Following on the flippers of one of the most sensational six days in the Sea Turtle Hospital and the South Carolina Aquarium’s history with the rescue, rehabilitation and release of our first leatherback sea turtle, a group of 30 Island Turtle Team volunteers partnered with the Aquarium’s Membership team to host a remarkable members-only program, Loggerhead Lessons, on Saturday, March 14th.
Over 40 children explored six hands-on activities on the beach, where they victoriously earned passport stamps throughout their Sea Turtle Journey!
The Island Turtle Team of Isle of Palms and Sullivan’s Island created Nest Relocation, Predators, Hatchling, Beach Litter, and Turtle Species Comparison stations to teach the challenging life cycle of these creatures and how our actions impact their survival on the South Carolina coastline. The Aquarium’s Sea Turtle Hospital’s station explained those factors that cause injury or illness to sea turtles off our coast and how the Sea Turtle Rescue Program provides the essential care needed to rescue, rehabilitate, and release these endangered creatures back into the wild.
The Nest Protection activity was most popular, as children, acting as sea turtle hatchlings simulating their journey to open waters, ran through a maze while being chased by common sea turtle hatchling predators both on and off the beaches – a fox, a shark, a crab, and a raccoon.
While it was an early morning, with the threat of rainy weather, I like to think Yawkey, the leatherback sea turtle, was somewhere in the Atlantic wishing us the sunshine. It was an incredible morning and we are very thankful to the Island Turtle Team for providing a program where kids could be informed and excited to share the good news of sea turtle conservation!
To learn more about how you can become a Member to participate in Members-only programs like this one, e-mail [email protected].