By The Sea Lecture Series

Join us after hours for a lecture series featuring local scientists, conservationists, and photographers with brews!

Unwrap The Waves

Loggerhead Marinelife Center's Unwrap the Wave Initiative allows for students and community members to get into the "spirit" of conservation by collecting their candy wrappers from Halloween and recycling them.

September 2018 Newsletter

CEO CHATTER WITH JACK LIGHTON

 

Jack LightonDear Friends of LMC,

Welcome to September! Here in Palm Beach County, we continue to monitor our prolific nesting beaches, and it is wonderful to know that with the help of our community, we have been fortunate to welcome thousands of nesting sea turtles to our local beaches. As of today, we have 11,925 sea turtle nests on our beach and although nesting season officially ends on October 31, it is important to know that sea turtle nests will continue to hatch until the end of the year. Did you know that last season the ‘last’ nest hatched out on Nov. 28, 2017. Thank you for helping us host a very successful sea turtle nesting season.

As we move through September and into October, we have a number of wonderful events to share with you and hope you will join us!

Beaches, Bars, Burgers and Brews: Sunday September 23 @ Eau Palm Beach Resort and Spa
LMC is honored to again partner with Eau Palm Beach Resort and Spa for their Third Annual Burger & Beer Bash! You are invited to join us at Eau’s Third Annual Burger & Craft Beer Bash at the gorgeous Breeze Ocean Kitchen. Sunday Brunch will be hosted in this stunning location and will offer a beautiful oceanfront view at the Forbes Five-Star Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa

Chefs from Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa will pair with your favorite local breweries to compete for the best burger, craft beer and pairing. Live entertainment from Jay Stollman and Renan Nerone will provide delightful melodies against the majestic blue backdrop of the Atlantic Ocean. Featured breweries in attendance include: Due South, Copperpoint, Funky Buddha, SaltWater and Tequesta.

Did you know that Eau Palm Beach switched out all of their single use plastic straws for paper straws?  Additionally, Eau Palm Beach sponsored an LMC sea turtle patient, “Eau-tis”, recently released into the ocean at the Resort. Eau-tis has a GPS tracker and can be tracked HERE.

Tickets, which include copious amounts of beer and burgers, live entertainment, and a stunning oceanfront view are $65 per person. A portion of all ticket proceeds will be donated to Loggerhead Marinelife Center. We hope you will join us.

Lets get ready to Go Blue – Florida’s largest ocean conservation awards event:

A Decade of Impact: Go Blue Awards – Kick off Celebration Monday, September 17:
This month we will officially kick off our Tenth Annual Go Blue Awards process at our Blue Friends Society Social where we will announce the finalists for this year’s Tenth Annual Go Blue Awards Luncheon. This fun event will take place on Monday, September 17 at the beautiful Hilton West Palm Beach and is complementary for Blue Friends Society Members. Guests can RSVP for a small fee of $25 which provides a beautiful evening at the Hilton, two cocktails, and appetizers. Please note there is a $5 charge for valet parking at the Hilton. We hope you will join us as we reveal – and celebrate – the finalists for Florida’s largest ocean conservation awards event. Awards will be presented at the Go Blue Awards Luncheon on October 26.

Go Blue Awards Luncheon – Moving to West Palm Beach’s Kravis Center – Friday, October 26
Over the past ten years, the Go Blue Awards Luncheon has grown into Florida’s largest ocean conservation awards event. Historically, this event was hosted in the North end of Palm Beach County and welcomed over 550 guests. Due to exciting demand this year, we have moved our event to the beautiful Kravis Center and can now welcome up to 700 guests. Once again, the Go Blue Awards will be presented by Manatee Lagoon, An FPL Eco-Discovery Center. This year’s keynote address will be given by Jeff Corwin, an American biologist and Emmy Award winning wildlife conservationist, known to host many TV series including ABC’s Ocean Treks with Jeff Corwin. LMC’s Go Blue Awards garners significant local, national and international acclaim, and we hope that you will join us in celebrating the work of our finalists and recipients as we join forces to increase our ocean conservation efforts.

Rounding out the month of October, we have some excellent events to share with you which will get you in the mood for the Fall holiday season:

1.) Fletch’s Fall Festival – Saturday, October 20
Join us on campus with your little hatchlings as LMC makes its way toward the Fall Holiday Season! During this free family friendly event, guests will be able to preview and partake in our updated Fall education and conservation programs. Our lovable mascot, Fletch, will be on campus and available for meet and greets and wonderful photos in our Fall-themed courtyard. Debuting at this event will be PNC Bank’s exciting Grow Up Great Mobile Learning Adventure.

