Osa Sea Turtle Festival

(Guest post from Emily Angell of Osa Conservation)

September 18th represented the 3rd Annual Sea Turtle festival on Carate Beach. About 100 members of Carate, Puerto Jiménez, and surrounding communities participated in sea turtle discussions, presentations fun activities with the theme of conservation.

The festival began with an interactive discussion with children and adults about the principal biological characteristics of the Osa, the turtle species that nest here, and the objectives and activities of the Sea Turtle Conservation Program developed by Osa Conservation on the beaches of Piro, Pejeperro and Carate.

Club Ambiental Las Abejitas of the Saturnino Cedeño School, under Laura Castro’s direction, prepared a theatrical skit for the event about the life of a sea turtle and the natural hazards and human threats that they face as well as the precautions that we must take on the sea turtle nesting beaches.

Activities included games on the beach; turtle races and turtle sand castles, a quiz competition about Osa’s biodiversity and turtle activity booklet. All participants in the event received informative material about sea turtle conservation, stickers, posters, and t-shirts for those who correctly answered the most questions.

Thank you to everyone who helped make this year’s event a success in raising awareness of the importance of conserving these incredible species.

Special thanks to:

SEE Turtles, Luna Lodge, La Leona Lodge, ASCONA, Finca Exótica, Dereck Ferguson, Hacienda Río Oro, the Bellanero family, ACOSA, Tranquility, Frontier, Lapa Rios, Hoja de Osa School, Club Ambiental Las Abejitas, Laura Castro, and Mauricio Gutiérrez.

Interview with the Alaska Wildlife Alliance

(Editor's note: This post is the first in a series of interviews we will be doing with our conservation partners and tour operators)

The Alaska Wildlife Alliance is a grassroots organization founded in 1978 to "promote the integrity, beauty, and stability of Alaska's ecosystems, support true subsistence hunting, and recognize the intrinsic value of wildlife.

They are a small organization but have won major

victories against powerful opponents in the state government. SEEtheWILD supports their work by donating 5% of the trip cost of our two trips to Alaska (more info on trips below).

We asked Connie Brandel, Office Administrator for AWA, a few questions about their work:

1. What are some of AWA's biggest accomplishments?

Despite a small budget, we have succeeded in protecting wildlife over the past 30 years, including:

1996: AWA initiated and won a statewide ballot measure to stop airborne wolf hunting. (Unfortunately, per state law, all referendums “sunset” after 2 years, so airborne wolf hunting resumed.)

2000: We succeeded in defeating a ballot measure which would have allowed the State Legislature to amend the State Constitution to take away the right of citizens to use the ballot initiative process to protect wildlife.

2008: We aggressively supported another ballot initiative to ban airborne wolf hunting, but were defeated, largely because the lieutenant governor changed wording of the ballot language so that “no”, not “yes” was a vote to ban the practice.

2010: Rallied with other groups to defeat the legislative confirmation of an anti-wildlife crusader / trapper nominated to serve on the Alaska Board of Game.

2011: Organized and presented a forum entitled “Climate Change: The Plight of Polar Bears and the Phenomenon of Global Warming Denial”. The forum was held in Juneau in April; is available on DVD; and we are hoping to make presentations elsewhere in Alaska and Outside.

2. It looks like the bear trapping issue is the lead priority at the moment, is that right?

Yes, bear snaring is a specific priority at this time. This program of mismanagement includes the killing of sows with cubs in unlimited numbers, destroying at least two generations of bears. However, it is part of our ongoing and vital mission to bring attention to and end the state’s gross mismanagement of its wildlife resources. This includes the increased hunting and trapping of bears, as well as the ongoing intensive predator control programs (i.e. killing) of wolves, both done primarily to increase prey (moose and caribou) for urban and out of state trophy hunters.

Representatives of AWA and other wildlife groups will be meeting with the Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Fish & Game to open a dialog regarding unscientific wildlife management such as this. Unfortunately, such programs have become the norm in Alaska.

3. Is that an issue where people from the lower 48 can participate and make a difference?

Yes! Alaska’s magnificent wildlife is a unique resource that all Americans, not just Alaskans, should be able to enjoy. Even for those in the Lower 48 who never have or perhaps never will have the opportunity to visit Alaska, there is a benefit to knowing that the state’s wildlife is managed for all user groups. Alaska’s wildlife should be managed for the goal of stable, naturally functioning ecosystems, not the benefit of a few rich trophy hunters.

