Save-A-Turtle

Please join us at Cabana Breezes in Key Colony Beach at 4pm to celebrate

“World Turtle Day”.

There will be a silent auction, 50/50 raffle and special “Turtle Drinks”.

 See you there – if you need more information please call 305-743-9629!!

Thank you Chris at Cabana Breezes for hosting this fun event …….

Preview of Sanctuary and Refuge Regulations Review

Conservation groups host open meetings to promote public input on marine and backcountry island rules.

 Big Pine Key, FL — Through June of this year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Florida Department of Environmental Protection and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will gather public input on rules governing the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, Key West National Wildlife Refuge and Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuge.  The agencies will be conducting a legally-mandated public scoping process to gather ideas about what is working, what’s not, what needs tweaking and what entirely new ideas people have for management and regulations in the sanctuary as a whole and for the refuges’ “Backcountry Management Plan” covering the out islands and waters north and west of the lower Keys.

 The sanctuary’s overall boundary and its zoning plan, which includes Sanctuary Preservation Areas, Ecological Reserves, Wildlife Management Areas associated with the refuges and other types of zones, will be a primary focus, but any and all recommendations about sanctuary and refuge backcountry management and regulation are not only welcomed, but strongly encouraged.  These recommendations will be fed into the process to create a set of draft alternatives for public review and, ultimately, may lead to changes in rules and regulations.

The Nature Conservancy is co-hosting open meetings with Save-A-Turtle in Marathon, Friends and Volunteers of Refuges (FAVOR) on Big Pine Key and Reef Relief on Key West about the nuts and bolts of this regulatory review process and its importance for sea turtles, seabirds, fish, seagrass meadows, coral reefs, the waters they all depend upon and opportunities for people to sustainably enjoy these things in the Florida Keys for years to come.

Chris Bergh, South Florida Conservation Director for The Nature Conservancy and a member of the Sanctuary Advisory Council, will outline the history and current regulations of the sanctuary and the refuge backcountry as well as the public scoping process, timing and opportunities for input.  A question and answer session and discussion will follow.  These meetings are open to one and all.

A wealth of information about the sanctuary and its marine zoning and regulatory review process may be found at http://floridakeys.noaa.gov/review/welcome.html and information about the USFWS Backcountry Management Plan may be found at http://www.fws.gov/nationalkeydeer/backcountry.html.  To stay informed of the scoping meetings and other public comment opportunities, anyone may sign up for the sanctuary’s marine zoning review email list online at http://floridakeys.noaa.gov/review/email-list.html.

Meeting dates:

Big Pine Key – May 1, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. at St. Francis in the Keys Episcopal Church, 1600 Key Deer Boulevard, Big Pine Key.  Co-hosted with FAVOR.

Marathon - May 7, 2012 at 7:30 p.m. at the Turtle Hospital, 2396 Overseas Highway, mile marker 48.5 bayside, Marathon.  Co-hosted with Save-A-Turtle.

Key West – May 10, 2012 at 6:30 p.m. at the Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center, 35 East Quay Road, Key West.  Co-hosted with Reef Relief.

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people.  With funding from the Florida Forever program and our generous donors the Conservancy has helped protect more than 1.2 million acres in Florida since 1961. Visit us on the Web at nature.org/florida.

PLEASE HELP US HAVE A GREAT NESTING SEASON  click on photo to enlarge

Love Song of the Shark

  22 years of Shark Biology in the Dry Tortugas

April 2^nd,  2012

7:30 pm at the Turtle Hospital in Marathon

Wes Pratt and Theo Pratt

Mote Center for Shark Research, Summerland Key, FL

 Sharks… exciting and vitally important to the oceans, still hold many mysteries.  Our work with the nurse sharks of the Dry Tortugas, the most remote island group in the Florida Keys, was initiated to understand and explore the fascinating world of shark behavior and population ecology.  Here we have found a rare window to the world of sharks.  Nurse sharks return here annually for their rough and tumble courtship and mating. Almost nothing was known about wild shark mating until the results of our study came to light. What we have found often rivals a TV ‘soap opera’.

