February 2019 Newsletter

CEO Chatter with Jack E. Lighton

TurtleFest 2019: Oceans of Opportunity – Sat. March 23

Mark your calendars for TurtleFest 2019, coming March 23 to Juno Beach!! At the free-admission event guests will enjoy live music, food and drinks, art, shopping, educational activities and more! You won’t want to miss it! *If interested in being a volunteer please visit marinelife.org/turtlefest

What’s New in Rehab?

Caitlin, a recent sub-adult green sea turtle patient at the hospital, has been seen several times after her release by the same divers that rescued her. Dustin McCabe of Florida Scuba Charters Inc. found Caitlin lethargic and not behaving normally on June 24, 2018. The divers would normally see Caitlin near the same wreck each time they dove it. When the divers dove the wreck, Caitlin would avoid them each time and swim away towards the surface, until the divers completed their dive. It became their routine. On June 24 however, Caitlin stayed on the bottom and did not react when the divers swam closer. Dustin called our stranding hotline and the rehab team went into action. Caitlin was boated back to the dock and brought by our turtle ambulance to the Center. Upon arrival, radiographs and bloodwork were performed. Caitlin was lethargic, and had a systemic infection evident in the bloodwork. An infection was also apparent along an old wound on the turtle’s carapace that possibly had been caused by a boat strike. Topical and injectable antibiotics were used to combat the infections. Caitlin’s behavior slowly improved and the bloodwork normalized. On December 3, 2018, volunteers and hospital staff brought Caitlin back to Florida Scuba Charter’s dive boat and transported her to the wreck that she had previously called home. Dustin and his divers are now seeing Caitlin once again and have reported to us that Caitlin’s behavior remains normal and the turtle is once again very active and avoiding the divers. The hospital staff are very happy to hear that Caitlin is continuing to do so well after release, and very thankful to have had Florida Scuba Charters Inc. donate their time and boat to be able to return the turtle to its home.

Conservation Corner

Cigarette Litter Prevention Program (CLPP): Cigarette butts, made of a type of plastic called cellulose acetate, are the #1 most commonly found litter item on beaches worldwide. Each month, Loggerhead Marinelife Center’s Conservation Department empties the cigarette litter receptacles on the Juno Beach Pier. These receptacles help prevent cigarette butts, from entering the marine environment; keeping them off of beaches and from potentially harming marine life. As a result of the cigarette litter receptacles, over 1,000 cigarette butts were prevented from potentially entering the ocean last month alone. After collection, the cigarette litter is sent to TerraCycle for recycling.

January Sort Report: Following each Blue Friend’s Society, underwater, and private beach cleanup, Loggerhead Marinelife Center’s Conservation Department sorts and records each piece of debris removed from the beach.

In January, seven beach cleanups were evaluated, with 7,275 pieces of trash removed from the beach. Data shows that over 95% of all debris collected this month was made of plastic. Strange items found during this month’s cleanups include; a hair curler, a baby doll, and a large fishing net.

Research Update

Nesting Season starts on March 1 here in Palm Beach County. To get ready for nesting season remember these do’s and don’ts!

Keep your distance
Never approach or touch a nesting sea turtle. Keep your distance, remain quiet and keep all lights off (including flash photography & cell phones). Touching, prodding or shining lights may cause her to not lay eggs or disturb her and affect how well she covers and camouflages the nest.

Let hatchlings emerge
If you see hatchlings on the beach, allow them to crawl to the ocean on their own. Do not remove or dig hatchlings out of a nest. Removing sand above the nest will make it more difficult for the hatchlings to emerge.

Avoid the dune & vegetation
Enter the beach at designated access points and avoid walking on the dunes or beach vegetation to protect sea turtle nests, shorebird nests and the dune plant ecosystem.

Turn off lights
Keep lights at your house off while not in use and close your blinds at night to avoid adding to overall sky glow.

Draw the blinds
If you own or are using a beach front property, make sure to close your blinds and avoid use of unshielded outdoor lighting fixtures.

