Page 12 - HOH

Tuesday 23 augusT 2022 locAl
A10

Sea turtle conservation by Wind Creek Aruba Kicks Off Voting

Turtugaruba Foundation For Long Table Aruba Charity Event,
Awarding One Local Organization
With $40,000
ORANJESTAD ― Turtuga- Voting is now open to the
ruba was founded on Sep-
tember 3rd,2003 by a group public through August 24 to
of enthusiastic volunteers.
Ten years earlier, in 1993, determine donation recipient
a Sea Turtle Recovery Ac-
tion Plan (STRAP) was in- Lederschildpad - Driekiel streetlights, hotel lights,
troduced in Aruba and the (March – September) etc.) and then they don’t
rest of the Caribbean as an - Loggerhead Sea Turtle - find the sea. In the 90’s it
initiative of the United Na- Dikkopschildpad - Cawa- was still a common occur-
tions Environment Program ma (May – September) rence to find a complete
(UNEP). Tom Barmes, who - Hawksbill Sea Turtle - nest of about 70 hatch-
was working at DLVV (Dep- Karetschildpad - Caret lings on the streets, dead,
tartment of Agriculture, (June – December) as cars drove over them.
Husbandry and Fishery) - Green Turtle - Soepschild- Thanks to their protection
was one of the writers of the pad - Turtuga Blanco (July- methods and a lot of time
STRAP for Aruba, together November) and effort, the volunteers
with Karen Eckert, director of Turtugaruba have man-
of WIDECAST (Wider Carib- There also came a better aged to get this under con-
bean Sea Turtle Conserva- understanding and over- trol. But for a sustainable
tion Network). This is how view of the biggest threats solution there must be less
sea turtle conservation to the sea turtles existence light visible on the beaches ORANJESTAD – Wind Creek Aruba announced the
started on the island follow- in Aruba and how these and a strict regulation of open voting period for the 4th Annual Long Table Aru-
ing a plan that is still com- problems should be tack- it. Sea turtles simply need ba, which will award one local Aruban charity $40,000
plied with today. led. Despite hard work, all dark nesting beaches for - a record-high donation in the event’s history.
those years, most problems their survival. It is clear that
Tom formed a group of have not really gone away, even more coastal devel- More than 40 charities are eligible for votes via the
volunteers around him, but luckily and thanks to the opment would not make Wind Creek Aruba website through August 24, and
because nature does not enormous efforts from the the situation better for the the winners will be announced on August 28 at the
know office hours, like an volunteers, the sea turtles sea turtles. Again, more ho- Long Table Aruba event. To be considered for the
organization such as DLVV. are still here. On Aruba the tel rooms? And even busier donation, local organizations were asked to submit
This group of volunteers sea turtles are threatened beaches? These are choic- a video showcasing their charity’s mission and share
used the name Widecast with extinction by pollu- es Aruba has to make. Do why they would like to receive the $40,000 donation.
Aruba and today there are tion, driving on dunes and we want to leave a place
still a few of them active. beaches with quads and for the sea turtles? Not only This year’s Long Table Aruba event, which is currently
They first started protecting 4x4’s and the loss of nesting Aruba, but the entire world sold out, also marks the fifth anniversary of the Wind
the Leatherback Sea Turtle beaches due to coastal needs sea turtles! Sea tur- Creek Hospitality acquisition of Renaissance Aruba.
nests on Palm Beach and development on behalf of tles play a vital role in keep-
Eagle Beach. This group tourism. Because coastal ing our oceans healthy. “We’re so fortunate to be surrounded by such incred-
also investigated which development comes with ible charitable organizations doing great work here
other species of sea turtles artificial light and artificial The Green Turtle, for ex- in Aruba, and we’ve never been more committed
use Aruba as their nesting light is a mayor issue for sea ample, keeps the sea to the Aruban community,” said Paul Gielen, Wind
habitat and which beach- turtles, mother turtle usually grasses on the bottom of Creek Aruba General Manager. “What better way
es are used by them. For a comes on shore at night the sea short and therefore for us to honor these charities than inviting the public
period of 25 years a study looking for a dark beach to a healthy place for many to learn more about each one and cast their vote for
has been conducted in make her nest. However… fish to deposit their eggs. the organization they’d like to win.”
which every early morning a dark beach is hard to The Leatherback, the larg-
the beach was being mon- find here nowadays. Light est turtle of the world, eats Since arriving on the island in 2017, Wind Creek Aruba
itored in which now there causes stress and can result mainly jellyfish and helps has illustrated its dedication to the community by rais-
is a good overview of sea in her returning to the sea maintain the balance be- ing funds through its hallmark events - like Long Table
turtle nesting activities. without laying her eggs. tween jellyfish and plank- Aruba and Winter Wonderland - and providing in-kind
Artificial light causes disori- ton. Despite the threats hospitality and food donations year-round to organi-
There are 4 different sea entation for the baby sea that exist on Aruba, the tur- zations in need of disaster relief. Long Table Aruba
turtle species that visit Aru- turtles (hatchlings). tles still keep coming. That’s alone has raised more than $75,000 for Aruba-based
ba to lay their eggs, each why today Turtugaruba is charities.q
with their own specific sea- They crawl towards ar- especially proud of the vol-
son: tificial light sources (like unteers and the many peo-
- Leatherback Sea Turtle - ple and organizations of
our community that carry a
warm place in their hearts
for the sea turtles. All four
species are active now,
which means all hands
on deck in the field for us,
the volunteers. We strive
to keep the sea turtles, our
oldest ‘repeat guests’, al-
ways coming back to Aru-
ba and get the chance to
reproduce here.q