Page 12 - Allisons Magazine Issue #95

The group held its first meeting in
New York City in December 1959—
a gathering Powers dubbed the
Brotherhood of the Green Turtle.

ONE

SHELL

OF A

CAUSE

written by alexa bricker
photography by ben hicks

IN LATE JULY 2017, A CROWD GATHERED The Tour de Turtles, which first took promote the doctor’s work with turtle populations were protected. THE SEA TURTLE’S MODERN THREAT it uses—a small, automated satellite
at a small section of beach along the place in 2008, is part of a long history sea turtles. “At that time, some fifty years ago, Like many other coastal-dwelling tracker attached to the turtle’s shell—
central east coast of Florida. This stretch of programs through which the Sea environmental factors were not as species, turtles have faced dramatic has helped better protect particularly
of beach has drawn crowds every year at Turtle Conservancy raises awareness for The group held its first meeting much of a concern, but people killing environmental threats in recent sensitive nesting grounds and identified
this time for over a decade—but not for the plight of sea turtles. Such efforts in New York City in December and eating turtles was the biggest years—particularly from commercial areas where commercial fishing is
any reasons you might think. have helped to make the organization 1959—a gathering Powers dubbed threat,” says Sea Turtle Conservancy fishing, pollution, and warming ocean the greatest threat, among other
the most successful sea turtle protection the Brotherhood of the Green Turtle. communications coordinator Lexie temperatures, all of which damage their important work.
Melbourne Beach, Florida, is home agency in the world. Comprised of influential publishers, Beach. “Turtles were an international natural habitats.
to the Archie Carr National Wildlife members of government, and Dr. Carr, delicacy, and they were being harvested According to Beach, turtles are a great
Refuge, which is operated by the DR. ARCHIE CARR the group agreed to provide financial not only in Latin America but also For decades, the Sea Turtle Conservancy marker for the health of the global
Sea Turtle Conservancy, a research, The organization may never have been support to assist Carr in his mission. in Florida.” has been releasing turtles and tracking coastal environments because of their
rehabilitation, and education center founded, though, if it weren’t for the their migratory patterns from stations in wide range of travel in all but one of
with a mission to study and protect research of one man, Dr. Archie Carr, Carr served as the scientific director Much has changed for the global turtle Costa Rica and Florida, hoping to better the seven oceans. “They can tell us so
global sea turtle populations. The reason and his 1956 book, The Windward of the organization for nearly three population since the conservancy’s understand the behaviors, feeding, and much about the beach, dune system,
for the crowds is the annual release Road. Working as a publisher, Sea Turtle decades, and, through research he founding, and, although the consumption nesting patterns of these creatures. The and marine environment as a whole,”
of dozens of loggerhead, leatherback, Conservancy founder Joshua B. Powers conducted in Costa Rica and the of turtles is mostly a thing of the past, organization also has research centers she says. “One of the examples we use
green, and hawksbill turtles through the was so influenced by Carr’s research that Caribbean, he helped bring about the other dangers posed to these animals in Bermuda, Panama, and St. Kitts a lot is that green sea turtles are one of
organization’s Tour de Turtles program. he decided to form an organization to numerous policy changes to help ensure have remained constant. and Nevis. The telemetry tracking that a few animals that eat sea grass as part

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