By Dr. Terry Norton, DVM

I am often asked: How many sea turtle rehabilitation centers are there in the southeastern US? How is the Georgia Sea Turtle Center (GSTC) unique?

There are actually several facilities in Florida that do sea turtle rehabilitation, some focus solely on sea turtles, while some work with a variety of wildlife and captive animals. There are no other sea turtle rehabilitation centers in Georgia but one in South Carolina and North Carolina and a few more further north. The sea turtle rehabilitation community is very close and we often collaborate on a variety of levels.

Although there are many unique aspects of the GSTC including rehabilitation, education, research and training, the most unique feature of the Georgia Sea Turtle Center is our engaging education program. The entire staff educates the general public starting with our gift shop personnel, then the education area where educators and volunteers engage the public, then our treatment room window where our veterinary staff can talk and show people how we care for the turtles and deal their injuries, next to the pavilion where our educators and interns do patient updates and our visitors can read about and see our patients and learn about their problems. I am a veterinarian and a scientist. Until now my career has been focused on clinical medicine and surgery and publishing scientific manuscripts. The GSTC has allowed us to continue to do the veterinary care and science but to go a step further and actually educate children to adults from all walks of life. This has a huge conservation impact. The more people we engage in our work, the more things will change for the better. The driving force behind all of this excellent work is our educators and they should be commended for the fantastic programs they have created in just over one year. I am totally amazed how the GSTC has blossomed in so many ways. Alicia Marin heads our education program as the education coordinator. Kelly O’Keefe came to us with a wealth of experience and knowledge. Sarah Mathias was one of our first interns who we decided to employ as a permanent staff member. These three individuals have done so much to enhance our programs and mesh science and education. We have had numerous education interns train with us in our short existence. All of them have left with a new perspective on education and sea turtle conservation. The sea turtles that come through our doors are ambassadors of the marine ecosystem. A turtle that has severe propeller injuries and is being treated gives us the opportunity to explain the impact boat strikes have on sea turtles and other marine wildlife. This is how we can really make a difference. Please come visit the GSTC and support our staff and our overall vision.

Education Update

The Georgia Sea Turtle Center was full of holiday spirit last month, hosting two holiday events and attending the Brunswick Christmas Parade. On Wednesday December 3rd, the Georgia Sea Turtle Center hosted the Atlanta Southeast Airlines Santa’s Sleigh event. 30 children from the Atlanta area were flown down to the Brunswick Airport and then bused over to Jekyll Island for a field trip to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center and our Amazing Adaptations program. After a trolley ride to the Convention Center, the group visited with Santa and were presented with Jekyll Island gift bags. Santa made another special appearance on Saturday December 20th for our 2nd Annual SEA-sons Greetings Event. The children each received a mini sea turtle toy from Santa himself, and listened to a special Georgia Sea Turtle Center-inspired version of “Twas the Night before Christmas.”

Tags: , Dylan the Sea Turtle, Georgia Sea Turtle Center, georgia sea turtles, jekyll island nature, jekyll island sea turtles, marine ecosystem, sea turtle education, sea turtle hospital, sea turtles, south east sea turtles, turtle rehabilitation, turtle science
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After helping to educate more than 30,000 4-Hers and Jekyll Island visitors about wildlife conservation, Dylan the sea turtle moved from the Jekyll Island 4-H Center to the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta in November 2005. While there, another 4.6 million people were able to see her and learn more about conservation.

See the UGA web page about Dylan . . .

Tags: Dylan the Sea Turtle, jekyll island, sea turtles, The Georgia Sea Turtle Center, the university of georgia, tidelands nature center
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And here’s the link they had on their website to learn more about Dylan!

Tags: Dylan the Sea Turtle, Georgia Sea Turtle Center, sea turtles, the georgia aquarium
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Dylan will be released at 11 a.m. Monday morning.

