SAVANNAH SCIENCE MUSEUM INC
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Mission Statement
The Caretta Research Project (CRP) is a hands-on research, conservation and education project that monitors and protects threatened loggerhead sea turtles on Wassaw National Wildlife Refuge (GA). As one of the longest running sea turtle conservation projects in the United States, the CRP has been committed to the recovery of the North Atlantic loggerhead population through research and protection over the last four decades and has always done so though the involvement and education of community volunteers.
About This Cause
The Savannah Science Museum began the CRP in 1972, in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The summer of 2016 marks the 44th year of the sea turtle research and conservation program on Wassaw Island, GA, making it one of the longest running tagging projects on the eastern coast of the United States. The objectives are to: - learn more about population levels, trends and nesting habits of loggerhead sea turtles; - enhance the survival of eggs and hatchlings on a nesting beach where loss to predators and beach erosion have historically been high; and - educate and involve the public in research and conservation efforts for the loggerhead turtle. Two aspects of the CRP make it unique and extremely worthwhile. First, the CRP is one of the longest running loggerhead research organizations engaged in saturation tagging. The CRP has amassed 43 years of data, which has proved invaluable to helping coastal managers establish necessary conservation practices. As a result, the CRP is regularly sought out by research institutions to collaborate on research projects and we have recently expanded our educational programming, scientific collaborations and publications. Second, the CRP has a longstanding commitment to education and community involvement, and the bulk of the labor required to patrol at night for nesting turtles, to protect their nests from predators, and collect data for research is performed by paying volunteers, which is truly unique among other research projects. Such community involvement is critical for increasing public awareness and appreciation of the value of scientific research in conservation and management. CRP volunteers are also directly involved with saving sea turtles by protecting eggs and hatchlings that would otherwise have been lost. Lastly, but mostly importantly, CRP volunteers return to their hometowns all over the world with the knowledge and experience to be ambassadors for the plight of our world’s sea turtles. Why is the Caretta Research Project important? Conservation: Conservation: In 2008, USFWS and NMFS released the Recovery Plan for the Northwest Atlantic Population of Loggerhead Sea Turtles. Activities on Wassaw Island are instrumental in covering 3 of the recovery objectives listed in this plan: 1) Ensure that the number of nests increases and that this increase corresponds to an increase in the number of nesting females. We have had a significant increase in the number of nests throughout the years, and we have seen an increasing trend in the number of individual turtles since 1973. 2) Implement scientifically based management plans. We have been asked for our historic data and asked to collect specific data for research that has contributed to management plans: • We provided individual turtle measurements to NMFS to reassess and then enlarge TED (Trawler Excluder Device) openings to reduce drowning in shrimp nets. • Our long-term data was essential in looking at nesting trends for the 2008 Recovery Plan for the Northwest Atlantic Population of Loggerhead Sea Turtles • We also helped determine that relocating nests is not detrimental to eggs or hatchlings, and that relocation can be crucial in assuring that nests are safe from spring tides. 3) Minimize nest predation, increasing hatchling production and in-water abundance of juveniles.We put two types of screening over all nests shortly after deposition to protect them from raccoon and fox predation and to ensure the highest hatchling success possible. Scientific: Current Collaborative Research University of Georgia: This will be the tenth year we will collect biopsies and eggshells for Dr. Brian Shamblin's genetics research. This is part of a longterm, geographically extensive project that will ultimately allow us to more accurately estimate the number of females nesting in the southeastern U.S., as well as other biological parameters (i.e., annual clutch frequency, nest site fidelity, internesting intervals, and much more). Archie Carr Center for Sea Turtle Research, University of Florida: Hannah Vander Zanden and Joe Pfaller are using stable isotope analyses to determine the foraging strategies of nesting loggerheads. Armstrong Atlantic State University: We collect unhatched eggs and cloacal swabs from nesting turtles to investigate bacterial and fungal infestation in nests as possible causes of nest failure. We will continue to collect for our collaborative partners in the 2016 season. Educational: This project is designed to increase the public’s a) appreciation for the environment and natural resources, b) understanding of the necessity for sea turtle management; and c) participation in marine conservation and research. Here people come face to face with conflicts and choices associated with efforts to preserve a threatened species. Without the protection by the staff and volunteers of the Caretta Research Project, most of the nests would be lost to erosion or predation. The number of hatchlings entering the ocean would be nearly zero. Volunteers: Volunteers have come primarily from all over the United States, and we have had participants from Canada, Denmark, France, Switzerland and England as well. Ages have ranged from 12-78 years old. Last year we had 88 volunteers participate on the project. Thirty-seven (42%) had participated on the project before. Forty-three volunteers (49%) were high school and college students, some focusing on biological or environmental studies. Teachers: We also have had many teacher volunteers over the years: four have been from local schools, six from Georgia and at least four from all over the US. Most have incorporated what they’ve learned into lesson plans in their classrooms, and have recruited quite a few student volunteers. In 2012, one of our volunteers, a teacher from Kennesaw State University received funding for one teacher and three teacher candidates to participate on the CRP. This partnership was so successful that they brought six teachers/students in 2013, 13 in 2014, 14 in 2015 and have proposed to bring more in 2016. These students must use their experiences on Wassaw to develop curricula on sea turtle biology and conservation as well as other environmental topics on the Georgia’s coast. Presentations/Workshops/Publications: We are consistant contributors to scientific conferences, i.e. the Southeastern Regional Sea Turtle Meetings and the International Sea Turtle Symposia. Additionally, we continue to teach local school groups and do presentations for civic groups. We also continue to publish in peer-reviewed scientific journals, as you can see on our website at www.carettaresearchproject.org. Financial: We are one of the few projects that demonstrate how governmental agencies can accurately and adequately collect and distribute conservation and management information without allocating state or federal funds. This is important because since state and federal budgets are often cut, certain aspects of sea turtle protection programs on some islands are also cut. We depend on participant revenue, grants and individual and corporate contributions to fund the operating costs of the project. ACCOMPLISHMENTS SINCE 1973: - added over 1,461 turtles to the tagged loggerhead population; - monitored 3,698 nests containing nearly 406,000 eggs; - successfully released over 263,045 hatchlings into the ocean; - trained 22 interns who have gone to other environmental / educational programs; and - involved and educated more than 3,000 volunteers from all over the world in sea turtle conservation efforts.