Sea Turtle News

Jim Angy reports that this has been an exceptional year for taking sea turtle pictures, with more than usual daytime nestings. This is one of my favorites of his new photos - a daytime nesting loggerhead amongst the flowers. Be sure to click to enlarge the image so you can see how lovely this turtle is up close.

The other day, I received the Fall issue of the Sea Turtle Preservation Society newsletter, Turtle Talk. It was full of news and stories, including one story where our own Matt MacQueen was recognized for his narration of the new STPS program, Vanishing Ancient Mariners. STPS volunteers provide over 50 programs a year to schools and other public functions, and this new DVD presentation will really "jazz up" those events. It's a beautiful show, and we were proud to help.

According to the newsletter, "The purpose of the STPS is to educate the public about marine turtles and the environmental niche that they occupy. STPS reaches thousands of people each year through lecture presentations and exhibits at area events and through guided walks during the sea turtle nest season. Follow the link above for contact information.

Included with the STPS newsletter was The Carr Companion, the newsletter of the Friends of the Carr Refuge. It contained some interesting statistics regarding sea turtle nesting activities in the Refuge this season. Good news! Loggerhead nesting was up significantly. Green and leatherback nesting was up, considering that 2008 would normally be a low year. (For the green and leatherback turtles, a high year is followed by a low year, which is followed by a high year. 2008 was a low year, and it was higher than the last low year. That's the best way I can describe it.) Turtle nest totals for the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge as of September 2008 were: Loggerhead - 11,399 nests, Green - 2,923 nests, and Leatherback - 29 nests. No wonder the Archie Carr Refuge is described as Our Nation's Most Important Sea Turtle Refuge.

The newsletter goes on to report that Loggerheads lost the greatest percentage of nests to the late summer storms - 12 - 15%.