Don’t leave it behind
Remove obstacles such as beach chairs, tables, water-sport equipment and umbrellas before dark.

Be aware when digging
Only dig holes below high tide line, in the hard packed sand to avoid incubating sea turtle nests and avoid using shovels.

Fill in your holes
Fill all holes back in and knock over sand castles so that nesting turtles and hatchlings can’t fall into them and aren’t hindered as they crawl on the beach.

Don’t be a litter bug
Properly throw away trash so that it doesn’t blow into the water or become an obstacle for a sea turtle.

Don’t release balloons
Don’t release balloons, they travel far distances and will be eaten by sea turtles & other marine organisms.

Knowledge is Power!

Last Call for Early Bird Registration Through February 28!
Loggerhead Marinelife Center’s summer camp programs are interactive, educational and stimulating. Each camp is geared towards children ages 6* through 17. Students participating in the Jr. Marine Biologist summer camp program will gain an understanding of various nature-related topics such as (but not limited to) ecology and marine biology, with an emphasis on conservation. Camp hours are Monday – Friday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Extended hours (8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.) is available for an additional fee.

Early Bird Pricing until February 28, 2019**

Counselors in Training
Are you good with kids and have free time in the summer? Being a CIT (counselor-in-training) is a great way to get service hours, prep for a paid counselor position and just have fun! Junior Marine Biologist summer camp takes place June-August, in one week sessions. CIT positions are from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. M-F with at least a 3 week commitment. Spend your summer snorkeling, playing games, teaching kids and making friends. Outgoing personalities are a must! Send resume and cover letter to education@marinelife.org Click Here

Sea Turtle Sleepovers are back!
Our Sea Turtle Sleepover is an exclusive nighttime program that offers a tour of our Outdoor Sea Turtle Hospital, activities for your aspiring scientist, movie time, snacks and pizza, and concludes with a little shuteye amongst our aquariums! Guests are welcome to bring their own snacks and beverages but request that all beverages be in reusable containers.
Our next sleepover date is February 16th!
Ages: 8-12
Cost: $65/child
Time: 7 p.m. – 8 a.m.

What to Expect
Bioluminescence Lab in our Outdoor Learning Lab
Tour to meet LMC’s sea turtle patients and scavenger hunt
Pizza, snacks, and a light breakfast
Ocean-themed movie

*Sleepover will be drop-off only – Afraid you’ll miss out on the action? We use an interactive parent-teacher communication platform to keep parents informed of activities throughout the night including any notifications and photos! Information on easy download onto your smartphone is included in your Welcome Packet upon registering for the event.

Adoption Spotlight

As March is the start of leatherback nesting season, we are excited to reintroduce the adopt- a- nest program! For the months of March to October, nests from each species will be available to symbolically adopt. Once the nests hatch, adoptees will receive a notification with the status of their nest. With nesting season being one of the most exciting times here at LMC, we are looking forward to sharing this awesome phenomenon with all of you!

Volunteer Spotlight

We would like to recognize a docent who not only does a great job educating our guests but also provides fantastic customer service. Arun Renganathan has earned the distinction of Volunteer of the Month.
Arun began volunteering with us in September, 2018. Although he has been a volunteer for less than 6 months, he has already contributed over 110 hours of service.
Every week Arun arrives early and often stays late or fills in for additional shifts. On a recent Friday he spent the entire day (10am-5pm) educating the public in the pouring rain. He brought umbrellas to each guest and walked tank to tank teaching them about each of our sea turtle patients. Arun did this without complaint.
We are lucky to have Arun on our team and excited to see what he accomplishes in the future!

Mascot Corner “Be Kind Recycle Your Fishing Line!”

