full recovery to the Caretta Project refers to "full recovery of the entire North Atlantic recovery unit." She said while Georgia and and Florida may appear to have huge spokes in nesting, challenges could still be facing turtles on the coasts of North Carolina and South Carolina. Cape Romain, South Carolina, for example, typically sees 1000s of Loggerhead nests, the largest amount outside of Florida. "It is now almost completely inundated at high tide due to sea level rise, and their dunes have been flattened from hurricanes," she said. Over 98% of this year's sea turtle nests in Georgia belong to the Loggerhead species. Six are Green Sea Turtle nests and four are unknown. While Greens and Leatherbacks are commonly spotted foraging off the Georgia coast, they tend to nest elsewhere. Dodd expects this to be an average year, in relation to the last decade's worth of counts, with around 2,500 nests. DNR logged the most nests in a single year back in 2022 with over 4,000 documented throughout the state. When Dodd started at DNR in 1999 the Collective was tracking roughly 1,500 nests a year. Dodd said macro data implies turtles nest about every two to three years, so its not surprising the numbers are average this year. DNR knows this because, every year, the contents of a single egg from each found nest is sent to DNR and University of Georgia (UGA) Senior Research Scientist Brian Shamblin for maternal DNA analysis. All member organizations of the state's Sea Turtle Cooperative contribute to the DNA collection, which now has decades of data that can pinpoint nesting habits of individual turtles, some of which are are 70+ years old. He said while the statistics are complicated, DNR believes it has identified a grandmother Loggerhead. 'So that's a female that's over 100 that is still reproductively active,' he said. Joseph Schwartzburt is the education and workforce development reporter for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at JSchwartzburt@ and JoeInTheKnow_SMN on Instagram. This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Sea turtle conservation in Georgia has been decades in the making
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Georgia's first sea turtle nest of the season laid on Jekyll island
Sea turtle nesting season is here, and Georgia's first nest has already been reported. Glynn County locals woke up to find a nest just south of Glory Beach on Jekyll Island, according to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. 'It's like clockwork, we always get our first nest during the first week of May,' Georgia Sea Turtle Program Coordinator Mark Dodd said. Nests are already popping up in Florida. Read: Florida officials announce record nesting year for world's most threatened sea turtle [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] Thursday's nest was laid by a Loggerhead sea turtle, a species protected under the Endangered Species Act. According to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, loggerhead nesting peaked at 4,071 nests in 2022, which was the most since comprehensive surveying began in 1989. The total dipped to 3,431 nests in 2023 and reached just over 2,490 last year. Read: 'Beach driving in Florida is a dinosaur': Nassau County sued over driving on American Beach >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< While that was lower than the yearly recovery goal of 2,800 nests a year, the department said on average, the population has increased about 4 percent annually since the early 1990s. 'This is predicted to be a big year for nesting. That being said, our modeling suggests the loggerhead population will stabilize at current levels for about the next 15 to 20 years. So we don't expect this season to be way beyond (previous high counts). But relative to the three-year cycle, it should be up,' said Dodd. The Georgia Sea Turtle Center allows the public to ride along with the sea turtle patrol in the mornings as they search for nests. To learn more about how you can participate, click here. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Georgia's first sea turtle nest of 2025 season confirmed
JEKYLL ISLAND, Ga. (WSAV) — Georgia's first loggerhead sea turtle nest of the season was confirmed on Jekyll Island Thursday. According to the Department of Natural Resouces (DNR) daily nest monitoring on all Georgia beaches starts in mid-May. This year though, Will Hicks and Bailey Yarborough of the Jekyll Island Authority reported the first nest on the first day of May. The Georgia Sea Turtle Center announced the discovery on social media May 1. 'It's like clockwork, we always get our first nest during the first week of May,' Georgia Sea Turtle Program Coordinator Mark Dodd said. 'This is predicated to be a big year for nesting. That being said, our modeling suggests the loggerhead population will stabilize at current levels for about the next 15 to 20 years.' Sea turtle eggs incubate for around 60 days before hatching, according to the center. After discovery and while incubating, nests are covered with a screen to protect the eggs from predators. How to keep sea turtles safe when on the water During nesting season, flashlights are prohibited on or near beaches from May to October, unless using turtle-safe lighting, the center said. You can read more about turtle safe lighting here. All marine turtles in Georgia are protected by state and federal law. DNR provided some ways to help conserve marine turtles: Minimize beachfront lighting during sea turtle nesting season. Turn off, shield or redirect lights. When walking the beach at night, don't use flashlights and flash photography. The light can deter turtles from coming ashore to nest or cause them to abort nesting. If you encounter a sea turtle on the beach, remain quiet, still and at a distance. Leave turtle tracks undisturbed. Researchers use them to identify the species and mark nests for protection. Properly dispose of your garbage. Turtles may mistake plastic bags, Styrofoam and trash floating in the water as food. Ingesting trash can kill them by clogging their intestines. Protect beach vegetation: It stabilizes sand and the natural coastline. When boating, stay alert and avoid turtles. The Georgia Sea Turtle Center is the only sea turtle education and rehiblitation facility in Georgia. You can symbolically adopt a sea turtle or nest for online by clicking here. All proceeds from sea turtles' symbolic adoption program help to offset costs like food and medicine You can also support DNR through fundraisers include sales of the monarch butterfly license plates and sales and renewals of bald eagle plate and older designs. The tags cost $25 more than a standard plate to buy or renew and up to $20 of that fee goes to help wildlife, DNR said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