2.) Second Annual Honda Classic Cares Bear Trap Bash – Saturday, October 27
Join LMC as a partner to this amazing annual adult Halloween party which raises much needed funds for the Honda Classic Cares foundation and the many local non-profit organizations they support in Palm Beach County. When you purchase your tickets, please ensure you choose Loggerhead Marinelife Center as your charitable organization. TICKETS

As we rapidly move towards the end of sea turtle nesting season, officially over October 31, we ask for your continued help to keep our beaches clean and dark, which helps to ensure sea turtle hatchlings make their way into the ocean as safely as possible. Sea turtles tell us the health of the ocean and the ocean tells us the health of our planet.

We thank you for helping us expand our mission and our impact, and we look forward to visiting with you on campus soon.

With Gratitude,
Jack E. Lighton

PS: The Holiday season is right around the corner. LMC is expanding and a great gift idea is a customized engraved brick paver, which will be placed on our expanded campus. Customized brick pavers start at $250. In addition to our brick pavers, there are many very unique naming opportunities available within our expansion. View our paver opportunities and our full naming list HERE.


Save the Date

Tenth Annual Go Blue Awards Luncheon – October 26, 2018 – Kravis Center, West Palm Beach

The Tenth Annual Go Blue Awards Luncheon, featuring Jeff Corwin as special guest & keynote speaker, will recognize businesses, nonprofits and individuals who have promoted, implemented, or contributed to a “Blue” lifestyle of marine conservation. Awards will be given to those who are leading the way in raising awareness and have made significant contributions to improve and protect our oceans, beaches and wildlife.

This year’s luncheon keynote speaker is Jeff Corwin. Since his early childhood, Jeff has had a passion for wildlife and today, he is recognized as a global leader in exploration and conservation. Presently, Jeff is Executive Producer and Host of the ABC television series Ocean Treks. Jeff also formerly hosted Ocean Mysteries. In March of 2015, Ocean Mysteries went viral when a scientific research team along with Jeff, discovered the world’s largest freshwater fish. The record-breaking giant freshwater stingray, caught in Thailand’s Mae Klong River, was over 14 feet long and 8 feet wide.

ATTEND


Fletch’s Fall Festival– Join us for a FREE family event on Saturday, October 20 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. that is sure to be a turtle-y fun time for the whole family. Celebrate the return of our winter public programming with FREE programs offered throughout the day. Your hatchlings can enjoy mommy & me paint, wild child sensory stations, guided tours, family field trips with hammock hikes and living beaches. Join us for the PNC Grow Up Great Mobile Learning Adventure featuring craft activities, STEAM learning station and more! We will even have a special visit from Dr. Logger and meet & greets with our lovable mascot, Fletch!


Beaches, Bars, Burgers and Brews – Sunday, September 23 @ Eau Palm Beach Resort and Spa

LMC is honored to again partner with Eau Palm Beach Resort and Spa for their Third Annual Burger & Beer Bash! You are invited to join us at Eau’s Third Annual Burger & Craft Beer Bash at the gorgeous Breeze Ocean Kitchen. Sunday Brunch will be hosted in this stunning location and will offer a beautiful oceanfront view at the Forbes Five-Star Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa.

ATTEND


SAFE TRAVELS

J.I.C.

Tiffany

Seabastian

At Tiffany & Seabastian’s Release

 

This past month we released three sea turtle patients, J.I.C., Tiffany and Seabastian after they finished recovering in our Sea Turtle Hospital.

Tiffany was named in honor of Tiffany & Co. for its longstanding support of LMC for the past 10 years at our Go Blue Awards. Tiffany & Co. has a strong commitment to the environment, and we applaud their core values – that it is your moral duty to sustain the natural environment and actively work to positively affect communities and protect the planet. Thank you for the support Tiffany & Co. and for coming out to the release!

J.I.C was named in honor of Jupiter Inlet Colony a beautiful town nestled on the southern end of Jupiter Island in Palm Beach County, FL. The beaches of Jupiter Inlet Colony are among the most densely nested sea turtle beaches in the world. We were so happy that we were able to release J.I.C. at Jupiter Inlet Colony. Safe travels J.I.C!

Seabastian is just a cute name for a sea turtle! Safe travels Seabastian!


What’s new in Rehab?

