Tag: georgia sea turtle center

Record-Setting 2021 Turtle Crawl

Posted on | by Matthew Humphrey

Did you know??

Since 2003, participants from across the world have taken part in the annual Turtle Crawl event, all in the name of supporting the Jekyll Island Authority’s (JIA) Georgia Sea Turtle Center’s (GSTC) mission of sea turtle Rehabilitation, Research, and Education. In that time, participants have raised nearly $100,000 to help sea turtles thrive and survive. 

The 2021 Turtle Crawl broke its fundraising record and became the largest, singular fundraising event. The annual race, held virtually May 1 of this year, raised a record-setting $24,858 through the generous support of our donors and the Jekyll Island Foundation (JIF).

Support the Center! Click HERE.

Rollin’ with Research

Posted on | by Matthew Humphrey

By Dr. Tom Radzio, Research Ecologist

If you happen to visit Jekyll Island during summer, you will likely see the JIA Georgia Sea Turtle Center Research Team patrolling our 8 miles of beautiful beaches for nesting sea turtles.  Off they go, day and night, looking to carefully locate all sea turtle nests on the island as part of long-term work to understand the status of our loggerhead sea turtle population.  The vehicles on which they ride, two beach-hardened UTVs, are important tools to conduct this conservation work, enabling the team to patrol large spans of beach quickly and thoroughly.  The UTVs also help provide guests memorable, close-up wildlife experiences in our Ride with Night and Ride with Dawn Patrol public programs. 

Although the team takes special care of these important vehicles, the salt and sand cannot be avoided and one of the GTSC research UTVs is showing signs of wear.  Recently, the Jekyll Island Foundation generously provided the team with a brand new UTV and, until the old one is retired, the research team is using the new vehicle for off-beach turtle research.  The crew also conducts research on box turtles, using miniature radios for tracking in order to understand how these species navigate and use semi-developed golf course and residential environments.  Additionally, in an expanded initiative this year, UTVs were put to good use for a freshwater turtle population study.

If you see one of our UTVs driving by, rest assured that the GSTC are grateful to have these vital research vehicles because of your generous support. We thank you and hope you may join us on one of our Ride with Patrol or other fun excursions to see the animals that we all work together to protect!         

To support the ongoing work of the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, click HERE.

Nesting Loggerheads

Posted on | by Matthew Humphrey

By Davide Zailo, Research Specialist, and Dr. Tom Radzio, Research Ecologist

Here on Jekyll Island, the unofficial start of summer is heralded by the arrival of nesting loggerhead sea turtles. These behemoths of the ocean can reach over 300 pounds and lay up to seven nests of 100+ eggs each in a single season. Some turtles will place all their nests on Jekyll Island whereas others will distribute them among multiple islands. Nesting females are at least 25 years old and very important to the survival of their species. Counting and studying nests allows us to estimate numbers of adult females and determine whether our loggerhead population is increasing, stable, or declining. The long-term data suggest a slowly increasing population, rebounding from dangerous lows at the turn of the century.

Monitoring loggerhead nesting and performing conservation-oriented studies is the responsibility of the JIA Georgia Sea Turtle Center Research Team, which includes two staff members and a talented and dedicated group of AmeriCorps Service Members. This summer, the research will include a new component, work to better understand how nest temperature influences egg development and hatchling characteristics, such as size. After hitting the books and training hard for two months, AmeriCorps Service Members start patrolling the beach in early May.  This is an exciting time as the anticipation of finding the first nest of the season builds day by day!  

From May to July, the GSTC Research Team patrols Jekyll Island’s beaches throughout the night to encounter as many nesting loggerhead sea turtles as possible. These ‘Night Patrols’ allow the team to study females directly, collect nest data, and provide unforgettable experiences for guests in our nighttime Education programs. To ensure that nesting is not interrupted, researchers carefully watch emerging turtles from a distance until they start to lay eggs. At that point, females enter a ‘nesting trance,’ which allows them to be safely examined.

