INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Cameras and cellphones at the ready, crowds of well-wishers snapped away bright and early last Saturday and Sunday morning as four local loggerhead sea turtles – two each from the beaches of Disney’s Vero Beach Resort and the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge – became participants in the Sea Turtle Conservancy’s annual Tour de Turtles Migration Marathon.
Each summer, Floridians are privileged to view sea turtles as they lumber up onto our shores to nest. But little was known about where they spend the rest of the year until a couple of decades ago, when satellite-tracking opened up a whole new understanding of the watery lives of these ancient, endangered creatures. This year’s nesting season has been a good one, with Indian River County numbers indicating 4,584 loggerhead, 1,079 green and 49 leatherback sea turtles as of mid-July.
Now, thanks to Tour de Turtles, everyone can view their migratory patterns while learning about the many man-made hazards that threaten their existence. During the three-month marathon, six loggerhead (one rehabilitated), two green, three hawksbill and two leatherback turtles, released from nesting beaches in Florida, Costa Rica, Panama and Nevis, will “compete” to swim the furthest distance from Aug. 2 through Oct. 31. Every bit as important, each turtle swims for a Cause Challenge to raise money and public awareness to combat threats to sea turtles and marine conservation.
Friday evening, researchers waited patiently until two sea turtles by Disney had completed the nesting process before transporting them to a Start Gate. As they rested, tracking devices, which transmit each time a turtle surfaces to breathe, were attached to their carapaces.
In the morning, to the delight of onlookers cheering them on, Tinker Bell, whose cause is light pollution, and Marina, who is swimming against the tide of plastic debris filling the ocean, made their way back to the sea. Disney has sponsored the release of 13 turtles since the start of Tour de Turtles in 2008.
“We spent all night finding these turtles. I love seeing the light shining in people’s eyes when they get excited about sea turtles,” said Blair Witherington, Senior Sea Turtle Biologist with Disney’s Animal Programs. “To save the sea turtles we need people to love them and protect them, which even people living in interior states can do by cleaning up their trash and litter in rivers.”
The weekend also featured a Tour de Turtles Social and Silent Auction to benefit Sea Turtle Conservancy at the Barrier Island Center, where guests bid on donated auction items, supped at tables on the deck overlooking the ocean while listening to the band 23 Treez, and mingling with STC scientists and volunteers.
Jill Uttridge and Rick Herren, who had been at Disney that morning, were amazed at the size of the two loggerheads released, especially Tinker Bell.
“They were huge!” said Uttridge. “Usually they’re around 300 pounds, but one of the researchers said that Tinker Bell was about 375 pounds. And she was beautiful!”
“I’ve seen thousands of loggerheads and that was the biggest one I’ve seen,” agreed Herren. “That turtle was pushing 400 pounds.”
Sunday morning saw a second crowd in support of the two released from the Barrier Island Center – Myrtle, whose cause is also plastic debris; and Dash, whose cause is the threat of commercial longline fisheries.
Visitors to the website www.tourdeturtles.org, can track the turtles’ progress and find information and interactive activities to help children learn about sea turtle conservation.
