Page 14 - Allisons Magazine Issue #95

of their diet. Because sea grass needs to
be cut short for it to grow, the turtles
act as a kind of lawnmower, which
allows shellfish and other crustaceans
to thrive. And, unfortunately, sea grass
environments have really struggled in
recent years.”

Educating the public about the most
critically endangered species, like the
hawksbill turtle, is as equally important
as preservation and research programs.
In addition to the Tour de Turtles
program, which offers teachers across
the country learning materials and the
ability to follow the turtle tracking as
a classroom project, the conservancy
provides a number of resources for
educators worldwide to learn directly
from the experts.

“Education is a huge part of what we
do, especially in Florida because it’s one
of the only places we aren’t monitoring
nests every day,” says Beach. “But we are
able to offer free education materials,
programs, and presentations to anyone
who’s interested. It’s always exciting
when we get contacted by a school in
Maryland or Michigan, for example,
where there aren’t active populations of
sea turtles and yet they are still excited
to learn about the turtles.”

“Most of our programs focus on kids
and raising the next generation of

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