From the Aquarium‘s Turtle Lady
We will be celebrating the 7th Anniversary of the South Carolina Aquarium (SCA) on the beach at Isle of Palms County Park. On Saturday, May 19, “St. Simon” and “Lighthouse” will return to the ocean after rehabilitation at the SCA’s Turtle Hospital. Everyone is invited to come out at 4 pm to participate in a beach sweep and children will have a chance to run through an interactive Turtle Excluder Device. There will be opportunities to gather information about various SCA and SC Department of Natural Resources conservation programs. The turtles will arrive ~5 pm to be released. “Lighthouse” will be outfitted with a satellite transmitter so we can all track his/her movements after the release. This tracking is part of a research project to get more information about sea turtles with Debilitated Turtle Syndrome, an illness that affects many juvenile loggerheads along our coast.
This event is open to the public so forward the e-mail to your friends and family! Come early to get involved in the activities. I encourage carpooling…this is a Saturday in late May and the beaches will be busy. There is a parking lot at the County Park as well as a city lot and both have costs associated. For SCA volunteers and staff, reciprocity passes will work for the County Park, but not the city lot. If the lots are full, you’re on your own! I look forward to seeing you all out on the beach.