4. Are there other ways people can get involved?

Join our email list to receive our Alerts (scroll down to see the form). People must let their pro-wildlife views be known wherever and whenever possible. Some suggestions: write letters to the editor to local papers; write to their own and Alaska’s Senators and Representative; write to Alaska’s governor, Commissioner of Fish & Game and Board of Game; become active in AWA and other pro-wildlife groups. You can also email photographs you have taken of Alaska's animals to them at nancy@akwildlife.org.

“AWA is proud to join SEEtheWILD in this innovative partnership. These excursions will provide visitors to Alaska a unique opportunity to learn first-hand about our living ecosystems, and the indigenous wildlife that make them so magnificent. This partnership encourages visitors to become active participants in our vital wildlife conservation efforts. To quote conservationist and author Lois Crisler, ‘Wilderness without wildlife is just scenery’ ”, says Executive Director John Toppenberg.

SEEtheWILD offers two trips to Alaska that benefit AWA's programs:

Alaska By Sail: Get close to wild Alaska's tidewater glaciers, humpback whales, and enter the ancient rainforests aboard the Maple Leaf schooner. From $5,925 pp (including a $300 donation to AWA at no extra charge to you) / July 2012

Glaciers & Grizzlies: Visit some of Alaska's best wildlife habitats, including Denali and Glacier Bay National Parks. From $6,250 pp (including a $300 donation to AWA at no extra charge to you) / June - August 2012

Speak Out For The Environment

As the Congressional Super Committee pores through the federal budget looking for areas to cut, one of the more likely areas for reductions is environmental and conservation programs. Even though these critical programs that protect our air, water, and wildlife have been cut roughly 65% over the past 30 years, there are still those who think we should cut further. The powerful committee is made up of many representatives that have been outwardly hostile to efforts to protect the environment, 5 of the 12 members have environmental scores below 50% from the League of Conservation Voters.

Funding that is at risk includes the Wildlife Without Borders Program of the US Fish & Wildlife Service, which provides millions of dollars to protect endangered species around the world. The soil and habitat conservation programs of the Farm Bill are a big target, even though most of the subsidies go to large commodity farms. There is also a risk that this process will be used to pass legislation that would not pass the regular process such as drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Everyone recognizes the need to cut back on wasteful spending in these difficult times. However, we believe this emergency should be used as an opportunity to reduce the spending that hurts the environment and our citizens, such as the billions in subsidies for profitable oil companies. Cutting small environmental programs that have helped millions is not the way to revive our economy.

Here are a few ways to get involved from our friends at the Nature Conservancy:

Sign the Pledge and proclaim your support for the health of our American wilderness and the creatures that live there.

Speak Up For Nature and call your congressman, write to your senator or attend a town hall meeting to show support for conservation programs.

Share Your Story and inspire others to get involved.

Finding Hidden Hawksbills in the Eastern Pacific

(Ed. Note: This is a guest blog by SEE Turtles partner Alexander Gaos of the Eastern Pacific Hawksbill Initiative. This article was originally posted on the Conservation International Blog).

After 10 years of working with sea turtles in countries throughout Latin America, I thought I knew all the habitats where these animals could be found. Amazingly, the one place I hadn’t considered is now where I spend most of my time.

In 2008, when my wife Ingrid and I, accompanied by our one-year-old son Joaquinn, hopped in our beat-up truck and began scouring the Pacific coast of the Americas from Mexico to Panama in search of rarely reported hawksbill turtles, we expected to write a report summarizing how they were virtually impossible to find and that their chances of survival were nil. It made perfect sense at the time, as most experts indicated the species had been extirpated in the region.

However, our three-year study — published recently in the Royal Society journal Biology Letters — has completely changed what we thought we knew about these turtles.

For this study, we tracked hawksbill movements in four countries (El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Ecuador) using specialized transmitters that relay the turtles’ whereabouts via satellite. The principal findings of the research showed that adult hawksbill turtles in the eastern Pacific inhabit in-shore mangrove estuaries. This is a unique behavior that represents a new life history paradigm for this species and contrasts starkly with the open-coast, coral reef dwelling behavior typically associated with hawksbills in other parts of the world.

