S H O R T S H O R T S • •
15
THE CENTER IS OPEN FOR PUBLIC TOURS
June through August on Thursdays and Saturdays from 2-4 p.m.
It’s located at 302 Tortuga Lane, the only building on the lane.
910-329-0222 • www.seaturtlehospital.org
www.wrightsvillebeachmagazine.com WBM
SEA TURTLES EACH year, from May to
August, Wrightsville Beach is
home to some treasured visi-tors:
loggerhead sea turtles
(and an occasional green). All of the
eggs are protected by the Wrightsville
Beach Sea Turtle Project, a group of
volunteers that guards the nests and
performs excavations to make sure that,
when the babies hatch, they make it
into the ocean safely. These excavations
are open to the public, and are an excit-ing
opportunity to see the hatchlings
up close. If you attend an excavation, it
is important to be mindful of the turtles’
safety and not touch the hatchlings or
using flash photography, which can
temporarily blind them. At all times, it
is very important to keep your distance
from nesting or injured turtles.
Founded in 1997 by executive director Jean Beasley, Animal
Planet’s “2007 Hero of the Year,” the center’s mission is to
conserve and protect all species of marine turtles, both in the water
and on the beach; to rescue, rehabilitate and release sick and injured sea turtles;
to inform and educate the public regarding the plight of all sea turtles and the threat of
their extinction; and to provide a hands-on learning site for students of biology, wildlife
conservation and/or veterinary medicine from around the world.
— Mackenzie Tewksbury
Karen Beasley
SEA TURTLE RESCUE AND REHABILITATION
CENTER
IF YOU HAPPEN UPON A
SEA TURTLE ON THE BEACH
Call Nancy Fahey
(910) 791-4541 or
(910) 612-3047
DAY OR NIGHT.