Tag: sea turtle

Moon Pies, McDonald’s, and… Sea Turtles

Posted on | by Matthew Humphrey

An Interview with Georgia Sea Turtle Center Director, Michelle Kaylor

Home to Rocky Top and the Great Smoky Mountains. The birthplace of Moon Pies, Mountain Dew soda, and the world’s oldest radio show. And the native state of the leader of a highly successful sea turtle rehabilitation hospital.

It may seem as if one of these things is not like the other. But in truth, it’s, well, true. Tennessee was once the birthplace and home of Michelle Kaylor, now director of the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. Since 2007, Kaylor has worked at the Jekyll Island operation and has served as its Director for the past two years. Kaylor follows in the footsteps of Center founder and long-time director, and her mentor, Dr. Terry Norton.

Though her roots sprouted in a landlocked state, Kaylor admits she has long had a fascination with marine life. The marine dream started in 5th grade, when her school took students on what would become a very inspirational and influential field trip to Jekyll Island and its former 4-H facility (now Camp Jekyll). It was there Kaylor first tromped through marsh mud, seined the ocean, and took in vast exploration of the island’s well-preserved maritime forest.

Needless to say, “I was hooked,” she said.

Fast forward a few years, and Kaylor would study to become a marine biologist, specializing in aquarium sciences. She found herself then nestled at the Tennessee Aquarium for seven years, where she oversaw the exhibits showcasing large marine creatures, and one of two resident sea turtles the Aquarium acquired. This shelled gem was a green sea turtle named Oscar, who was taken in after a boat strike and had paralysis in the hind flippers with an inability to adequately dive. Though the aquarium was hesitant at first to take in the less-than-perfect specimen, it proved key for the educational exhibit.

“Having an imperfect representation of a species and a story behind why this happened to this animal is inspiring and allows more conversations for what visitors can do to help the species in the wild,” she said.

Speaking of wild, the story of how Oscar came to the Tennessee tourism staple was just that. When Kaylor went to pick Oscar up to bring him back to what would become his new home, “It was in a McDonald’s parking lot in Pigeon Forge,” she said.

“The last place I ever thought I would see a sea turtle alone (was) in a McDonald’s parking lot. The staff member caring for Oscar at the Ponce Inlet Marine Science Center brought Oscar up to Tennessee on the way to visit her family,” she said, and the rest was fast-food conservation history.

On Jekyll, sea turtles aren’t generally found in fast food parking lots either, but rather come to the now 16-year-old Center, typically due to boat-strike injuries like the one Oscar had, debilitation, cold-stunning, and other reasons. Annually, some 150,000 visitors trek through the Center, which is operated by the Jekyll Island Authority.

Aside from up-close views of these animals in their rehab tanks, and the occasional glimpse of one of the patients in surgery, the Center serves multiple purposes. At once, it is a hospital, rehabilitation, and research hub, as well as a beloved platform for educational programs. The latter purpose serves to increase awareness of sea turtle habitats and highlight wildlife conservation challenges, “promote responsibility for ecosystem health, and empower individuals to act locally, regionally, and globally to protect the environment,” Kaylor said.

However, after almost two decades serving this core mission, the Center’s purpose has grown, and, as should be expected, growing pains linger. “My goal is to expand on our mission as we plan for a future Center expansion, where we can satisfy growing operational needs and further serve our educational mission,” she said.

With such growth, Kaylor hopes to see the Center’s signature shining moments of marine life conservation and education continue as it inspires its visitors, as well as the hands which make the educational attraction so special. The Center is admittedly a fantastic venue for, yes, educating the public, but likewise serves as a unique vessel for educating those who help the landmark in its daily operations.

To date, she said, her most proud achievements are being able to witness an individual come to the Center, be it as a staff member, an intern or a volunteer, and see them grow as a professional and as a person.

“We strive every day at the Center to have small yet powerful moments of learning that can add up to large-scale change by telling each sea turtle patients’ story,” Kaylor said. “We can inspire others to make changes in their own lives, and (who then can) inspire others as well. We call this the ‘ripple effect’. My proudest achievement is seeing the ripples move outward into the world with our mission and stories.”

And while turtles are known for moving at a slow pace, Kaylor and the Center team are moving quickly, now and since the Center’s inception, to do just that.

For more information about the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, visit jekyllisland.com/gstc. To help support and further the Center’s mission, click HERE.

Wintertime is NUTS!

Posted on | by Matthew Humphrey

by Rachel Overmeyer, GSTC Rehabilitation Program Manager

Who doesn’t love a good pecan, macadamia nut, hazelnut, beech nut, or walnut? Nuts can be sweet, salty, or a little bit of both, which is also the case for cold stunned sea turtle patients. Every year there is a naming theme for the cold stunned turtles that arrive to the Center in the cold winter months, and this year’s theme was types of nuts.

The assumption would be that colder weather means less sea turtle patients for the Georgia Sea Turtle Center (GSTC) but in reality, that simply isn’t the case. Every year the GSTC treats and releases sea turtles that have been cold stunned. Cold stunning is the reptile version of hypothermia and occurs when the surrounding water temperature drops below 50°F for an extended period. Sea turtles are ectotherms and rely on the surrounding environment to help regulate their body temperature. When the temperature drops too low it can cause these turtles to float and eventually strand.