Why are turtles seeking shelter in mangroves? They may have developed this unique behavior due to a lack of their typical habitat (coral reefs) in the region. It’s unclear if this is a recent adaptation or a more established behavior.

Now that I spend the majority of my time working in mangrove estuaries, I can see why the species went undetected in the eastern Pacific for so long. Many researchers and recreational divers in other parts of the world study and observe hawksbills swimming near coral reefs in clear blue waters, but spying an adult hawksbill in a mangrove estuary is extremely difficult. Even the most avid diver is unlikely to enter a mangrove estuary, where visibility often does not extend beyond one’s hand. Furthermore, when hawksbills surface to breathe they do it ever so quickly, barely breaking the water’s surface before heading back down to the ocean floor.

These new findings provide important insights about where to look for key nesting and foraging habitats for hawksbills in the eastern Pacific. In doing so, we also increase optimism that this — one of the most endangered populations of sea turtle on the planet — has a real chance at recovery.

Alexander R. Gaos is a conservation scientist with San Diego State University and UC Davis, and executive director of the Eastern Pacific Hawksbill Initiative. You can donate to support this initiative through SEE Turtles.

The Best Place in the World to SEE Orcas

So that’s what the signs everywhere say, from Vancouver to Victoria and throughout the San Juan Islands. After the bear friendly mountains of Whistler, we headed for the orca friendly waters of British Columbia & Puget Sound. Before we went whale watching in Sidney on Vancouver Island, I stopped in to have a chat with Chris Genovali of Raincoast Conservation Foundation and Maureen Gordon of Maple Leaf Adventures about wildlife and ecotourism in the region. (Stay tuned for a short video of the conversation.)

Our guide for the day was Michael Child of SeaQuest Adventures, recommended by the folks at Raincoast. SeaQuest is a small company operating right next to Sidney’s harbor. A group of 15 of us hopped into their zodiac and sped off towards San Juan Island (WA), where a pod had been spotted. Though it was afternoon on a bright sunny day, we soon entered a fog bank that seemed out of an episode of Scooby Doo. Michael cut the engine in a spot where the orcas were to be passing soon, our zodiac bobbing on the choppy water in the soupy mist.

Soon we were rewarded with the first group of orcas passing by. The fog made clear views and photographs challenging but as we stayed moved with the pod, the fog burned off revealing both San Juan Island just to our east and the beautiful black and white markings of the orcas. We had come across “J Pod”, a group of fish eating orcas that spend all year in this area. The animals treated us to a couple of spy hops and breaches but mostly just kept moving. As the initial whales moved away, Michael got word more were on the way. After a while, it became apparent that we had come across a “super pod” where several pods were traveling together, a relatively rare ritual.

Michael cut the engine and we floated as at least 20 orcas came by in groups of two and three. His passion and respect for these animals was clear as he shared their natural history, threats, and research. These animals face two main challenges from people, toxins and the loss of food. These orcas live primarily off of salmon, whose numbers have dropped dramatically over the past century as dams and fishing have proliferated. Much of the toxins from the major cities in the region accumulate in these waters and move their way up the food chain in a process called “bioaccumulation” where the top predators like orcas end up with large amounts of PCB’s and other nasty chemicals that make breeding more difficult.

Due to new whale watching regulations, we had to keep at least 200 meters from the killer whales, which Michael was careful to respect. While there may be dozens of boats in the water at a time watching the whales, at least the commercial boats we saw that day were generally respectful and not approaching too close or blocking their path. The one boat we saw not following regulation was a private boat that was speeding towards the pod, only stopping only a short distance in front of the group.

The new regulations are a local controversy with whale watching operations claiming that their activities have minimal impact on the whales while some local groups claim they are a major threat to the survival of the orcas. The SoundWatch Boater Education Program is an effort by the Whale Museum to minimize these impacts by monitoring and educating both commercial boats as well as private ones. Their Be Whale Wise voluntary guidelines have been adopted by the majority of both Canadian and US commercial boats. In 2010, of the more than 1,000 incidents recorded, more than 60% were private boats and fewer than 15% were commercial whale watch operators. Regardless, we hope all whale watching boats take every possible measure to reduce the noise and pollution of their engines and manage their boats to reduce impacts on the whales.