Nicole Montgomery, Hospital Manager for the Sea Turtle Hospital at Loggerhead Marinelife Center, recently attended the 2018 Association of Zoo Veterinary Technicians (AZVT) Conference in Columbus, Ohio. This is a three-day-long conference comprised of talks from veterinary technicians from around the country. The talks provided the required continuing education credits for Nicole’s veterinary technician certification. A wide variety of topics were covered from new and innovative techniques or procedures to very interesting case studies.
In past conferences, Nicole presented on the innovative parenteral nutrition delivery method that was developed at LMC and their findings of plastic ingestion in sea turtle patients. Both presentations were well received and still talked about at the most recent conference. Several technicians have brought back the information to their zoos and aquariums to implement changes from what they learned from Nicole’s presentations. Most recently, Nicole was told that the gift stores at a few zoos no longer carry stuffed animals with nerdles (microplastics beads) in them due to the findings from what LMC has been seeing in our small sea turtle patients. This really is an amazing conference to share incredible work by so many veterinary technicians as well as best practices. Nicole and the hospital team at LMC are thrilled to be part of such an organization.

 

 


Conservation Corner

Turtle Tuesday Beach Cleanup
On August 14, Loggerhead Marinelife Center’s Conservation Department expanded its partnership with the Worth Avenue Association, by attending the Turtle Tuesday Beach Cleanup in Palm Beach. After the cleanup, LMC’s Conservation Team took all trash collected back to Loggerhead to be sorted and recorded, further adding to our marine debris database.

Thank you to the Turtle Tuesday beach cleanups for allowing us to be part of their cleanup efforts and for helping to keep our beaches clean during nesting season. The next and last cleanup of the season will be held on Tuesday, October 9.

August Sort Report
Every month, following each Blue Friends Society and private beach cleanup event, Loggerhead Marinelife Center’s Conservation Department sorts and records each piece of debris removed from the beach.

In August, eleven beach cleanups were evaluated, with 7,427 pieces of debris removed from Florida’s beaches. Data shows that 89.61% of the trash collected this month was plastic.

The strangest items found were; a cat ear headband, a doll arm and a set of paint.


Nesting News

Jager

As of August 31, we have recorded 11,882 nests along our survey area (154 leatherback, 10,969 loggerhead and 759 green turtle nests).

Leatherback, loggerhead and green sea turtles each have about a four-month-long nesting season. The first species to nest on our beaches are the leatherbacks, followed by the loggerheads and last to come ashore are the green turtles. All three species can be found nesting alongside one another in June to early July.

 

 


Knowledge is power!

Winter programming is back at LMC! October marks the return of our popular winter programs, including Mommy & Me Paint, Guided Tours, Dr. Logger Show, Jr. Vet Lab and more. Register for each program on your desired date.

 REGISTER

 

Loggerhead Marinelife Center is continuing the “Marine Science Academy” (MSA) program that will introduce students to interdisciplinary topics in marine science and ocean conservation.

Funded by the Loxahatchee Club Educational Foundation, MSA is open to high school students (grades 9-12) within Palm Beach and Martin Counties. Over the course of the 2018-2019 academic school year, students will participate in outings, trainings, workshops, and service opportunities. There is no fee associated with membership.

MSA activities will include:

  • Field Experiences (kayaking, snorkeling, using transects and quadrants to estimate percent cover)
  • Aquatic and marine species collection and observation
  • Citizen Science training (species counts, sky quality monitoring, marine debris removal)
  • Topics in marine biology, coastal ecology, oceanography, and marine geology
  • Topics in ocean careers
  • Conservation projects
  • Volunteering with Loggerhead Marinelife Center (all members must volunteer at LMC a minimum of 40 hours during Fall 2018 – Summer 2019)

WHEN: Meetings will be held once a month during the school year beginning in October 2018 and ending in April 2019, with additional activities and field trips added as needed.

WHERE: Meetings will be held at Loggerhead Marinelife Center: 14200 US Highway One, Juno Beach, FL, 33408, with associated activities and field trips in and around the Jupiter area.