Tags: Dylan the Sea Turtle, sea turtles, The Georgia Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll Island
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Reprinted from The Brunswick News

By Anna Ferguson

An iconic figure will wave goodbye to the Golden Isles soon, leaving behind a longtime home to make her way in the world on her own. Dylan, the media darling loggerhead sea turtle, will be released from Jekyll Island’s Georgia Sea Turtle Center on Monday. The release is being hailed as one of the island’s biggest media events, with camera crews and news outlets from across the country, including ABC morning news show “Good Morning America,” converging on the center to cover the release. A decade ago, Dylan was rescued as a hatchling from the Jekyll Island beach and housed at the Tidelands Nature Center. From there, she was sent to Atlanta to be a staple at the Georgia Aquarium when it opened in 2005. She was later transported back home to Jekyll in 2007 when the center opened.

Dylan’s travels throughout Georgia have long been tracked by the public eye, and the turtle has developed a true celebrity persona, said Michelle Kaylor, an aquarist with the sea turtle center. “She’s really a diva,” Kaylor said. “She loves to splash visitors when they aren’t watching her.” Having been with the center since it opened a year ago, Kaylor and her fellow staffers have worked with Dylan to ready her for her inevitable release back to the ocean.

She is now strong, healthy and able to eat and hunt on her own, proving she is ready for the release, Kaylor said. Though the staff admits to being sad to see the turtle go, they are also equally as excited. Releasing her back to the ocean is much like watching a child go off to college, Kaylor said. “It’s bittersweet,” she said. “We’ve been working hard to get her ready, and now she is there. It’s time for her to go.” But, Kaylor adds, this isn’t the last the center will be hearing of Dylan. A tracking satellite placed under the skin will enable the center to keep tabs on her. “We’re hopeful that she’ll come back when she’s ready to nest and lay her own eggs here,” Kaylor said. Dylan’s release will come with the fanfare befitting a shelled superstar and will coincide with the one-year anniversary of the sea turtle center, said Eric Garvey, marketing director for the Jekyll Island Authority. Public events scheduled for the weekend include the release of two other turtles Saturday and a celebration at the center. All the merriment will lead to the release of Dylan on Monday, when a crowd of spectators is expected to flock to Jekyll’s beach to say good-bye and good luck. “A lot of folks have been following Dylan and want to take this opportunity to say good-bye,” Garvey said. “It is a little sad, but mostly, it is a very exciting time.” The sea turtle’s plight has paralleled the turtle center’s rise to the forefront of public attention, Garvey said, as it has gone from a small grass roots organization to a full-fledged facility with a highly praised mission of turtle education, research and rehabilitation. Dylan, too, has brought a spotlight to Jekyll’s enduring goal of environmental preservation and awareness. “We have a very strong mission for conservation, and it is something that we have been striving to carry out for a long time,” Garvey said. “The island is an environmental destination, known for its goals of conservation. Dylan has brought that mission into the public eye and made even more people aware of our conservations efforts.” As Dylan makes her exit from the center, several new turtles will be making their way in, including Joey, another sea turtle from the Georgia Aquarium. Garvey anticipates that Joey will be brought to the center some time in the coming week. BREAKOUT To celebrate the one-year anniversary of the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, Sea Turtle Weekend will be held Friday, Saturday and Sunday at various locations on Jekyll Island. Crafts, games and activities will be held at the center from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday. Dylan’s release will be 8:30 a.m. Monday, departing from the island on the beach behind the convention center. Attendees are asked to arrive early. For more information, call 635-4444 or visit www.georgiaseaturtlecenter.org.

Tags: Dylan the Sea Turtle, sea turtles, The Georgia Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll Island
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What: 

Dylan, a loggerhead sea turtle - one of the Georgia Sea Turtle Center’s first patients - will return to the ocean.

When:

Monday, June 30, 2008 at 8:30 a.m. – Dylan will depart the Georgia Sea Turtle Center and arrive on the beach at about 7:00 a.m.

All times are subject to change

Where:

– Georgia Sea Turtle Center, 214 Stable Road, Nat’l Historic Landmark District, Jekyll Island, GA

– Beach behind and slightly north of the Jekyll Island Convention Center, Jekyll Island, GA

Why:

Dylan, a straggler hatchling who was rescued on Jekyll Island almost 10 years ago, has been a local ambassador for sea turtles. Visitors to the Tidelands Nature Center, Coastal Encounters, the Georgia Aquarium and, most recently, the Georgia Sea Turtle Center have enjoyed watching Dylan for many years. Now that her carapace is over 50 cm long, Dylan is big enough to return to the ocean according to standards set by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Since May of 2007, when Dylan returned to Jekyll Island from the Georgia Aquarium, she has been learning the skills needed to return to the wild. She will be fitted with a special satellite transmitter so Georgia Sea Turtle Center (GSTC) researchers and visitors to the GSTC and Georgia Aquarium Web sites can monitor her activities and movements.

