Topsail Beach, NC - The Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center

Sea Turtle Hospital News

 "Turn around and they’re tiny, turn around and they’re grown." It was a real Kodak moment the other day when we had our little ones, Baldie and Lefty out for their bath and weigh-in. And it reminded us just how close we are to the beginning of nesting season here on Topsail Island.

We’re sure even newcomers to the area have heard stories about the cadre of "turtle people" who walk every mile of Topsail beaches daily from May 1st through August 31st. Why? Because that’s when our lovely loggerhead ladies (and sometimes the occasional green) literally come home to nest. Some will be setting flippers on the sand for the first time since hatching out over two decades ago. And we’re hoping we’ll have our share of surviving veteran moms, the ones that return to Topsail every 2-3 years building bigger and better nests and depositing even larger clutches of eggs. It’s not easy having the weight of the survival of the species resting on your carapace, so that’s why our Topsail Turtle Project (TTP) volunteers are just a few hours behind any visits by mama turtle, and why they spend nights on the beach to make sure her "kids" make it into the surf.

Our sea turtles need a lot of dedicated people to keep them, their nests and their hatchlings safe. And it just so happens we’re experts at training our "beach people" on how to do just that. Terry Meyer, our Director of Beach Operations has been working her flippers to the bone getting ready to dazzle you with her power-point presentation, handouts and visual aids. She’s scheduled four training sessions, specifically designed for first-time volunteers. But there’s always new research, stories and photos of our local efforts so all returning volunteers are welcome to attend.

So what do we expect from you? Dedication, in the form of committing to at least one morning a week for the duration of the nesting season (May 1- August 31.) Get up as early as you want, as long as it’s light enough to see turtle tracks, and complete walking your assigned section of beach (about 1 mile) before 8 AM. You’ll be looking for very distinctive signs of an overnight visit by mama turtle. With the help of your area coordinator, you might then assist in verifying, marking and safeguarding the nest. And you’ll probably want to be on-hand when the hatchlings pip out about 60 days later, and then when the nest analysis happens a few days after that. It’s an incredible experience, not easy to put into words, and it’s a privilege to be involved in the preservation of an endangered species.

So get out your calendars and plan to attend one of these sessions; and remember, you need to attend only one session. Tuesday April 14th & Monday April 20th at 1:00 PM. Thursday April 16th & Wednesday April 22nd at 6:30 PM. Meet us at the Surf City Community Center (off J.H. Batts Rd.) and become one of "the many, the exceedingly proud, the turtle people." Did we mention you get to wear a special shirt?

Direct any questions you have about the TTP or these sessions to Terry at: 910-470-2880.

Questions, comments or suggestions for stories
Contact me at: flippers@embarqmail.com.  This column will appear approximately every two weeks during the winter months.