Hello Friends,
Fletch here, the lovable and huggable mascot for the Loggerhead Marinelife Center. In December, I had the opportunity to visit my friend Mia at Manatee Lagoon. During our visit we compared notes on one of the biggest problems, we both face from humans: “Improperly discarded monofilament fishing line.” The line creates a deadly environment every day of the year for sea turtles, manatees, and birds. We are injured from entanglement or ingesting the line, often resulting in death. Sea turtles and manatees are known to ingest monofilament line. The turtles may be attracted to the floating semi-transparent fishing line mistaking it for food or by ingesting a hook. For manatees, monofilament fishing line can drift into seagrass beds or snag onto floating vegetation. If a sea turtle or manatee ingests the line and is not able to pass it through its digestive system, it’s a sure path to a slow death. During necropsies, monofilament fishing line is the most common foreign object found in a manatee’s digestive system. Entanglement in monofilament line is also a common sea turtle and manatee injury. Fishing line wrapped around a flipper or fluke will cut into the skin causing a fatal infection and can amputate part of a flipper or the entire flipper. Monofilament fishing line is a long term deadly problem. It’s not biodegradable and can remain in the environment for hundreds of years.

“Mia and Fletch thank you for all YOU do, to keep our home a safe place to live.”

How can YOU Help?
– Don’t leave your line behind
– Cast with care
– Collect discarded line
– Maintain your line
– Participate in local cleanup efforts
– Recycle your line at monofilament recycling bins or participating tackle shops

Brick Pavers

Purchase a brick paver, to be placed in the walkway of our new outdoor Sea Turtle Hospital during our campus expansion.The bricks can be engraved with a brief message (and turtle logo).8X4 – $250 – Limit 60 characters including spaces, 36 if including a logo8X8 – $450 – Limit 120 characters including spaces, 80 if including a logo

Pavers

Shop Where is Counts

Vendor Spotlight

Name: Ron Adolph

Company Name: Burn Studio

Location of business: My wife and I moved to Asheville, NC in 2015 but we still have a home in West Palm Beach where my wife grew up.

Website: I only sell my work through galleries, so I just have my Instagram: burnstudioavl

What was your first job, and what did you learn from it? One of my high school teachers got me a job working for her niece as a stock boy at an upscale women’s boutique. I discovered I had a pretty strong work ethic and loved the freedom a steady paycheck provided. I learned to take pride in my work no matter how trivial the task and how to deal with different personalities in a professional setting.

How was your current business founded? I had always wanted a laser but wasn’t sure what I was going to do with it. I spent 25 years in the business world but always had this creativity that wanted out. I didn’t want to do the usual production work, so I spent a couple of years pushing the limits on what I could create and stumbled across the work of artist Gabriel Schama, who creates the most beautiful relief sculptures. I was hooked and set out to develop my own aesthetic. I struggled with whether or not I was an artist, as I had no formal training or background in the art world. I came back from Florida last winter to an email about a juried exhibit at our local arts council and decided that life is too short not to pursue what makes you happy, sold my first piece and never looked back. It’s been the most surprising and rewarding professional venture in my life.

Where do you get ideas? What is your inspiration? Sometimes I start with a subject in mind, other times I play with shapes and patterns until an opportunity presents itself. I think I do my best work when I let the art choose the artist. I am endlessly fascinated by the natural world. Some of my fondest memories are of moments when I have had rare and intimate encounters with nature. There are so many profound lessons and opportunities for reflection when you allow yourself to be a part of it.

Tell us about your product and what separates it from similar products? My relief sculpture is made from 8-12 layers of FSC certified Baltic Birch. It takes north of 100 hours to create the design files for each piece. I seek to draw the viewer into a deeper reflection of my subjects through the use of color and depth while allowing the warmth of wood to complete our connection with the piece and the natural world.

What do you love about your work? Everything! I have truly found my passion. It can be a struggle to find balance between my creativity and the business of what I do, but when it comes together, it is very fulfilling. My studio is in our home, so I am able to spend more time with my wife, who also works from home, and our 18-month-old son (which can be a challenge at times), but I love it.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve heard when it comes to chasing your dreams?

I love this quote from Wendell Berry…

“It may be that when we no longer know what to do, we have come to our real work,

And when we no longer know which way to go, we have begun our real journey.”

And I’ll add…Follow your dreams, they already know the way.