Whale watching in this region is part of its life blood; orcas adorn flags, walls, shirts, and just about everything else you can put a picture on. According to SoundWatch, more than 500,000 people go whale watching in this region every year. More than 500 people directly survive from taking people out and thousands more indirectly benefit from the visitors. If anything were to happen to wipe these animals out, it would impact many communities. Hopefully this powerful constituency will actively support efforts to keep the orcas safe from looming threats like a proposal to allow huge oil tankers to start coming through the area.

Learn more:
-Orca Facts & Conservation Tours

Bear & Eco-Friendly Whistler

Whistler is the active sport capital of British Columbia’s mountains. While its an expensive playground for the rich, there is a lot family’s on a budget can do. The growth of the town is obvious; while the Olympics are a wonderful event, we can’t close our eyes to the loss of habitat that happens with the accompanying construction boom. Despite that growth, Whistler is perhaps the most eco-friendly town I’ve ever visited (and I live outside Portland OR). The buses are powered by fuel cells, recycling containers outnumber trash cans, and rooftop gardens are everywhere.

Perhaps the town’s greatest asset (in the summer at least) is its spectacular system of bike trails. With trails for every age and ability, one can hop on a bike and get anywhere quickly. Yesterday, while enjoying these trails, we came twice came across black bears. Near Lost Lake, a couple of bikers spotted a bear moving across the hillside above, about 50 feet away. Another family pulled up and the kids immediately started yelling and the mom panicked and started to pull the family away. Once they realized they were out of danger, they started joking about giving it a chocolate bar. (Note, this is not the bear we saw at right, I'll post pictures next week on our Facebook page).

This may have been the only family not to come across the most intensive bear education campaign I’ve ever seen. Brochures, signs, and more showed people how to act around these beautiful creatures. Every trash can was bear proofed. According to one resident, the bears are a lot more frequent near town this year, the result of a cool spring that equals less food at high altitudes. Both bears were obviously used to humans, not paying any attention to the excited humans around them. This extensive effort to live in coexistence with the bears is encouraging; Whistler is a model for being both bear-friendly and eco-friendly.

Tomorrow, we’ll be meeting with our new partners at Raincoast Conservation Foundation who are pioneers at bear conservation, as well as our friends at Maple Leaf Adventures. Stay tuned for another post soon!

Bear Watching Tips: (from the Get Bear Smart Society)

-To avoid surprising a bear, make your presence known by talking or making noise.

-Keep dogs on a leash and under control.

-If you come across a bear, remain calm and detour around it if possible, do not approach it.

-If you suddenly encounter a black bear at close range, stand your ground facing the bear. Identify yourself as human by talking in a calm voice. Back away slowly and never run.

-Carry a bear spray as a precaution.

Learn more about bears and bear watching tours at SEEtheWILD.org.

Light, Motion, Mind, and Ocean

What is it about the way the ocean moves, reflects, glimmers and glows that mesmerizes and transfixes us and is so difficult to capture, put in a box, and share?

Earlier this summer I gathered a group of leading neuroscientists, ocean explorers, advocates, communicators and creative people together in a room at the California Academy of Sciences to begin to answer this question, and many others. We called the amalgamation of thinkers BLUEMIND and set out to explore the science of the relationship between the human brain and the ocean.

Among the topics explored were all of the senses relative to the sea, why the ocean is sexy, why we prefer "ocean views" to the tune of trillions of dollars and how addiction can both be a force for ocean destruction and restoration. Providing a glimmer of hope and delivering the closing keynote was Dr. Michael Merzenich, a pioneer in the field of neural plasticity, who described the brain's fantastic capacity for change.

A couple of months have passed since the the summit, ample time to reflect and respond. In that time I've been to Indonesia, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Guatemala. And my daughter and I took a slow walk along twelve miles of our most local ocean, from Pescadero to Año Nuevo, California.

After all that intellectual stimulation and travel I keep coming back to the special quality of the light that passes through and/or reflects off of the ocean before it passes through my eyes. There's something unique about what it does in there--the impulses and images it sends to my visual cortex are some of my favorites. I really miss them when I don't have them--there's no substitute on land or screen. And I'm already making the next plan to return, even before the expedition at hand is over.

Like many others, I have pointed my cameras at that light over and over again. All over the planet. On top of the ocean, under the ocean and along the ocean. Better photographers and videographers than I have produced visual masterpieces telling important stories about our blue planet when their lenses have been artfully employed to capture the magical light and motion of the sea.

