Kendra Cope and Mayor John Cotugno. PHOTO BY JOSHUA KODIS

Coastal Connections, a local sea turtle conservation group, hosted a Shell’ebration Sunday Brunch Affair at The Moorings Yacht and Country Club to help further its mission to protect coastal habitats for sea turtle survival by educating and connecting people to the environment.

Five of the seven sea turtle species nest on Florida beaches – leatherback, loggerhead, green, hawksbill and Kemp’s ridley.

When sea turtle populations began to decline as a result of human encroachment into their habitats, the Endangered Species Act, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this December, designated sea turtles as threatened or endangered. Today, through the hard work, education and awareness campaigns of groups such as Coastal Connections, the tides have begun to turn and positive progress has been made.

Coming off an incredible, record-breaking sea turtle nesting season, the nonprofit had much to “shell’ebrate.” Guests enjoyed a brunch buffet, awards ceremony and auction, all to support their programs and initiatives.

“We have one of the highest density nesting beaches in the entire world here in our backyard,” said Kendra Cope Bergman, CC founder and executive director.

“Florida represents 90 percent of sea turtle nesting across the United States. So, the State of Florida is critically important for the recovery of all species of sea turtles.”

Bergman explained that the initiatives created by Coastal Connections mean that “all people get to be a part of the incredible conservation success story of sea turtles here.”

The initiatives include Turtle Connections, Travel for Turtles, Vero Goes Zero and Sea Turtle Friendly Certified Hotels.

This year, the Shores Resort & Spa in Daytona and Costa d’Este Beach Resort & Spa in Vero Beach were recognized for installing sea turtle-friendly lighting, keeping the beaches natural, providing guest education and improving sustainability.

In other exciting news, Megan Lynch, CC board president, unveiled the nonprofit’s new logo.

“We felt like a brand refresh was necessary because we had evolved from a small, Vero Beach-based turtle rescue and rehabilitation organization into an organization that was starting to have more initiatives, more programs, and a larger presence.” Bergman also shared that as of December, Coastal Connections will be located on the second floor of the Vero Tackle & Watersports building next to Riverside Cafe. The new location will provide meeting space on the deck, office space, and a shop where you can purchase Coastal Connections merchandise, along with some works by local artisans and vendors.

In addition to auctions, there was a Flippers Up version of a traditional call to the heart to support the Coastal Connections Annual Drive campaign to fund educational sea turtle walks, school field trips and their internship program, all of which help create connections to these giant, gentle reptiles. It will also go toward the purchase of satellite tags, a van outfitted for turtle rescue and outreach, and a trailer for coastal cleanup supplies; and to refurbish some of the sea turtle statues around town created for the Mental Health Association.

Coastal Connections supporter Anthony DeChellis generously committed to match every dollar raised during the Shell’ebration. They have raised $86,000 of the $100,000 goal of the drive, which ended on Dec. 31.

Prepare your running shoes for the Vero Beach Half Marathon and Sea Turtle 2-Miler on Jan. 21 to benefit Coastal Connections.

For information, visit Coastal-Connections.org.

Photos by Joshua Kodis