Sea Turtle Hospital News April was a mixed month for hospital admits. In the past few days we saw our first wave of Kemp’s who starting dining off our local piers and paid the price by being hooked. But earlier in the month we admitted a handful of turtles that somehow managed to survive cold-stunning at some point and yet make it through the winter months. Now they were too debilitated to keep fighting but were...
It finally seems that most of the cold weather is behind us. And almost all of the cold-stunned turtles we admitted over the winter have recovered and are anxiously awaiting a ride out to warmer waters. But as you’ve learned over the years from this column and/or your visits to our hospital rehabilitating cold-stun victims can be a long and arduous journey. Twenty-plus years of experience with hundreds of cold-stuns...
Turtle Project volunteers aka “beach walkers” are the first line of defense for our sea turtles as they begin heading to Topsail to nest, officially between May 1st and the end of August. It’s a chance for you to get involved in the effort to preserve these incredible creatures who are under increasing pressure to survive as our oceans and nesting areas become less hospitable. Terry Meyer, who has...
TOPSAIL BEACH – A piece of the Surf City Swing Bridge was presented to the Historical Society of Topsail Island (HSTI) for display in the Missiles and More Museum. The presentation by Topsail artist Jeff Wenzel, was made at the March 14 HSTI luncheon and lecture. The 5-ft. steel truss and the wood base from the fender system are actual pieces from the iconic structure. The pieces were cut by Balfour Beatty and...
Sea Turtle Hospital News Although we close to the public during the winter months we’re not all off on cruises or eating bonbons and watching the soaps. We’ve been very, very busy, starting in early December when we admitted seven small cold-stunned loggerheads, most from the New England Aquarium. A “small loggerhead” in our business is anything under about fifty pounds. As the annual showing...