And still the four by six foot whale portraits, the million dollar feature ocean films, the latest surf flick and the short videos made on my iPhone of my daughter along the SLOWCOAST are poor substitutes for the real thing. They just don't take us there like the light of the roiling sea does.

Yet, we will always try to capture the light and the motion--try to put the ocean in a box--so we can share those inspiring moments with other minds. As futile as it may be, even with gigapixels, seven story high screens and latest underwater housings

I know I'll keep returning to the ocean with my lights, camera and wetsuit to make more memories. And I'll always keep trying, and failing, to bring home that special light in a box.

-Wallace J. Nichols

5 Things to Consider Before Choosing a Wildlife Conservation Vacation

(Note: this post was originally written for World Nomads Responsible Traveler Blog)

Ecotourism, green travel, sustainable tourism, call it what you will. Whatever its title, reducing the negative impacts of travel is one of the fastest growing parts of the tourism market and one that has the potential to significantly reduce carbon emissions, support low-income communities, and benefit efforts to protect endangered animals.

Unfortunately, so far, the impact of travel (whether good or bad) on wildlife has been an afterthought for most travelers. Tourism and the infrastructure it requires can destroy wildlife habitat, worsen climate change, result in litter and other pollution, and increase stress on wild animals. When done carefully, however, what we call “wildlife conservation travel” can also help wildlife in several ways, including generating funds for local conservation groups and providing volunteer help. Perhaps the biggest way that conservation travel can help endangered animals is by creating economic benefits for local residents who otherwise would earn a living by fishing, hunting, or other activities that harm animals.

As you plan your next vacation, here are some things to think about before you decide where to go and what activities to do.

1. Is the destination a wildlife hotspot?

According to Conservation International, about half of the world’s species live in “biodiversity hotspots” which take up less than 5 percent of the world’s land. If you go to one of these spots, read up on which animals live there and look for opportunities to visit research and conservation programs. Some of these programs may offer short-term volunteer programs where you will get an experience that few travelers get to participate with. Many of these programs work through tour operators that offer these experiences while taking care of your transport, food, and accommodations.

2. Does Your Tour Operator Support Conservation and Local Communities?

If you decide to travel through a tour operator, do your research to make sure they actively support environmental and social projects in the places they go. Some operators will offer discounts for travelers who donate to funds that they set up to support these community groups, a great example is the Travelers Conservation Trust set up by Wildland Adventures. Most of the operators who truly support these programs will be transparent about who they donate to.

If you don’t see that information, make sure you ask the operator what they do to support wildlife conservation. After all, if their business is based on travelers going to Africa to see lions or India to see tigers, shouldn’t they want to make sure those animals will always be around? If they can’t answer that question, let them know that you’ll be looking elsewhere; there’s no better way to motivate a company to improve their practices.

3. Does Your Operator Go Beyond Donations?

Giving money is one of the easier ways to support wildlife. Other questions to ask operators are if they support environmental protection and residents in ways other than donations. Do they offer volunteer programs? Employ people from nearby communities and use locally-owned hotels and restaurants? Do they advocate for wildlife protection or participate in efforts to improve tourism practices? One of the best examples of going beyond donations is Canada’s Maple Leaf Adventures. In addition to donations, their founder Kevin Smith has been a leader in setting tourism standards for the Haida Gwaii Islands and promoting bear watching over bear hunting in British Columbia.

4. Do Your Vacation Plans Include Activities That Could Harm Wildlife?

Now that you know the animals that live where you are going and how much your operator supports them, the next thing to think about is if the activities you do and places you stay might impact local wildlife. Are you staying in a high-rise chain hotel on a turtle nesting beach? If so, you might want to look for a locally-owned cabin away from where the turtles come. If you plan to use jet-ski’s or boats, make sure to stay away from habitat for manatees and other animals, drive slowly, and obey all regulations. Check out our Turtle Watching Guide for ways to prevent impacts to turtles on nesting beaches and at sea. The Coral Reef Alliance also has several guides for travelers.

5. Stay Off the Beaten Path

Many of the most popular places to see wildlife become overrun with tourists, encouraging uncontrolled development which impacts wildlife habitat. However, by doing a little research, you can usually find other places to see that animal that don’t get nearly so much traffic. There are dozens of turtle nesting beaches in Costa Rica, yet the vast majority go to Tortuguero National Park. Instead of following the crowds to see lions in Kenya, think about places like Mozambique or Namibia’s Communal Conservancies for your next African safari.