This winter was no different. The GSTC, with the help of Turtles Fly Too, received eight cold stunned juvenile Kemp’s ridley (Lepidochelys kempii) sea turtles from the New England Aquarium to help continue their care. Through these partnerships, the GSTC has been able to help rehabilitate more than 150 sea turtles from the New England area since 2014. The GSTC also received six cold stun juvenile green sea turtles from Georgia waters.

Care for these animals begins with a physical exam, blood work, fluid therapy and by slowly raising their body temperatures 5°F per day. Once the patient’s body temperature reaches 75°F, food can start to be offered and drugs administered. If all goes well and the patients don’t develop any secondary issues such as pneumonia, they can be released relatively soon once water temperatures warm up. Please stop by and check out the cold stun patients at the GSTC, from the elevated walkway or even on one of the Behind the Scenes Tours.  The Jekyll Island Foundation’s funding support of the Center’s rehabilitation mission helps every turtle’s journey to heal and make it back home. To help support the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, click HERE. To learn more about the Jekyll Island Foundation, click HERE.

Crawling into Nesting Season

Posted on | by Matthew Humphrey

With May 1st marking the official start of turtle nesting season along the Georgia coast, the Georgia Sea Turtle Center (GSTC) is already busy patrolling Jekyll Island’s causeway for diamondback terrapins and beaches for nesting sea turtles.

DIAMONDBACK TERRAPINS

The GSTC and Jekyll Island Foundation (JIF) donors have partnered for nearly 10 years in diamondback terrapin rescue, research, and implementation of various protection methods during nesting season. These efforts focus on decreasing terrapin road mortality rates. The GSTC’s diamondback terrapin patrol team routinely drive the causeway in search of nesting mamas crossing the road and inspecting nest boxes for similar signs. Recently, JIF and ANIMEX, a new partner, donated fencing materials that were installed on either side of the entrance to Jekyll’s causeway, adding one more component used to help decrease terrapin roadway mortality rates.

SEA TURTLES

And along the beaches these ancient reptiles emerge from the ocean to begin nesting as early as May. Fertile turtles crawl slowly to the dunes, enter a trance as their eggs drop into the sand, laying over 100 ping-pong ball-like eggs under the cover of darkness. Then, the GSTC Sea Turtle Patrol Team jumps into action gathering measurements, identification information, and ensuring the nest is protected from predators and human disturbances. The data collected helps inform local, regional, and international conservation efforts.

Jekyll Island visitors hoping to catch a glimpse of this once-in-a-lifetime experience can join GSTC educators under the stars by registering for an Evening Turtle Walk or Ride with Night Patrol on select nights in June and July. There’s no guarantee a nesting turtle will appear, but the evening promises to make the night memorable!

The GSTC hospital and patrol teams continue to work diligently to rescue and rehabilitate these gentler creatures. Investments of any size are welcome and appreciate. GIVE NOW.

Here before you know it!

Posted on | by Matthew Humphrey

By Ben Carswell, JIA Director of Conservation and Sustainability

This year, 2022, marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of Jekyll Island State Park. And yet, many visitors to Jekyll Island never know that this unique place contains more than just the Island itself. In fact, by the time one slows to make the turn from Highway 17 onto the Downing Musgrove Causeway, they have already crossed into its welcoming boundaries. The six miles of causeway to follow offers expansive views across nearly 7,000 acres of tidal marshlands brimming with biological diversity and dotted with forested marsh hammock isle-lets, all of which lies within the Park’s boundary. This lesser-known side of Jekyll Island, known as the “back-barrier marshes” covers more area than the Island itself and supports over half of the Wildlife Priority Species identified in the Jekyll Island Conservation Plan.

Like its State Park boundary, the work of the Jekyll Island Foundation doesn’t stop at the foot of the bridge onto the Island. The Jekyll Island Conservation Plan sets forth the following management priorities for the Causeway and back-barrier marshes:

  1. Minimize vehicle strike mortality of Wildlife Priority Species
  2. Reduce immigration of exotic-invasive plants and animals
  3. Prevent loss of elevation due to erosion or compaction of soils surrounding the Causeway
  4. Promote habitat diversity
  5. Maintain a safe and enjoyable experience for drivers and cyclists that affords opportunities to appreciate the natural beauty and abundance of wildlife evident upon arriving

The excellent work spearheaded by the Georgia Sea Turtle Center to better understand and protect Diamondback Terrapins along the Causeway is a shining example for how Foundation dollars can make a difference towards achieving these goals. Another For the Record piece this month highlights the latest big step in efforts to help terrapins avoid roadway hazards. And coming soon, thanks to generous donor support through the Foundation, the Jekyll Island Authority will be able to add a mile of new native wildflower meadow along the east end of the Causeway, making arrival to the Island even more welcoming, not just for human visitors, but for pollinating bees and butterflies as well.

The Causeway and back-barrier marshes are a truly special part of the Jekyll Island experience that connects the Island with the broader community of Brunswick and the Golden Isles, mutually strengthening the well-being of many. The next time you turn onto the Jekyll Island Causeway, take your time, breath in the fresh air, brake for terrapins, and think about giving to the Jekyll Island Foundation. Your contributions go a long way towards empowering better stewardship of every corner of Jekyll Island State Park.   

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.

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!

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.