December 2019 | Part 2
Greetings!

We hope you enjoy following the care of Pip! Be sure to "Like" us on Facebook and Instagram for up-to-date news and events happening around the Center and Jekyll Island. 

If you wish to update your email information, please reply to this message or send an email to  gstceducation@jekyllisland.com  using "Adopt-a-Sea Turtle" in the subject line. 
Rehabilitation Update
Deeper Dives
Left: Jetty, a juvenile green sea turtle patient, can hold his/her breath longer than Pip and can rest on the bottom of the tank.
Right: Pip swims along the top of his/her tank which is typical of a turtle that age.
In your last adoption update, you learned that Pip was moved into a kiddie pool set inside one of our larger tanks. (If you missed the last update, click here to read it!) The kiddie pool had deeper water than the smaller tubs in which Pip had previously lived. We are pleased to report that Pip has once again made a move into deeper water! He/she is in the same tank along our Hospital Pavilion Walkway, but the kiddie pool has been removed. Pip can now swim freely throughout the entire tank. We can adjust the depth and flow of water in Pip's tank as needed.

How do we decide what depth of water is right for Pip? For any patient that comes in, we start them in shallow water. Because sea turtles breathe air, we need to ensure they can lift their head above water for breaths. We closely observe each patient to see how they do in shallow water. If it looks like the animal is doing well, then we will increase their water depth. As the patient gets into deeper water, we also pay attention to how well the turtle is diving and eating off the bottom of the tank. Some of the food we give to our patients sinks to the bottom; if they cannot dive well, then eating will be a challenge. Watching a patient's habits will let us know whether their water depth is at a good level. Because Pip was a straggler in his/her nest and was weak upon arrival, we slowly went through the process of increasing his/her water depth. Apart from when Pip is eating off the bottom, he/she tends to spend most of his/her time swimming on the surface of the tank. This is not unusual as hatchlings in the wild spend most of their time at the ocean's surface floating on and swimming in sargassum seaweed.

Floating on the surface amongst seaweed provides wild hatchlings with camouflage, but at younger ages sea turtles are also not able to dive as deep because their lungs cannot hold very much air. A young turtle will have to surface to breathe more often than an older turtle with bigger lungs. Once they reach adulthood, sea turtles can remain underwater holding their breath for several hours if they are resting. Being only a few months old right now, Pip has to come up for breaths every few minutes when he/she is actively swimming around his/her tank. We are hopeful that Pip will continue to do well in deeper water as he/she grows bigger and gets stronger. Stay tuned to your adoption updates to see how Pip's diving progresses!
Education Connection
History of Sea Turtle Monitoring in Georgia
Each barrier island in Georgia named above has its own sea turtle monitoring project
Because Pip did not hatch from a nest on Jekyll, but instead came from a nest on St. Catherines Island, Georgia, we will highlight other sea turtle projects in the state over the course of your adoption updates. But we would first like to begin with an overview of sea turtle conservation for the entire state. Sea turtle research and monitoring in Georgia dates back to the late 1950s. One of the biologists who is considered the world's grandfather of sea turtle conservation, Dr. Archie Carr, spent some of his time right here on Georgia beaches! While Dr. Carr is more well known for his work in Costa Rica and Florida, we are proud that he tagged at least a few nesting sea turtles on Jekyll Island in the late 1950s. Although some research was being done in the 1950s, there were not consistent monitoring efforts in place in Georgia until the following decade.

In 1964, Georgia's first sea turtle monitoring project began on Little Cumberland Island. Following shortly after in 1965, Blackbeard Island established its sea turtle project. From the efforts of these early sea turtle scientists we learned a great deal about how many nesting turtles come to our beaches, how many eggs they lay, and how often they return to nest within a season and between seasons. In the 1970s, sea turtle projects on Jekyll Island and Wassaw Island were established. With these projects keeping track of sea turtle nesting numbers, it became clear that sea turtle populations were in decline.

With growing concern over lower sea turtle population numbers, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GA DNR) coordinated monitoring efforts for all major barrier island nesting beaches starting in 1989. Currently, various governmental, non-governmental and private organizations are responsible for monitoring Georgia's barrier islands each summer for sea turtle nests. The GA DNR still coordinates and oversees these projects. Together, these sea turtle projects belong to the organization called the Georgia Sea Turtle Cooperative. The cooperative members keep their data in a centralized online database managed by SeaTurtle.Org. If you would like to learn more about Georgia's projects or look at historical data, click here . You can also keep up with news from Georgia Sea Turtle Cooperative members if you click here and join the Georgia Sea Turtle Cooperative group on Facebook.
Holiday Ornaments Still Available!
Although the holiday season is almost over, you can still bring Pip into your home on a holiday ornament! These porcelain ornaments make the perfect addition to an adoption package. Ornaments featuring Pip are available in our Gift Shop and online store. You can click here to purchase one. Proceeds from ornament purchases help fund the research, education, and rehabilitation work of the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. Ornament quantities are limited, so act fast before they sell out!
Past Adoption Updates
Did you miss a previous update on Pip?
Don't worry! You can read them all by clicking the links below.

Meet Pip

What Pip Eats

Pip's Move to a Kiddie Pool
Crawl to the Finish: Turtle Crawl 2020
Registration for the 2020 Turtle Crawl races is now open! Join us on Jekyll Island March 14, 2020 to participate in the 5K, 10K, or beach fun run. Can't make it to Jekyll? No problem! Sign up as a ghost crawler and run from home while supporting the turtles! Proceeds from the races go back to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center to help us continue our mission of rehabilitation, research, and education.

Click here to learn more about the races and register!
Please do not unsubscribe as this is the primary method of sharing the latest news about Pip's progress & future release information when it becomes available.  

Donations from the Adopt-a-Sea Turtle program support the Georgia Sea Turtle Center's mission of rehabilitation, education, & research. The timeline for a patient's stay is always dependent on the turtle's health & response to care and cannot be guaranteed. As there are many environmental factors and permissions to consider when scheduling turtle releases; we do our best to share information as timely (efficiently) as possible. Our staff do their best to consider not only the turtle's health, but also our supporters like you! 
Thank you for your support!


Sincerely,
The GSTC Education Department

Georgia Sea Turtle Center
214 Stable Road
Jekyll Island, GA 31527