At 6:00 am, a smaller team takes over to perform daily morning surveys. These ‘Dawn Patrols’ cover all of Jekyll Island’s beaches for a thorough accounting of nests laid during the previous night. Dawn Patrol crews also perform a daily check of each nest to document its progress throughout incubation, a process that requires about 50-65 days, depending on nest temperature. Five days after hatchlings emerge, the nest is carefully excavated to assess egg hatching success and collect other information. In addition to valuable data, excavations provide wonderful opportunities for public engagement, including the chance to see a live hatchling.  

These efforts would not be possible without your continued interest and support. We thank you as we strive to learn more about our native wildlife and build towards a more sustainable future. Here’s to a happy and productive turtle nesting season!

To support the ongoing work of the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, click HERE.

2021 Virtual Turtle Crawl

Posted on | by Matthew Humphrey

By Erin Evors, JIA Social Media Manager

Turtle Crawl is back! Created in 2003 as a fundraiser for the Georgia Sea Turtle Center (GSTC), the Turtle Crawl races have continued to support the Center’s mission of sea turtle research, rehabilitation, and education. Since its inception, race participants have raised more than $100,000 to help sea turtles survive and thrive.

This year, to ensure the health and safety of all, the 2021 Turtle Crawl is going virtual! Run from your favorite stretch of sand or pavement on Saturday, May 1, 2021 to mark the start of sea turtle nesting season. Loggerhead, Kemp’s Ridley, and Ghost Crawler registrations provide multiple participation levels. Loggerhead registration is available for the first 200 participants at $40 per person, and participants receive a race T-shirt and medal. Kemp’s Ridley, the standard registration, is $30 per person and participants receive a race T-shirt. For those looking to sleep in and still support the Center, Ghost Crawler registrations are available for participants to provide donations in increments of $5.

Become a sea turtle ambassador and race for a cause by registering for the 2021 Virtual Turtle Crawl Race, where every turtle-loving supporter is a winner! Looking to support the Center in other ways? Consider a symbolic adoption to directly support many of the Center’s current patients undergoing rehabilitation, or text SAVETURTLES + any donation amount to 844-889-2692 to provide financial support for patient care and resources needed to continue the life-saving work.

Keeping Jekyll Island Beautiful

Posted on | by Matthew Humphrey

By Katherine Doherty, GSTC Research AmeriCorps Member and
Dr. Tom Radzio, JIA GSTC Research Ecologist

For many visitors to Jekyll Island the issue of marine debris may not spring to mind thanks to ongoing efforts of the Jekyll Island Authority (JIA) and countless volunteers. In 2013, the Georgia Sea Turtle Center (GSTC) initiated a marine debris volunteer program on Jekyll Island. In addition to coordinating regular clean-up events, ongoing monitoring efforts allow us to understand the specific marine debris issues that Jekyll faces. By encouraging use of University of Georgia’s Marine Debris Tracker App, everyone can contribute to the greater understanding of marine debris worldwide. Even while facing the challenges of COVID-19, there has been a huge push by the Jekyll Island Authority, GSTC, and individuals in the community to continue keeping the beaches clean. In 2020, over 30,000 pieces of marine debris were collected and recorded on Jekyll Island using the tracker app.

Marine debris initiatives on Jekyll Island span the GSTC’s mission of rehabilitation, research, and education.  For example, when turtles are found with ingested fishhooks, the GSTC works to carefully remove them and collect data to better understand the problem and contribute to future solutions.  The GSTC is collaborating with scientists from other institutions to understand this issue and others, such as microplastic in sea turtle nesting beaches, on a global scale.  The Center also pursues other efforts that extend our reach into the local community.  For example, Sea Turtle Patrollers often find children’s toys on the beach.  Rather than being thrown away, these toys are collected and shared with children that are in need. 

The conservation and education work of the GSTC could not be accomplished without the ongoing support of the Jekyll Island Foundation and its donors.  Most recently, a new UTV was purchased for turtle nesting season patrols, marine debris efforts, and much more.  To support the work of the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, click HERE and add “GSTC” into the comments. To join in or learn more, visit the GSTC’s Marine Debris program.