Tag: cold stunned plunge

It’s Turtle Crawl, Ya’ll!

Posted on | by Matthew Humphrey

by Alexa Hawkins, JIA Director of Marketing & Communications

Join other turtle-lovers at the annual Jekyll Island Turtle Crawl! Registration is underway for this fan-favorite event celebrating the start of sea turtle nesting season on the Georgia coast. Registrations from the Turtle Crawl races benefits the life-saving work of the Georgia Sea Turtle Center on behalf of the Jekyll Island Foundation.

Returning to the road Saturday, April 30, participants can run the beachside 5K or 10K races and receive a commemorative t-shirt. Those who place at the top of their category will also receive a 2022 race metal. Families looking to participate together can join in the one-kilometer Fun Run and pose for a photo with the Center’s official mascot, Scute C. Turtle, and friends. For those who want to support the Georgia Sea Turtle Center from afar, or simply sleep in and still get a t-shirt, registrants can join the race through a virtual Ghost Crawler option. Following the races, join Georgia Sea Turtle Center staff for Shell-e-brate, the Center’s family-friendly all-day event featuring educational activities and visits with staff and animal ambassadors.

Turtle Crawl was created in 2003 as a fundraiser for the Georgia Sea Turtle Center which, with more than a decade in operation, has provided care for more than 3,000 patients, including a variety of sea turtle species and other coastal wildlife. Turtle Crawl participants have raised more than $100,000 to help save sea turtles, with more than $24,000 raised in 2021!

Become a sea turtle ambassador and race for a cause at this one-of-a-kind event supporting sea turtle conservation. Be sure to register soon as race registrations increase April 10 and online registration closed April 27!

Plunging into Winter Rescue

Posted on | by Matthew Humphrey

By Nicki Thomas, JIA’s GSTC Education Program Manager

With more than $8,000 raised in support of sea turtles, the inaugural Cold-Stunned Plunge was held Saturday, November 27th to benefit the rehabilitation efforts of the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, on behalf of the Jekyll Island Foundation. Saturday morning was indeed chilly as the island welcomed nearly 250 participants to bravely plunge into the Atlantic Ocean. The event was inspired by the journey of the Center’s winter patients stunned by the cold weather.

As marine reptiles, rapidly changing weather and the geography of the coast can lead sea turtles into trouble. Each year, as water temperatures drop below 60 degrees Fahrenheit, hundreds of cold-stunned (similar to hypothermia) sea turtles wash onto land. Cold-stunning impacts a sea turtle’s metabolism, immune system, and can lead to skin and shell wounds from being tossed on to rocky shores.

The timing of the Cold-Stunned Plunge was the perfect prelude to the following week as ten cold-stunned sea turtles arrived for care at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. The turtles were originally rescued and admitted to the New England Aquarium days before they were transported south by volunteers from Turtles Fly Too, LLC. Eight Kemp’s ridleys, one green, and one loggerhead sea turtle arrived late afternoon at the Jekyll Island airport.

Initially, each sea turtle was examined, bloodwork was processed, and radiographs were taken by Dr. Norton and the rehabilitation staff. All the new patients received fluid therapy to combat dehydration, low blood sugar, and/or low blood protein. Many arrived with severe pneumonia which is treated using nebulization. Nebulization allows the turtles to breathe medications directly into their lungs where it is needed most. Some of the sea turtles also have abrasions and external wounds treated with an antibiotic cream called silver sulfadiazine, which is often used to treat human patients with severe burns. Watch our newest Scute’s School video to learn more about winter survival and cold-stunned sea turtle patients.  

The primary species impacted by cold stunning is the Kemp’s ridley sea turtle, which is considered a critically endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Species (IUCN). Every turtle returned to the wild makes a true impact in the future of the species. It takes government agencies, private corporations, volunteers, and non-profits, like the Jekyll Island Foundation, to make such a regional partnership possible. We are excited to continue sharing the stories of patients as they make their recovery and are returned to their ocean home.

To help fund cold stunned and other wounded turtles recover at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, click HERE.

