Save-A-Turtle of the Florida Keys, Inc. would like to publicly recognize and thank our top supporter, Jim Gamlin. In February of this year, Jim adopted his 100th Save-A-Turtle nest!
Jim is a fisheries biologist who lives in the suburbs of Chicago. As the story goes, Jim took up fishing not because he loved to fish, but rather, he says “I wanted to look at fish.” In asking Jim if there was an “a-ha” moment about devoting his life to fish, he said not really, rather he feels it’s almost as if the need to be around fish is imprinted upon him.
Jim has been coming to the Florida Keys for decades to fish. After his first novel was published (A Home for Nickel: A Sea Turtle’s Story), one of our Board Members wrote to Jim, and invited him to speak at one of our monthly Save-A-Turtle meetings, which resulted in lasting friendships between Jim and many of us turtle people. Jim’s other books include “Because of Nickel: The Adventures of a Used Turtle Salesman”, and a children’s book, “Lucky Nickel: The Story of Nickel the Sea Turtle”. Jim is an excellent story teller and always willing to share his unique perspective and humor with everyone he meets.
Jim is Save-A-Turtle’s most prolific donor, having a very soft spot in his heart for sea turtles. Jim continues to volunteer his time placing rehabbed, but non-releasable sea turtles around the country into larger tanks at aquariums to improve their quality of life, as well as ensuring that they are educational ambassadors. Jim’s volunteer work in this regard has changed many lives, of both sea turtles and people, and has earned him the nickname “The Used Turtle Salesman.”
Save-A-Turtle is very humbled by Jim’s generous donations of time, talent and money to help our own mission for sea turtles in the Florida Keys. Jim, from the bottom of our plastron to the tip of our flippers, we truly thank you and salute you.
Flippers Up!