Our long term study (since 1991) of the Tortugas nurse sharks is unique – the world’s only continuous investigation of a free living shark population encompassing all stages of their life history from birth through adult reproduction. In the clear waters of the Tortugas we use tagging and videography to study and unravel the mysteries of their reproductive lives.

Sharks are vital irreplaceable members of oceanic ecosystems. However, little is know of shark reproductive behavior and reproductive strategies for many species. Sharks are elusive, live in a concealing medium and are usually secretive when mating which always includes internal fertilization. Nurse sharks, are an exception to shark secrecy when mating. A peculiar characteristic of female behavior we have termed ‘refuging’ permits shallow water observation and analysis of this otherwise obscure ritual.

Pratt will present recent results and the work of his wife and colleague Theo, using digital projection with underwater photos and video clips.  They currently follow sharks from their research vessel, the S/V Eos a Morgan Out-Islander 41 ft. ketch using kayaks and the latest in shark borne electronic instrumentation.

Please join us on Monday, March 5th, at 7:30 pm to hear our friend and SAT member Robert Keeley with NOAA’s Team Ocean to speak about the invasive Lionfish.

Our Board meeting starts at 6:30 pm and all are welcome to attend!

Thank you to Cathy for contacting Save-A-Turtle regarding our Florida Keys Turtles!!

Check out:

http://www.florida-keys-vacation.com/Sea-Turtles.html

JIM GAMLIN DOES IT AGAIN!!

 Our friend, Save-A-Turtle member, Used Turtle Salesman, Jim Gamlin has adopted his 57^th, 58^th and 59^th nest!  How can we thank you Jim?

Jim is the author of “Nickel the Sea Turtle” and has a new children’s book to be released this spring.  Jim has placed several un-releasable sea turtles in many aquariums.  His latest was just placed in the Phoenix Arizona Aquarium:

Azfamily.com:

Where does an injured green sea turtle go to live out its life after spending 18 months recovering from severe injuries? The Arizona desert, of course.

 Ziva, who might be related to Crush from Disney’s “Finding Nemo,” arrived Wednesday night and is the first of her kind at Sea Life Arizona. Actually she’s the first of her kind to take up residence in Arizona.

 Ziva came to the Grand Canyon State from Georgia. She was hit by a boat in October 2010. Veterinarians at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll Island treated and rehabilitated the badly injured green sea turtle. It was a process that took a year and a half. 

Thanks to Jim, Ziva will help educated the young and old about sea turtles!

February 13^th Meeting

7:30 pm at the Turtle Hospital in Marathon

We have Justin Gould with Sea Turtle Oversight Protection (STOP).  WHAT DOES STOP DO?

Sea Turtle Oversight Protection (STOP) nighttime survey volunteers monitor sea turtle nests in Broward County. STOP counts the number of hatchlings that emerge from each nest in real-time on the beach as it happens. This requires many months of long nights on the beach.

In 2011, STOP Volunteers rescued more hatchlings than the previous 3 years combined. Since 2007, STOP has rescued more than 25,000 sea turtle hatchlings from illegal lighting in Broward County.

We are excited to hear Justin speak about their successes and how they have gotten to where they are.  We hope we can learn a lot from STOP and help our hatchlings here in the Keys!

Hope to see you at the meeting?

Save-A-Turtle needs turtle nesting surveyors!!

Upper & Lower Matecumbe Key

Long Key – West End

Grassy Key – Bayside and Oceanside

Long Beach – Big Pine Key

Boca Chica Beach

Key West Beaches

YEAR ROUND VOLUNTEER

HELP WANTED

Save-A-Turtle needs a person(s) to mail out new membership packets and adoption certificates!  This can be done from your home, wherever you live.

We also need a member that lives in the Keys that would be willing to take over mailing out our T-Shirt orders and that could bring them to our monthly meetings and special functions!

If you live in Islamorada and can pick up mail from our P.O. Box and redistribute, please let us know!

Please call Rick or Lori at 305-743-9629 if you can help!