Turtles strand on Cape beaches in high numbers

By Eric Williams | Tuesday, November 30, 2010 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Photo by Merrily Cassidy/Cape Cod Times

Even turtle experts are stunned at the recent pace of cold-stunned turtle season on Cape Cod.

From Thursday through midday Monday, 85 sea turtles in trouble were plucked from area beaches.

"This certainly could be a record stranding year," said Robert Prescott, director of the Massachusetts Audubon Society’s Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary. "They’re being found anywhere from Sandy Neck in Barnstable all the way up to Ryder Beach in Truro."

Altogether this season, 107 turtles have been found alive and 26 found dead. Most of the survivors have been sent for treatment to a New England Aquarium rehabilitation facility in Quincy. Kemp’s ridley turtles make up the vast majority of the Cape’s stunned turtle population.

In 1999, 278 turtles were brought to the Audubon sanctuary, the current record.

The sanctuary is seeking donations of towels and cardboard boxes to help transport the chilled reptiles to rehab.

Experts say if you see a cold-stunned turtle, move it above the high-tide line. Cover it with eelgrass or seaweed to reduce the effect of the wind. Mark the spot with beach debris in a way that will allow it to be found again. Call the Mass Audubon's sea turtle hot line at 508-349-2615, ext. 104, and leave the exact location of the turtle. Then, let the turtle professionals do their thing.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1299792

Endangered Sea Turtles Rescued Off Cape Beaches

Sea turtles at center of attention

By Carla Gualdron | Friday, November 26, 2010 |

Photo by Jim Michaud

Twenty-one beleaguered sea turtles were rescued on Cape Cod beaches late Wednesday and Thanksgiving Day after they failed to swim south and succumbed to cold waters.

“They look like they’re dead,” said Tony LaCasse, media relations director of the New England Aquarium. “They’re black, green, covered in fungus. They literally have a single heart beat per minute.”

The turtles were brought to the aquarium’s new Animal Care Center in Quincy, a state-of-the-art facility that was specifically designed to handle a large number of animals over a short period of time in emergencies.

The Kemp-Ridley sea turtles, an endangered species, suffered from hypothermia and other injuries. Staff and volunteers from the Massachusetts Audubon Sanctuary at Wellfleet Bay braved the cold to search for the critters. LaCasse said strong northwest winds drove the turtles on shore. Since Oct. 20, the aquarium has treated 24 other sea turtles.

“On Thanksgiving, we are thankful to have this new center,” LaCasse said.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1298940

Strong Winds Drove Kemp-Ridley Turtles Ashore

More coverage here:

Endangered Sea Turtles Rescued Off Cape Beaches - Boston News Story - WCVB Boston

"Making a Difference for People and Turtles: Parallel Careers in Medicine and Conservation."

The Advocate

Posted: 11/03/2010

Talk on turtles

BENNINGTON, Vt. -- The inaugural address in this year’s James L. FitzGerald Annual Invitational Health Services Lecture Series will take place at Southern Vermont College’s Everett Mansion Theatre on Tuesday, Nov. 9, at 2:45 p.m.

Dr. Anders Rhodin, an orthopedic surgeon and owner of Wachusett Orthopedic, and Carol Conroy, vice president for operations and chief nursing officer at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center in Bennington, will deliver the results of their continuing research on turtles in a lecture titled "Making a Difference for People and Turtles: Parallel Careers in Medicine and Conservation."

In addition to being an orthopedic surgeon in private practice since 1982, Rhodin is also a world-renowned expert on turtles. A lifelong interest in turtles and tortoises, as well as the conservation of nature, has led Rhodin to become a leader in the global conservation community with a focus on turtles. He has been working on turtles since 1971 at Dartmouth College and then for several years as an Associate in Herpetology at Harvard University’s Museum of Comparative Zoology.

Conroy’s spare time is dedicated, in part, to turtle conservation. She serves on the Chairman’s Council of Conservation International and participates as a field assistant in turtle conservation and research activities with Rhodin.

The lecture is free.

For more information on the lecture, contact the Office of Communications at 802-447-6389/6388 or e-mail communications@svc.edu.