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 In 2003, CCC broke exciting new ground in our efforts to track the migrations of sea turtles. Specifically, our staff was trained in the techniques of satellite tracking the giant leatherback sea turtles. As you are no-doubt aware, leatherbacks, the largest of all sea turtles, are amazingly wide-ranging in their migrations. One of the first leatherbacks we tracked traveled over 5,000 miles, swimming from Costa Rica almost all the way across the North Atlantic Ocean in seven months! (View her map) Our website has never received as much traffic, people are fascinated with watching the long distance migration movements of leatherback sea turtles. (Visit the CCC Leatherback Project or read the Velador story).
CCC's website receives an average of 1,753 visits per day and receives over 16 million "hits" a year! More than 132,000 new visitors access the website each year, for an average of more than 360 new visitors per day. When you add in returning visitors, over 1,500 people per day are visiting the website. CCC's Sea Turtle Migration-Tracking Education Program has received over 20 awards for Internet-based content. Over 15,000 educators, representing over 450,000 students, have registered to receive a copy of the Educator's Guide that accompanies the online content. (Additional information about visitor demographics & comments)
In addition to tracking leatherbacks from Costa Rica, CCC is expanding its leatherback tracking project to the beach we monitor in Panama! CCC has been involved with tracking the movements of hawksbills from Panama, but 2005 was the first year leatherback have ever been satellite tracked from Panama, one of the largest leahtebrack nesting beaches in the Caribbean. Since there is almost no information about the migration pathways of leatherbacks that nest on the Caribbean Coast of Central America, and with the devastating impact of longline fisheries on leatherbacks, the ability to track additional turtles is vitally important.
CCC is looking for Project Funders and Project Sponsors to help track leatherbacks. The cost is about the same as tracking other sea turtle species -- although the satellite air time can run a little more because leatherbacks tend not to damage their transmitters and spend much more time near the surface. The cost of the trasmitter, harness and attachment is $3,000, and the cost of satellite air time is another $3-5,000 (depending on the life of the transmitter).
Benefits:
Project Funders - $3,000
- Funders are acknowledged in project related press releases;
- Funders are acknowledged on the project page on CCC's website;
- Funders can use the migration maps for their educational programs; and
- Funders can post the migration maps on their website.
Project Sponsors - $6,000
- Sponsors are acknowledged in project related press releases;
- Sponsors are acknowledged on the project page on CCC's website;
- Sponsors can use the migration maps for their educational programs; and
- Sponsors can post the migration maps on their website.
- Sponsors are able to "name" their turtle - which can tie-in with the companies mascot or product line;
- Sponsors are acknowledged with their Logo on the project web page;
- Sponsors receive a direct link to their website from CCC's website;
- Sponsors receive a promotional page on CCC's website;
- Sponsors receive substantial publicity, and become associated with a highly successful conservation education program; and
- Sponsors are invited to send a staff person to join CCC to deploy the transmitter.
Becoming a Project Funder or Sponsor would benefit leatherback research and conservation efforts, and it is a great educational and research project to promote your organization supporting.
This is an exciting time to become involved with this project. If you are interest or would like more information, please contact either David Godfrey or Dan Evans by e-mail or by phone at (352) 373-6441.
Please note that the ocean environment is very hard on electronic equipment. In our experience approximately 50% of all deployed transmitters fail after the first six months. Some do not last even that long and others have lasted much longer. Because we are not able to control or predict when a tag will fail we ask for a measure of understanding in this regard from each sponsor.
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