COVID-19 Update: LMC Campus Updates

Zubey, a juvenile loggerhead, is a sea turtle patient at Loggerhead Marinelife Center.
Zubey, a juvenile loggerhead, is a sea turtle patient at Loggerhead Marinelife Center.

LMC Closes Campus to the Public Until Further Notice

To our valued Loggerhead Marinelife Center (LMC) guest:

As COVID-19 continues to impact local and global communities, we have been closely monitoring the ever-evolving situation and continue to be committed to the health and wellbeing of our guests, staff, volunteers and patients. We have been working hard to communicate clearly and keep everyone safe during the ongoing spread of coronavirus COVID-19.

To help our community reduce social contact, we have made the tough decision to close our campus at the end of daily operations today Monday, March 16 through the end of March. This decision is made in alignment with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and FL Dept. of Health recommendations and PBC Schools closures. We will continually reassess our operating schedule as needed and provide updates through our digital platforms.

Loggerhead Marinelife Center's campus is located in Juno Beach, Florida.
Loggerhead Marinelife Center’s campus is located in Juno Beach, Florida.

The safety of our staff, volunteers, sea turtle patients and our guests is our top priority. We will continue to stay in close touch with our local, State, and Federal officials and closely monitor the current situation. Our Center will provide updates as needed through our email, blog, website, and social media platforms. For more information regarding COVID-19, please refer to the CDC. 

We invite our community to continue to engage with us through our LIVE sea turtle hospital webcams, social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube),and patient updates, or our upcoming innovative virtual learning modules, which will be available while our Campus is closed to the public. 

We are humbled to serve our community and look forward to reopening as soon as possible. To help support our mission of sea turtle and ocean conservation, please consider:

Our staff, volunteers, and Board of Directors are humbled to have the support of our donors and community. We thank our guests for their flexibility during these unique circumstances. With your generous support we will get through these trying periods together – thank you for your kindness.

With Gratitude,Loggerhead Marinelife Center

Turbo, a loggerhead sea turtle, was released from Loggerhead Marinelife Center.

Maintaining the Utmost Care of Our Patients

During the closure, our patients will receive uninterrupted care from our hospital team and staff veterinarians. We implemented enhanced cleaning procedures and will continue to sanitize and clean our facility during our closure. LMC will adhere to the guidelines established by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and update operations and policies as necessary.

To monitor our patients, please visit our website. 

Reporting Sick, Injured or Stranded Sea Turtles

If you happen to come in contact with an sick, injured, or stranded sea turtle, please call Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) immediately at: 1-888-404-FWCC (3922) or you may dial *FWC or #FWC on your mobile phone. You can also call Loggerhead Marinelife Center’s 24-Hour Sea Turtle Rescue Line at: (561) 603-0211.

An adult green sea turtle on Juno Beach returning to the ocean after successfully nesting.

Programming Updates at LMC Effective March 16

Due to increased public safety measures in South Florida and Palm Beach County, LMC plans to follow suit by closing its campus and postponing large events, and canceling certain programs. LMC is taking a number of additional measures to increase our safety efforts:

  • We have closed our campus to the public to reduce social contact and promote social distancing. LMC will provide campus updates through this blog, email and social media updates.
  • We are temporarily suspending public programs as a safety precaution. Program cancellations went into effect on March 13 and will be paused until further notice. Cancellations will be reflected in our eNews, event calendar, website, and social media. LMC has also temporarily suspended programming to reduce the chances of exposure to any harmful bacteria or virus.
  • Events with large numbers of attendees are postponed. Due to increased health safety measures, LMC has decided to postpone all large scale events. We encourage supporters to conduct a personal environmental cleanup near their areas of living or in their local communities until we reschedule the original March 14 beach cleanup. LMC encourages supporters who participate in a personal cleanup to post a photo of their conservation efforts and tag LMC on social media.

Health Measures Taken Into Effect on March 16

  • Closing campus to the public
  • Postponing large scale events
  • Increasing sanitation on campus
  • Practicing social distancing
  • Asking guests, staff, and volunteers who display any signs of illness, no matter how minor they seem, to stay home and not enter our campus.

We will continue to stay in close touch with our local, state, and federal officials and closely monitor the current situation. For more information regarding COVID-19, please refer to the CDC. 

Our staff, volunteers, Board of Directors, and donors are humbled to have the support of our community. Thank you for your flexibility during these unique circumstances.

With Gratitude,

The Loggerhead Marinelife Center Team

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