Holly Jolly Jekyll Returns!

Posted on | by Matthew Humphrey

By Summer Conley, JIA Marketing Coordinator

The most wonderful time of the year is just around the corner: The Holly Jolly Jekyll season returns November 26 through January 2 and the halls are decked and ready to celebrate!

The island is buzzing with seasonal festivities and family-friendly events, including the Holly Jolly Light Tours, where visitors can enjoy a trolley ride around the island to take in more than one million lights! The whole family can sit back, relax, and view the lights from Beach Village to the Historic District. Trolley riders will enjoy festive holiday beverages and music to sing along to! For those interested in enjoying the lights from the comfort of their own vehicle, Jekyll Island also offers a Self-Guided Light Tours experience through directional signage and a Google-enabled map showcasing the island’s best light displays!

On behalf of its Georgia Sea Turtle Center, the Jekyll Island Authority will also be introducing its newest event of the season, the Cold-Stunned Plunge happening November 27! This fun (and a little frigid!) fundraising event will benefit the rehabilitation efforts of the Center, on behalf of the Jekyll Island Foundation. Mascot Scute C. Turtle and friends will cheer on participants and hang around for festive photos while they collect their commemorative t-shirts.

Other fun activities include Peppermint Land at Jekyll Island Mini Golf, where visitors can enjoy one or both of the 18-hole courses while surrounded by life-size gumdrops, peppermint sticks, gingerbread friends, and more. Play into the evening and enjoy the lights all season long! Drive-in movies featuring ‘Frosty the Snowman’ and Holiday Fireworks will also be happening on select nights.

Visitors looking to do a little holiday shopping can also stop by the newest addition to the season, the Holly Jolly Jekyll Trading Post! Enjoy a festive selection of novelties and collectibles at this Christmas-themed shop and pick up official ‘Holly Jolly Jekyll’ holiday gifts of the season!

And, for those interested in spreading some holiday cheer, there’s no better time to give the gift of a membership to the Jekyll Island Foundation. Memberships directly support the funding of Jekyll Island’s natural, cultural and historic resources through conservation, preservation, and educational projects. Whether visiting for the night or all season long, a membership is a wonderful way to ensure the magic of Jekyll Island remains beyond the season.

Take the Plunge, Raise Some Funds!

Posted on | by Matthew Humphrey

By Summer Conley, JIA Marketing Coordinator

Rolling out this upcoming holiday season is the island’s next fun, and a little frigid, fundraiser! Join other ocean lovers November 27 for the all new Cold-Stunned Plunge, benefitting the Georgia Sea Turtle Center (GSTC) on behalf of the Jekyll Island Foundation. Like many of the polar plunge events of the North, participants will walk, run or ‘plunge’ into the chilly Atlantic in support of sea turtles on the Georgia coast.

During the winter months, the Georgia Sea Turtle Center experiences an influx of cold-stunned patients transported from the Northeast. These sea turtles suffer from a form of hypothermia due to freezing ocean currents. Often found lethargic and unable to function, these sea turtles get caught in the rapidly dropping temperatures of the North Atlantic Ocean and are unable to make their way to warmer water. Without the months-long care of organizations like the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, many cold-stunned sea turtles would not survive. Serving as a companion event to the island’s popular Turtle Crawl, which raised more than $24,000 this past spring, the Cold-Stunned Plunge was introduced to bring more awareness to the extensive rehabilitation efforts of the Center during their busy winter season.

Presented by the Beach Village Merchants and Georgia Power, participants will receive a commemorative t-shirt and can join the GSTC’s mascot, Scute C. Turtle, and friends on the Beach Village Turtle Stage for photo ops before and after their big ‘plunge.’ Taking place on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, registration is now open for this new and exciting holiday fundraiser. Online registration will increase on October 8 and pre-registration will close November 25. Those who prefer to sleep in while supporting the work of the Center and the mission of the Jekyll Island Foundation can register virtually and still receive the commemorative t-shirt. Registration will also be open for participation on the morning of the event.

Mark your calendars, register to ‘plunge’ and let’s raise some funds!