Monday, March 23, 2009

Todos Santos Turtles









Ori at Olive Ridley release.














Baby Leatherback




--As many know, Ann has been involved with the turtle projects here in Todos Santos.  She has helped the group Todos Tortugas with fundraising by publishing an informative brochure to be handed out at turtle releases.  Also she has taken many shifts keeping post at the invernadero (greenhouse), and by helping to collect eggs from nesting turtles.
--The group is patrolling 36km of beach every night on a 4 wheeler  looking for turtle nests (Olive Ridley or Leatherback).  If a nest is found, the eggs are dug out and reburied in the sand inside a greenhouse on the beach north of town.  The sand is too cold for turtle eggs to incubate in the winter, and the greenhouse keeps the sand nice and warm.
--This year was a milestone for the the group.  Not only did they save many Olive Ridley eggs (endangered, but a relatively common turtle), they also rescued eggs from 4 different Leatherbacks (critically endangered), 12 nests for a total of almost a thousand eggs, many of which have already hatched and been released.  Statistically, one hatchling in a thousand survive to make it back in 15 to 20 years to nest.
--The Leatherback, and all sea turtles, have a lot going against them in their struggle to maintain a viable population (fishing practices: nets and longlines, eating plastic garbage, beach habitat degradation) and the efforts these people have made is a small but significant step in the right direction.
--The sea turtle (especially the Leatherback) is an ancient and strange creature, bridging our world with the time of the dinosaurs.  Whether it is instinct or wisdom, they operate with a hundred million years of evolutionary experience, and though we may have leapfrogged past them in some regards (internet, cell phones), there is something basic and steadfast about them that is humbling.
--Click on the link up on my "links of note" section, or go to todostortugueros.org to learn more about the group and the turtles.   These people are all volunteers and operate on a shoestring budget so it would be very helpful to them to make a donation; what is your money for if not to try to do something good in the world?

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