5 Wild Animals You Can Protect On Your Next Vacation

(Note - this post was originally written for and posted on the World Nomad's Responsible Travel Blog)

It seems that every day another news article comes out about animals facing extinction. The list of reasons is seemingly endless including loss of habitat, the wildlife trade, and climate change. What the media rarely covers is the stories of hope, where communities come together to protect the animals that live around them.

There are many of these stories around the world, where dedicated conservationists are coming up with innovative ways to help these endangered species recover while improving the lives of local residents. Many of these programs include volunteer activities for travelers to participate in research and conservation programs.

Here are just a few of the opportunities for travelers to help wildlife:

• Green Sea Turtles in Baja: Years ago, many turtle researchers wrote off Baja’s turtles as beyond saving. However, an award-winning network of fishermen, scientists, and local residents called the Grupo Tortuguero formed to study and protect the region’s five species of sea turtles and numbers are rebounding. A new locally run business called RED Sustainable Tourism is helping these conservationists recruit volunteer help for their turtle research. Participants camp on a small island in Magdalena Bay and help to set nets to catch green turtles at sea and collect information on them before returning them to the water.

• Lions in Mozambique: These iconic cats are facing increasing threats and their numbers have decreased an estimated 30 percent over the past two decades. Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique is a microcosm of efforts in Africa to protect lions and other wildlife. At one point, this park is said to have had more wildlife than the Serengeti and was one of the continent’s most visited protected areas. In the 90’s, civil strife led to an estimated 95 reduction in large animals. Now that the political situation is resolved, a huge effort is underway to restore the park and revive ecotourism here. Colorado-based Reefs to Rockies is working with Explore Gorongosa to organize a “Bio-Blitz” where volunteers can help researchers on a comprehensive survey of the parks flora and fauna.

• Giant Pandas in China: Pandas live in isolated patches of mountain forest in central China. Their numbers in the wild have dwindled to less than 2,500 due to conversion of forest to farmland and other uses. The World Wildlife Fund’s China program is working to expand protected areas and encourage local residents to protect their forests. Travelers with Wild China can track pandas in the Wanglang Nature Reserve, visit a panda breeding center, and support WWF’s efforts to train local residents as tour guides.

• Penguins in South Africa: More than half of the 18 species of penguins around the world are considered either threatened or endangered. The African penguin population has decreased 95 percent since preindustrial times due to competition for fish with fishermen and other threats. Earthwatch Institute has worked with local researchers for the past decade to study and protect the penguins living on Robben Island, famous for the prison that once held Nelson Mandela and many others during apartheid. Volunteers will help collect data on the penguins including growth rates of chicks and survival rates, key information that is needed to develop long-term protection plans.

• Whale Sharks in the Sea of Cortez: The whale shark, despite being the world’s largest fish, is not well studied by scientists. Their numbers are decreasing due primarily to the trade in their fins. Though they can be found around the world, one of their primary feeding areas is the Sea of Cortez between mainland Mexico and the Baja Peninsula. Baja Expeditions, the first tour operator to bring people to this ocean paradise, has recently begun working with a local researcher to start filling in the gaps in our knowledge of these amazing creatures. Based on board a dive ship, volunteers will spend a week cruising the Sea of Cortez, diving with whale sharks to collect DNA samples, take photographic IDs, and observing their behavior.

Search all of our wildlife volunteer vacations here.

Confessions of A Sea Turtle Volunteer

(Note - this post was originally written for and posted on the World Nomad's Responsible Travel Blog)

I wasn’t always a sea turtle fanatic. I didn’t grow up with a pet turtle, snorkel with green turtles in Hawaii, or even watch the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I had a pretty boring suburban US childhood without a lot of interaction with nature. (Don’t tell any of my colleagues, but I didn’t know the first thing about turtles when I first went to work with them.)

The first time I saw a leatherback turtle, I nearly fainted. Expecting a normal sized turtle with a hard shell, watching a dinosaur weighing close to 1,000 pounds dragging itself out of the water was a wake up call to me. Since then, I have become a bit of an turtle evangelist and have helped hundreds of people visit turtle nesting beaches to volunteer or just watch this amazing creature.

