What's Happening!?
July Monthly


There will not be a Board or Membership meeting in July as all of our volunteers are our doing what we do best....
monitoring nests, hatchlings and post hatch data collection!


Upcoming Events:

July 7th- Jessica Ann Art Virutal Paint Night in a Box (See details below.)

July 25th Beach Clean Ups throughout the Keys

More Info Below
Nesting Season 2020 Update
How You can Help during Nesting Season
We are very happy to report our Florida Keys nesting is absolutely booming!! Our numbers are growing bigger and bigger every week!!
As always, we have to give a tremendous thanks to our amazing team of volunteers who dedicate time out of their week to search for and protect our precious sea turtle nests! Beaches throughout the Florida Keys are reporting lots of sea turtle activity and any day now we will see our first hatchlings of 2020! It is very important that everyone do what they can to help our mama sea turtles when they come to our beaches to lay their eggs! Even the smallest of obstacles can effect a females ability to nest.

Here is a list of things YOU can do to help during nesting season:

  1. Turn off all lights or use RED or AMBER bulbs.
  2. Fill in holes and knock down sand castles before you leave the beach.
  3. Pick up trash on the beach.
  4. Remove beach furniture.
  5. NEVER disturb a nesting sea turtle, nests or hatchlings.
Jessica Ann's Painting the Keys
Paint Night in a Box: "Just Hatched"
Thank you to everyone who ordered a Sea Turtle Paint Night in a Box from our favorite local artist Jessica Ann!! 10% of all the proceeds will be donated back to Save-A-Turtle. We want to thank Jessica Ann & her family for her continuous support to helping save the sea turtles!

If you would like to watch Jessica's live instructional video on July 7th, click the link below:
Save-A-Turtle Montly Beach Clean-Up Program

Save-A-Turtle will be hosting Montly Beach Clean-Ups throughout the Florida Keys on the LAST SATURDAY of every month starting in July from 9:00 to 11:00 am. Different locations to be determined each month.
Saturday July 25th Clean-up Locations:

  • Anne's Beach - Islamorada
  • Coco Plum Beach - Marathon, FL
  • Long Beach - Big Pine Key, FL

Please wear your masks, sun protective clothing, closed-toed shoes & bring a reusable bag if you plan to attend. Check out our Facebook event for more details- "Save-A-Turtle July Beach Clean-Ups"

Save-A-Turtle is looking for volunteers,sponsers and beach clean-up captains for our monthly clean up program!
If you are interested,
please e-mail :

melissa_goldblatt@yahoo.com
or call/text 248-320-3455

Lepidochelys kempii
Photo of Bender, a Kemp's Ridley Patient at The Turtle Hospital in Marathon, FL.
Kemp's Ridleys are known for nesting on the same beaches all together at the same time, which is known as an "arribada".
The Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle is the rarest sea turtle species in the entire world. They are also the smallest species getting only about 3-3.5 ft in length and about 150 lbs fully grown. This species of sea turtle primary lives in the Gulf of Mexico and is named after the scientist that discovered the species, Richard Kemp.
The Kemp's, as they are called for short, are also known for their well deserved nickname of the "ghost turtle". They have this nickname simply for their “ghostly-like” appearance. This specific species of turtle is often mistaken for an albino sea turtle, based on their whitish-gray coloration. However, even with that nickname, these turtles are just as majestic as any other species of sea turtle.
A unique fact about this species is that Kemp’s Ridleys nest more often than other species, every 1 to 3 years on average. They also nest in mass synchronized nestings called arribadas (Spanish for “arrival”). Olive Ridley's are the only other species to nest this way. Almost the entire Kemp's Ridley sea turtle population nests along the coast of the state of Tamaulipas, on the Gulf coast of Mexico, just south of the United States-Mexico border. Kemp’s Ridley's nest 2 – 3 times each season. They lay an average of 110 eggs in each nest and the eggs incubate for about 55 days. When these turtles are born, they are extremely dark in color, almost completely black. They are born this way to help them camouflage with the surface of the water, where they live for the first few years of their life. As they mature, t hey turn lighter in color and can typically be found in sandy or muddy bottomed areas in the ocean which helps them hide from predators.
Kemp's Ridleys primarily eat a diet of squid and jellyfish and occasionally eat shrimp and sea grass. There are an estimated 7,000-9,000 nesting Kemp's Ridley females today but sadly they are the most critically endangered species internationally due to hunting, poaching and egg collecting. Today, all of the Kemp's Ridley nesting beaches are government protected which has been a major factor in their increased population!
Los Cayos Apparel Makes the Cover!
Make sure to pick up a copy of July's issue of Key's Life magazine to see SAT's awesome sponsors Los Cayos Apparel on the front cover! Owner, Frank Cone, highlights their partnership with Save-A-Turtle in the article.
Florida Atlantic University researcher discovers more human interruptions during this years Nesting Season
VOLUNTEER OF THE MONTH
What is your name? Melissa Goldblatt

How old are you? 27 years old

Where are you from? I am originally from Detroit, Michigan but I have lived in Florida for 8 years. The past three years have been in Marathon, Florida!

What do you do for a living? I work for several non-profit organizations in the Florida Keys as an animal trainer/behaviorist. On a daily basis, I get to work hands-on with dogs, dolphins, sea turtles and exotic birds. It's pretty awesome!

What beach do you survey for sea turtle nesting season? I survey Key Colony Beach in the middle Keys.

How many years have you volunteered for SAT? I joined the board in January 2020 and started doing beach surveying for them this year. It has been such an awesome experience.

What made you decide to become a beach walker? When I worked for The Turtle Hospital in Marathon in 2018/2019, I surveyed all of the beaches for the city of Marathon. When the opportunity to walk Key Colony Beach this year presented itself, I just couldn't say no!! I absolutely love waking up early, being one of the first people on the beach and looking for turtle tracks while the sun rises over the horizon!

Whats your favorite species of turtle and why? My favorite species of sea turtle is definitely the Loggerhead because they are vibrant in color, strong but gentle and majestic all at the same time!! (My picture is me holding a one day old logerhead hatchling.)

What is your best eco-friendly tip? Use reusable bottles instead of plastic bottles for your drinks! Not only is it WAY better for the planet, but it will save you tons of money and I have found, a lot of businesses will either charge you less or they'll give you free refills when you bring a reusable cup from home!
“In the end, we will conserve only what we love; we will love only what we understand and we will understand only what we are taught.” -Baba Dioum
DO YOU HAVE YOUR SAVE-A-TURTLE GEAR?
Rare Sea Turtle Rescued , Rehabbed & Released !!!
A rare hybrid hawksbill-green sea turtle named Maisy was admitted to The Turtle Hospital back in July 2019 after she was found covered in Fibropapilloma tumors off of Summerland Key. Maisy was given a DNA test to determine her rare hybrid status. She was rehabilitation and released this past June. Maisy was fitted with a satellite-tracking transmitter for a research study known as "Tour de Turtles", a marathon-like “race” that follows the long-distance migration of sea turtles over three months. The annual educational project, organized by the Sea Turtle Conservancy, is intended to raise awareness about sea turtles and the threats to their survival.


The Turtle Hospital is offically re-opened! Kids under 12 are FREE for a limited time. Click the logo above to visit their website for more info.
We are looking for pictures & photos from our Save-A-Turtle Family! Do you have any photos of sea turtles, nests or turtle tracks? If so, please e-mail them to: Melissa_goldblatt@yahoo.com
STAY HOME, STAY SAFE & FLIPPERS UP!
Report Sick, Injured or Dead Sea Turtles in Florida- Call FWCC at 888-404-FWCC