REGISTER


Eco-Adventure Series: Debris-Free Seas Waterway Cleanup
Join LMC Staff on Sunday, September 4 from 9am-11am at Anchorage Park in Lake Park for a guided tour of our local waterways and help keep the seas clean, blue and trash free along the way. To learn more or to register, please visit marinelife.org/eco. Cost: $25.00/ person, including kayak and all gear. You are also welcome to bring your own kayak or paddleboard. Collection bags, removal tools included for all participants. Prizes available for most trash collected and most interesting item. Recommended for ages 16+ (Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. Minimum 12 years of age)

REGISTER


 VOLUNTEER Spotlight


For the
month of August, we would like to recognize a volunteer who goes above and beyond to provide an excellent experience for our guests at LMC. Sherry Ring has earned the distinction of Volunteer of the Month. Sherry started volunteering with us in 2015. Since then, she has logged over 700 hours in our Education department. Sherry is part of our outstanding Saturday afternoon docent crew. She is one of our go-to’s for programs and gives friendly and knowledgeable tours.

Sherry also serves as one of our dedicated Turtle Walk volunteers during the summer months. She is not only dependable but also quick to fill in when we need additional help. We are lucky to have her on our team. Thank you to Sherry for all of her hard work and dedication here at LMC!

 


Mascot Corner: Just Keep Swimming!

“Gilly, what’s for lunch, a delicious moon jelly?”
“Whoa there, Gilly!”

Hello Friends,

Fletch here, the loveable and huggable Loggerhead Marinelife Center mascot. On August 21, “Fletch the Explorer” took a trip to the west coast of Florida to visit two mascot friends, Gilly the shark and Winter the dolphin. It was a long swim to Sarasota to visit Gilly at Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium. I had several detours since red tide is really bad in the Sarasota area. The local paper had several articles on the impact red tide is having on my marine life friends. The paper quoted a figure of 2,000+ tons of dead marine life, (fish, manatees, dolphins and sea turtles) that have been removed from west coast beaches. To put the red tide impact on marine life into perspective, that’s equal to a herd of 286+ seven-ton elephants. Once I arrived at Mote on Wednesday, August 22, I spent time with Gilly interacting with aquarium guests, high flipper fives, low flipper fives, dancing and, of course, one or two selfies. I even tried to eat lunch at the moon jelly tank, but Gilly stopped me, so we ate lunch at the aquarium’s “Deep Sea Diner,” after Gilly tried to eat my flipper. Then, it was back in the water for a short swim to Clearwater Marine Aquarium, just up the coast. 

Hanging out with guests!

On Thursday morning, August 23, I met Winter at Clearwater Marine Aquarium for a tur-te-ly funtastic visit. Winter gave me a tour of the Aquarium and introduced Fletch to a movie star named Rufus, a Great White Pelican from the Dolphin Tale movies. We also met a river otter named Walle and several sea turtles that live at the Aquarium, because they are not releasable due to injuries. Both Winter and Fletch spent time with guests, dancing, high flipper fives and low flipper fives and, of course, pictures. Winter and Fletch both love to have their picture taken with guests, especially a good selfie moment.

We met a movie star named Rufus!

After spending the day with Winter, it was back in the water for my swim home to Juno Beach. It was a very short but fun trip visiting two funtastic friends. If you are in the Clearwater or Sarasota area, stop by and visit Clearwater Aquarium and Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium. When you see my friends Winter and Gilly, say Hi, give them a high five or a low five, and take a selfie. They would love to meet you! Where will “Fletch the Explorer” go next?

 

 


Adoption Spotlight

Our sub-adult loggerhead, Gavin is now on the adoption list! This past February, Gavin was found in the Intracoastal Waterway at DuBois Park with a hook imbedded in its skin, anemia and overall poor health due to starvation. Luckily, Gavin has been slowly recovering ever since. Show your support for this tough turtle and adopt! All proceeds go toward the care of our patients.

ADOPT


Shop where it counts

Toss the habit of tossing out plastic! Get your own set of reusable to-go ware! This handy set comes with a fork, knife and spoon, chopsticks, and a glass straw with a pipe cleaner! Available for kids too! Shop all of our sustainable products and#GoPlasticFreewithLMC

SHOP

   

 


Vendor Spotlight: Coastal Obsession

Name: Nance Gentile
Gift Store Items/Business: Coastal Obsession
Location of business: Tequesta, Florida

Dream Superpower: Hmmmmm… that’s a good one! I feel there is not enough Empathy in the world. So, as my superpower with the blink of my eye (genie style) maybe arms crossed too, I would make people kinder, able to think of others, maybe what they’ve been through. They would look at the world around them and think, “What can I do to help others and the planet, not so quick to judge others, but instead embrace them?” WOW, wouldn’t that be nice!