Activities:

Sunday, June 29, TBD – Final preparation and satellite tag fitting (GSTC)

Monday, June 30, 7:00 a.m. – Arrival at beach and subsequent release at the beach behind and slightly north of the Jekyll Island Convention Center

All times are subject to change

Tags: Dylan the Sea Turtle, sea turtles, The Georgia Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll Island
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By ANNA FERGUSON, reprinted from The Brunswick News

Swimming circles in an aqua-blue tank at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, Dylan appears unaware of her celebrity sea turtle status.

Does she know she is one of the most famous reptiles in America? Does she know that fans flock to her tank daily just to catch a glimpse of her?

From the depths of her tank at 214 Stable Road on Jekyll Island, Dylan appears oblivious to her own popularity. But then, she pops her head from the water, gives a flick of her fin, and swims a bit faster.

Her actions leave no room for doubt. Indeed, Dylan has a very real inkling what a super star she actually is.

Come Friday, when Dylan is released back into the wild, her shining star will fly even higher as camera crews and local, regional and national media head to Jekyll Island to cover the celebrated event.

“Dylan has become well known worldwide,” said Stefanie Ouellette, education director at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll Island. “A lot of folks have heard his story and have followed it closely. There will be a lot of people here to watch her release. It’s become a national story.”

A decade ago, Dylan was discovered as an abandoned hatchling on the Jekyll Island shores. Tidelands Nature Center adopted the baby Dylan, housing her there until she outgrew the facility. Dylan swims in her tank at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll Island as admirers watch her progress. Dylan was found as an abandoned hatchling on Jekyll more than a decade ago. She will be released into the Atlantic Ocean on Friday. (Michael Hall/The Brunswick News)

When the Georgia Aquarium opened in Atlanta in 2005, Dylan moved to the big city for life in the fast lane.

But the city proved to not be the right fit for the Jekyll native, as she grew into her own and became a bit too fiery for her own good.

“She became a little too interested in the other animals in the tank,” Ouellette said. “We all thought at that point, she was ready to go back into the wild.”

To prepare the turtle for her attempted release back to nature last May, Dylan was sent back south to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. As it turns out, the flippered critter wasn’t as prepared for the real world as was initially thought.

“She was terrified of crabs, and that’s what she would need to eat in the wild,” Ouellette said. “So we had to break her of that fear.”

Now, a little more than a year later, Dylan has overcome her fear of pinching crabs and is ready to be one with the wild waters of the East Coast.

Dylan’s adventure through captivity will come to an end Friday when the center releases her back to the wild.

“She’ll escape her walls and go back home,” said Ouellette.

It’s unknown what exactly will happen to Dylan once she leaves the center, but Ouellette and her co-workers, like any eager parents, are anxious to find out.

A rice-sized tag has been implanted under Dylan’s skin so researchers at the center can keep track of her adventures in open waters.

Scientists are hoping to gain additional insight on the lives of endangered sea turtles for further research from the tag, Ouellette said.

“We have no idea where she’ll go, but it will be interesting to find out,” said Ouellette. “We’ve broken her ties and dependency on humans and we’ve prepared her as much as we can.”

Standing outside Dylan’s tank on a recent day, Ron Murray marveled at the vivacious nature of the oversized turtle.

This wasn’t the first time Murray, a volunteer at the Georgia Aquarium, had become acquainted with Dylan. But while on vacation to the Golden Isles, he made a point to say hello to his old friend.

“She sure has more personality than any turtle I have ever seen,” Murray said. “At the aquarium, she’d swim right up in the glass and look at the visitors, while the other turtles would just stay near the top of the tank.

“This Dylan, she’s something else. Everyone loves her.”

Tags: Dylan the Sea Turtle, Georgia Coast Beach Vacation, Georgia Sea Turtle Center, jekyll island, sea turtles
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