A very special ‘turtle hatching’ took place at the Sebastian Inlet State Park Museum as representatives from Friends of Sebastian Inlet State Park and the Mental Health Association unveiled the first Indian River County MHA Turtle statue created since 2007.
The shell of this newest turtle, painted by artist Steve Diossy, features a wave cresting over the beach that is brilliantly lit with sunlight, as fish swim the ocean’s depths.
“I am an avid surfer and I get a special thrill out of seeing a turtle riding the wave with me,” said Diossy who generously donated his time to painting the turtle sculpture.
“I painted a turtle for the original Turtle Trax campaign back in 2007 by the Mental Health Association as a fundraising effort. The life-size turtles were auctioned off and placed all over town, creating awareness about mental health. I was honored then to participate and even more honored now to do the first turtle revival.”
This new turtle resurgence was initiated by Addy Finegan, recently retired Park Service specialist, who had admired the turtles that continue to grace our town.
Phoning the MHA, she connected with Amy Wagner, director of marketing and fund development, and inquired about securing one for the park. It was a perfect match as the MHA had been seeking an avenue to highlight the benefits of spending time outdoors to combat stress and mental illness.
“I am a personal fan of artist Steve Diossy and saw that he had painted a turtle for Turtle Trax, so we approached him about doing one for us,” Finegan said. “He immediately agreed.”
Finegan next approached the Friends of the Sebastian Inlet to raise the $10,000 needed to fund the project. They rallied 10 generous members who each contributed $1,000 to make it a reality.
“This turtle truly represents the community spirit of Sebastian and their love for the park,” said Finegan.
Wagner hopes that this will be the precursor to many more ‘turtle hatchings’ around the county.
“Anyone interested in underwriting one of these majestic turtles can call the Mental Health Association and we’ll make it happen,” said Wagner.
The Sebastian Inlet State Park, which connects the Indian River Lagoon to the Atlantic Ocean, also offers seven miles of winding trails through mangrove forests, coastal strand dunes and maritime hammock forests. Its access provides visitors with a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in ‘blue spacing’ and ‘green spacing’ (bodies of water and nature), which research indicates can reduce stress and anxiety, and improve mental health.
For more information, visit mhairc.org or FriendsOfSebastianInletStatePark.org.
Photos provided
