Spotlight on Ben Sciance Poor Ben - he has to share. For some reason we’ve had only one lone male summer intern for the past several years, and yet I can’t remember any of them complaining about the time spent in close quarters with our lovely lady interns. But Ben is one of two guys this year, and if you ask him if that’s good or bad he’ll just smile.

Like so many of our interns he first learned about our hospital during family vacations to Topsail. Last year he began researching the internship requirements on our website, and he decided that this would be a good thing to do. In fact Ben thinks a lot of things about the hospital and the internship are "good," even a 2:00 AM phone call to hurry to the beach to watch a huge mama turtle nesting.

Photo: Summer intern Ben Sciance "shares" a quiet moment with little green "December".

One of the first things out of Jean’s mouth when speaking with prospective interns is that they should expect to work very, very hard. Ben will attest to that. And because he’s got lots of muscles when a 250-pound turtle needs lifting, well, who you gonna call? He does everything with a smile because according to him "it’s all good." He’s proud to be working with "good people" and "doing good for the turtles and the environment." But his favorite part of the day is when he’s standing at a tank during open house talking about our patients and the work he’s doing. He loves seeing the interest people have in these critters, and is thrilled when our visitors are really, really listening and asking him lots of questions.

He’s gotten quite attached to Loggerhead, "NOAA" because "we’re both around the same age, gentle and easy to work with." He forgot to add "big." I suspect there’s something about that name, too, because Ben mentioned that after graduation he’d like to have a career in weather, specifically with NOAA.

When he’s not at the hospital he’s out on the waves, either riding them or sharing (there’s that word again) his surfing tips. Ben returns as a senior to Christopher Newport University in Newport News, VA where he’s majoring in Environmental Science. When not studying he’s playing volleyball or "sharing" the stage with the other members of a rock band - "The Relevent."

George IV Concert Flipper hugs to George Hamilton IV for that wonderful concert for the benefit of our sea turtles. This is the second time George IV has taken time from his vacation to spend an evening entertaining a packed house at the Assembly Building - all for our turtles. And it’s not only him; he brings the whole, talented family, including Georges V and VI. The songs ranged from his great hits like "Abilene" and "A Rose and a Baby Ruth" (everyone attending received a "Baby Ruth" candy bar at the door) to gospel favorites where the audience sang along. He even joked about taking the "Topsail Choir" to the Grand Ole Opry® with him. Thanks again to George and to everyone who came out in support of our turtles. If you weren’t there you missed something special.

Hospital Open House: Daily, except Wednesday and Sunday, from 2-4 PM. The gift shop is also open during these hours. Lines can be long so come prepared with sunscreen and umbrellas for shade. Your minimum contribution of $2 per adult and $1 per child will help us reach that final $350,000 we need to build our new facility, and anything above and beyond is greatly appreciated. We’re behind the big blue water tank in Topsail Beach.

Turtle Talks: Every Wednesday through Labor Day from 3:45 - 4:45 PM at the Surf City Community Center. It’s informative, family-oriented fun with hands-on turtle stuff and handouts for all ages. Our program is free but donations are gratefully accepted.

Topsail Turtle Project We’ve hit 50 nests, and still have a bit over a month to go in our official "season."  During August our volunteers will be working a split shift: walking for tracks in the morning and preparing for hatches at night. As the incubation period for our first few nests draws near you’ll see that some of the staked areas have been ramped and smoothed in anticipation of the blessed event. You’ll also see our volunteers sitting nearby ready to lend a benign hand to any hatchlings. If you’re lucky enough to be around during a hatch remember that our volunteers are in charge. You’re welcome to stay if you can sit quietly and follow their instructions.

All sea turtles are federally protected animals. Harassing or interfering with them or their nests in any way is punishable by a hefty fine and/or imprisonment. Please report any incidents of nesting, hatching, injury, stranding or harassment to our Director of Beach Operations, Terry Meyer at 910-470-2880 immediately.

Questions, comments or suggestions for stories
Contact me at: flippers@embarqmail.com.