At first I painted a beautiful picture for prospective volunteers (moonlight strolls on the beach, giant turtles laying eggs, daytime free to lounge). We quickly found that to attract people not quite prepared for the experience. I now start with the bad stuff (bugs, rain, little sleep, long walks in soft sand) and let people know that if they can put up with that, it can be the most amazing experience of your life.

Volunteering with a sea turtle conservation project is very rewarding with benefits including personal satisfaction, resume material, lots of exercise, new friends from around the world, and great stories to tell. It should not be taken lightly though; it is hard work and the local organizations that run the turtle programs expect volunteers to fulfill their obligations.

Generally the projects require at least a week’s stay and will take people for up to 3 months. The organizations that we work with require volunteers to pay for food and lodging (their budgets are not big enough to cover those expenses) which ranges from $25 to more than $100 per day. For people who can commit to at least two months and have biology degrees or field experience, some projects offer research assistant positions at no daily cost.

What should a volunteer expect when going to volunteer on one of these projects?

First, the work is generally at night when the turtles come ashore. Most projects require volunteers to wear dark clothing and avoid using lights (including cameras) to avoid disturbing the turtles. On many beaches, volunteers work one of two four-hour shifts (8 to midnight or midnight to 4 am), walking up and down the beach with local researchers and other volunteers.

When a nesting turtle is spotted, the lead researcher will keep the group back until the turtle has started to dig the nest. At this time, the turtle goes into a trance-like state where they are so focused on digging and laying eggs that they have little sense of what is going on around them. If the beach has a hatchery (where eggs are protected from poachers or other animals), the eggs will be collected in a bag put into the nest. Most projects then collect data on the turtle including the species, length and width of the shell, distinguishing marks, and where on the beach it nests. Researchers will then put a tag on the turtle (either a metal tag on a flipper or a microchip injected into the shoulder). Other work at turtle projects include working in the hatchery (checking to see if hatchlings arrive), cleaning the beach of debris, or maintaining the research center. Learn more about volunteer activities here.

So what should an eager turtle lover think about before deciding whether to volunteer and where to go?

First, think hard about how much discomfort you can put up with. If you can’t stand mosquitoes and rain and won’t survive if you can’t check your email or phone, its probably not the right experience for you. If you have health issues that walking long distances can worsen, you may want to look for something else.

Second, think about what is most important to you, the scientific aspect or the conservation and cultural aspects. Some projects have strong research programs and nicer facilities but may offer less interaction with local residents and receive large numbers of volunteers. Smaller community-based turtle projects may not have as strong of a research program or facilities but need help more than other projects and can offer homestays with local families. More established programs tend to be more expensive as well. Also, do you want to be near a town where you can hang out on off days or an isolated beach far from civilization?

I often get asked, “Really how much does volunteering help the turtles?” My response is always, “A lot!” Unlike some volunteer programs that are set up more for the volunteer than the local organizations, turtle projects need lots of help walking long stretches of beaches for hours each evening. In addition, the income from volunteer programs generates a large portion of the budget of some of these projects; they wouldn’t have the funds to continue without them.

Perhaps most importantly, volunteers coming to these communities

to spend their time and money helps to convince local residents that the turtles are more valuable alive than dead. I’ve seen first-hand the change that can take place in a town once volunteers start arriving. That may be the most satisfying part of the whole experience, bonding with people of different backgrounds over the hard work of bringing endangered species back from the brink.

People Helping Turtles, Turtles Helping People

(Note: This is an excerpted guest post from Jesse Senko of the Blue Ocean Institute. It originally appeared on the BOI Blog here.)

On the Pacific coast of Mexico, all five species of sea turtles (green, hawksbill, loggerhead, olive ridley and leatherback) have declined over the past century due to illegal poaching and incidental capture in fishing nets. One of the most heavily impacted areas has been the Bahia Magdalena region, where endangered sea turtle populations remain low despite progressive conservation measures that include complete legal protection for sea turtles and their major nesting beaches.

In order to evaluate alternative sea turtle conservation strategies that rely on increased participation of local residents, a team of researchers led by (SEE Turtles co-founder) Dr. Wallace J. Nichols and myself interviewed 136 people from seven coastal fishing communities in the Bahia Magdalena region. “If we want to save sea turtles we need to find novel ways to include local residents in conservation efforts, and basically that comes down to finding out how a live sea turtle can become worth more than a dead one, be that financially, emotionally, or intrinsically…but most likely some type of combination”, said Senko, the study’s lead author. “The human-sea turtle relationship is wonderfully complex. No surprise, so are the ways to restore sea turtles. Restoring what’s broken in nature requires biodiversity, economic and cultural diversity, but also emotional diversity”, noted Nichols, a marine biologist who also founded the grassroots sea turtle conservation organization Grupo Tortuguero.