How was your business founded? Coastal Obsession was founded because I have a strong belief that if you have a passion for something and can combine it with giving back to help others, happiness will follow and everyone wins!

What was the inspiration? My inspiration is the ocean, the beaches and its inhabitants. For us to survive, we must make sure they survive.

What was the initial response to the designs? The response was and continues to be awesome! A lot of our graphics reflect the feelings of our customers. People like to show and support what they feel in their hearts, kind of like wearing their hearts on their sleeves or in our case…wearing their feelings on our T-shirts.

Tell us about your product and what separates it from similar products? Each one of our products has a story of its own. Some are collaborations with new artist with the same mindset as ours. Sometimes we like to send a message with our graphics about the environment, or it could simply be something I think would be amazing to wear. But, all that are sold go to help 1% for the Planet, a nonprofit we believe in, and Loggerhead Marinelife Center, another nonprofit near and dear to our hearts. We donate the race bags each year for “Run 4 the Sea”. There are other brands out there that give back. We each have our own unique style with the same goal in mind. We’re happy to be part of a club like that.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve heard when it comes to chasing your dreams? Never give up, and stay true to yourself! Both pieces of advice, I gave to myself.  🙂

What do you love about your work? I love that it’s always changing – styles, trends, and what’s happening in the world. It’s fun and exciting to stay current.

Where do you find ideas for your designs? I get ideas from what I like, or what I would like to wear. I’m very visual, so I’m always looking around for new colors, styles, sayings, things going on in the world to draw positive attention to. For example, our shark shirt that says, “Without them we are extinct”, or “Anything war can do peace can do better”. I guess my feelings are that you can try to change the world and look cool doing it!


THANK YOU TO OUR outstanding SUPPORTERS!

This month, we would like to thank the Wintemute Family for their generous donation of $5,000.00 to our Conservation Department. This contribution will help fund our plastic free initiatives and campus sustainability projects. We are excited to put this funding to use! 

Thank you to Jeff Sabin from Waste Management for participating in the 2018 Golf Tournament at Seminole Golf Club. Proceeds from this event directly support LMC’s mission, and Jeff has been a generous supporter for many years. 

Thank you to Chili’s for hosting two give-back nights at their Jupiter location. Twenty percent of the event day sales were donated to our research department, totaling over $400.00. Donations like these allow us to continue to expand our research projects and keep striving to be the leading authority in sea turtle research, education and rehabilitation.

A special thank you to our Blue Friends Society September Beach Clean-up Sponsor: James  P. Stanton, CFP V.P. Wealth Management. We appreciate our sponsors who allow us to continue to invite hundreds of people to clean the beach each month. To date, we’ve collected over 12,000 pounds of trash!


MANATEE LAGOON

Have you ever visited Manatee Lagoon – An FPL Eco-Discovery Center? We are thankful to have this wonderful partner in conservation here in the Palm Beaches. During your visit, you’ll learn about manatee and ocean conservation. While attending the Center, you may see a few manatees in the lagoon and learn about how manatees play an integral role in the overall health of Florida’s ecosystems.

We encourage you to take the time to share information about the gentle sea cow, especially if you live in South Florida or a place where manatees congregate during manatee season. The Manatee Masters at Manatee Lagoon will provide you with all of the educational materials you will need to spread awareness. For additional information about manatees, please refer to Manatee Lagoon’s activity calendar.

LMC is grateful to partner with Manatee Lagoon, which features a multifunctional educational center, a manatee webcam, two levels of observation areas and so much more. We are excited to watch the center grow as a world-class educational facility in Palm Beach County. Together, we can continue to raise awareness about the sea turtle and the manatee, and help inspire our neighbors, friends and family to be leaders of ocean conservation. Pre-registration is required for events.

September Activities 

Manatee Lagoon Tour – Join us on a walking tour of our visitor center and learn about manatee anatomy, physiology and the importance of GPS tracking devices, as well as the Lake Worth Lagoon.

Mindful Moments Yoga (Adult) – Join Manatee Lagoon for yoga classes against the beautiful calming backdrop of Lake Worth Lagoon.

Manatee Tales Story Time – Listen as a Manatee Master storyteller reads colorful books about aquatic species that live in Lake Worth Lagoon. Children ages 2 to 5 are welcome.

Junior Aqua Lab – A series of four experimental activities that deal with some of the properties of water. Ages 9 to 14.

Children’s Art Class – Held every Saturday. Express your creativity with a different art theme each week.

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