|
TORTUGUERO, COSTA RICA - During July 19-21, 2000, the nonprofit Caribbean Conservation Corporation (CCC) attached satellite-transmitters to the shells of green turtles after they nest on the beach at Tortuguero, Costa Rica. By following the movements of the transmitter-bearing turtles, CCC researchers expect to learn important details about the turtles' migratory behavior, which will help both conservationists and natural resource managers to improve protection efforts for this endangered species.
Tortuguero is home to the largest remaining green turtle nesting colony in the Western Hemisphere. Each year, thousands of green turtles (Chelonia mydas) from all over the Caribbean swim to Costa Rican waters to mate and lay their eggs in the black, volcanic sand of Tortuguero National Park. Since the mid-1950s, CCC has been conducting annual research and protection efforts at Tortuguero, making the organization's program at Tortuguero one of the longest running species conservation efforts in the world. In addition to helping save sea turtles from extinction, CCC's more than four-decade-long tagging program has revealed a wealth of information about where green turtles travel throughout the Caribbean after nesting at Tortuguero. However, this year, for the first time, cutting-edge satellite technology will be used to gather live data on migratory routes and behavior.
Once the small transmitters are attached and the turtles return to the water, a signal will be sent to orbiting satellites each time the turtles surface to breath. The data collected by the satellites and downloaded to CCC will tell researchers about the turtles' locations, dive times, and the temperature of the surrounding sea water. As soon as researchers interpret the raw data, the location information will be used to update detailed maps showing the turtles' locations. This will allow people all over the world to watch along as researchers discover where the famous turtles of Tortuguero travel after they leave their nesting beach in Costa Rica.
"This state-of-the-art technology will help us learn more about a species that has existed for at least 150 million years," said David Godfrey, CCC Executive Director. "In this century, the Caribbean green turtle has come perilously close to extinction. Information collected through this study will help us develop conservation strategies to ensure their continued survival."
Through the CCC's Sea Turtle Migration-Tracking Education Program, anyone with Internet access can follow along right from their homes. The education program is designed to teach people about sea turtles and the threats to their survival by allowing the public to follow the movements of these giant creatures as they migrate from tropical nesting beaches to feeding grounds located hundreds or thousands of miles away. Though popular with the general public, the program is also designed for use in a classroom setting. Teachers are invited to register on-line to receive CCC's free 40-page Educator's Guide, which includes useful background information, student worksheets and classroom activities. For more information, visit the the Sea Turtle Migration-Tracking Education Program section of this website.
CCC is conducting this green turtle migration study in partnership with Dr. Anne Meylan of the Florida Marine Research Institute, with funding provided by the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service and technical assistance provided by NMFS researchers Barbara Schroeder and George Balazs. Additional funding for the Sea Turtle Migration-Tracking Education Program has been provided by the Disney Conservation Fund, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the Elizabeth Ordway Dunn Foundation, the Educational Foundation of America and the Kenneth A. Scott Charitable Trust (A Key Bank Trust).
The Florida-based Caribbean Conservation Corporation is the oldest sea turtle research and conservation group in the world. Founded by legendary sea turtle expert Dr. Archie Carr and others in 1959, CCC has been studying and protecting sea turtles in the Caribbean for over 40 years. CCC was instrumental in the creation of Costa Rica's Tortuguero National Park, which was created in 1975 to protect the colony of green turtles that nest there – the largest nesting aggregation in the Western Hemisphere. Today, CCC is working closely with the Tortuguero Conservation Area to conserve the region's sea turtles. Tortuguero's globally important nesting beach has become a popular destination for eco-tourists in Costa Rica, and each year tens of thousands of people come to Tortuguero to see nesting sea turtles. In 1999, more than 20,000 tourists paid local guides, trained by CCC, to go on nightly turtle walks, and tourism is now the most important economic activity in the area. In addition to studying the area's sea turtles, CCC works closely with the Costa Rican government and the people of Tortuguero to ensure that the turtles and their habitats are protected. CCC's John H. Phipps Biological Field Station at Tortuguero serves as a base of operation for CCC's ongoing sea turtle studies, volunteer programs and community outreach. The facility is also used as a training center for sea turtle biologists and conservationists from all over the world. To learn more about CCC, its conservation and hands-on volunteer programs, or to join CCC's membership call (800) 678-7853 or through this website.
|