The researchers found that although residents were overwhelmingly interested in participating in sea turtle conservation, peer pressure and conflict within their community often presented challenges. “It can be difficult to fully embrace sea turtle conservation when some of your friends, family, and community members may still be eating, hunting, or even selling these animals on black market circuits, especially if you are not directly benefiting from the conservation efforts in some capacity”, added Senko.

The development of sea turtle ecotourism may help protect sea turtles and provide additional revenue for fishers who previously hunted them or accidentally captured them in their fishing nets. When asked about the prospects of sea turtle ecotourism, most residents indicated that this would have a positive impact on their community. Economic incentives and increased protection for sea turtles were mentioned as benefits of sea turtle ecotourism, whereas peer pressure, difficulty obtaining permits and producing effective marketing materials, and doubts about direct economic benefits were cited as constraints. Whale watching guides were especially interested in developing sea turtle ecotourism programs, in large part because they already possess the necessary equipment (e.g. boats, GPS devices) and knowledge of sea turtle life history, movements, and abundance. “Researchers have relied on turtle hunters, fishers, and local whale watching guides to find and study sea turtles since I first arrived in Baja as a doctoral student in the early 1990s. Sea turtle research and conservation in Baja has been all about artful collaboration and mutual benefits from day one”, said Nichols.

Recently, Nichols and Brad Nahill started a non-profit sea turtle conservation travel program called SEE Turtles that relied upon some of the findings and recommendations from this study. SEE Turtles works to provide ways for visitors to work hands-on in the field with fishers and marine conservation biologists to capture sea turtles and collect/record scientific data on these endangered animals. Although the researchers acknowledge that initially sea turtle conservation jobs are likely to be supplemental, the added income from SEE Turtles has already aided local communities and sea turtle protection efforts.

“Conservation travel endeavors that generate even a modest amount of part time jobs is a great first step in developing and promoting positive attitudes towards sea turtle and marine conservation efforts”, said Senko. “If people know of others who work with sea turtle conservation efforts they may develop pro-environmental attitudes towards sea turtle conservation even if they themselves do not directly benefit from the endeavor…and we’ve already seen this from gray whales in Baja, so why not sea turtles, they are here year-round.”

The other authors in the study include current School for Field Studies/Center for Coastal Studies professor Andrew J. Schneller, Francisco “Paco” Ollervides, former Center for Coastal Studies director and current Waterkeeper Alliance research associate, and Julio Solis, Bahia Magdalena Baykeeper, Latin America Regional Representative for the Waterkeeper Alliance, and distinguished Grupo Tortuguero sea turtle biologist. The full study is published in the journal “Ocean and Coastal Management” (Email the author below for a copy).

Blog written by Jesse Senko, Blue Ocean Institute’s seafood consultant: jesse.senko@gmail.com

Why You Should Take Your Kids Turtle Watching

(Note: this post was originally written for the Green Loons Blog)

10. Sea turtles don’t bite (and if they try, they are easy to get away from).

9. They are easy to spot since we know when and where they are nesting in places like Baja Mexico, Costa Rica, and the Southeastern U.S.).

8. Sea turtles are endangered and visiting their nesting beaches can help to protect them by providing income to conservation groups local communities.

7. Watching turtle hatchlings scurry to the water is better than any cartoon, video game, or nature show.

6. The beach where turtles lay their eggs are warm and most have great waves for body surfing and nearby places to snorkel.

5. Giant leatherback turtles are Earth’s last living dinosaur more than 6 feet long and up to 1,000 pounds or more!

4. A few turtle nesting beaches in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Mexico, and India have “arribadas” where thousands of olive ridley turtles nest at one time. Imagine that photo!

3. For older kids (16+), some turtle projects offer families the opportunity to play marine biologist and volunteer for several nights helping collect information and protect the eggs.

2. In places where turtles are well protected like Hawaii, you can swim near green turtles and watch how graceful they are in the water. (Remember not to touch them!)

1. Your kids can watch a turtle laying its eggs at night (without lights) and not bother the turtle (they go into a trance while laying).