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November 24, 2008 Park Service needs volunteers to find cold-stunned sea turtles By IRENE NOLAN Michelle Bogardus, lead sea turtle biologist for the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, called today with an update on the dire predicament of sea turtles that have been “stunned” by the suddenly falling air and water temperatures. Bogardus was driving to the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island with a green sea turtle in her lap. It is a young turtle, about 10 inches long and probably about 2 to 5 years old. Bogardus found the turtle this morning on a beach on the soundside of Hatteras Inlet. It had been buried in the sand and attacked by gulls, but she was still hopeful that it could be nursed back to health by the folks at the aquarium. Last week, Bogardus reported that 25 sea turtles had been found in the seashore, most on the soundside beaches, victims of the cold temperatures. That number, she said, was unusually high for November. Today she reports that more than 40 turtles have been found. Most of them have been dead, but so far, 12 have been found alive, Bogardus said, including the turtle riding in her lap. “We found six live ones just yesterday,” she said. The live turtles have included eight green turtles, three loggerheads, and one Kemp’s ridley. If Park Service staff and volunteers can find the turtles quickly enough while they are still alive, there is a good chance they can survive. However with the cold-stunned turtles washing ashore in such great numbers, the Park Service is struggling to patrol the beaches and find the survivors quickly enough. “We have a dedicated group of volunteers,” Bogardus said. But more are needed. If anyone – islander or visitor -- can volunteer this holiday week to drive or walk the beaches, Bogardus wants to hear from you. She is especially interested in volunteers with canoes or kayaks to patrol the more inaccessible soundside beaches. You can call Michelle Bogardus at 216-6892 to volunteer or if you find a stunned sea turtle on the beach.
(To read more about how the cold snap is taking a toll on sea turtles, see the story below.) November 19, 2008 Cold snap is taking a toll on sea turtles By IRENE NOLAN  Humans on Hatteras and Ocracoke are shivering with the abrupt dive in the temperatures, but the sudden change has been devastating to the sea turtles in the waters off the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. On Saturday, temperatures on the Outer Banks reached the low 70s. Today they struggled to get above 40 degrees – and didn’t in most places. The plummeting air temperatures and corresponding drops in water temperatures have resulted in an unusually large number of sea turtle strandings. About 25 turtles have been stranded on the seashore in the past three days, according to Michelle Bogardus, lead sea turtle biologist with the seashore. Three of these, she said, were found alive and are in rehabilitation. By comparison, Bogardus said, there were about 20 to 30 strandings last year for the entire month of November. “We expect to see this when there is a rapid drop in temperature,” she said. “But not this many in just three days.” Bogardus said the turtles have been “stunned” by the suddenly colder waters, which causes them to go into a “coma-like” state. If they are found quickly enough, she said, some of these turtles can be saved. Almost all of the strandings in the past three days have been on the soundside of Hatteras Island, with many between the villages of Frisco and Hatteras. The shallower waters of the Pamlico Sound, Bogardus said, cool more quickly than the deeper ocean. And most of the strandings have involved juvenile turtles that have been hanging around in the sound waters because of the warmth and the more abundant food source. The strandings have involved loggerhead, green, and Kemp’s ridley sea turtles. Loggerheads, the predominant species that nest on the seashore and live in its waters, are listed as threatened. Green turtles are listed as threatened here, but endangered elsewhere, and Kemp’s ridley turtles are listed as endangered. Most of these sea turtles in seashore waters will head to the Gulf Stream in the colder weather and go south. This year, Bogardus said, “They didn’t move quickly enough.” The Park Service has increased its soundside patrols – both by its staff and volunteers -- but islanders and visitors can help with saving the cold-stunned turtles. Bogardus is asking the public to call her with news of any turtle strandings. “Sometimes,” she said, “a turtle may look dead. But if it is not moving and not decomposing, it could just be stunned by the cold and could have a chance for survival.” Getting prompt veterinary attention is important, she said. Anyone who finds a stranded sea turtle should call Bogardus at 252-216-6892. Even if the turtle is already dead, she says biologists can take samples for a necropsy that will help them understand sea turtle biology. “I know there are so many turtles out there,” she says, “and if we can’t get our hands on them fast enough, they will die.” Bogardus also adds that anyone who finds a stranded turtle or marine mammal, such as a whale or dolphin, on the beach should not attempt to move the animal back into the water, but should call her for help. FOR MORE INFORMATION This was a record year for sea turtle nesting on Cape Hatteras National Seashore Beaches. For more information, check these articles on the Nature and Environment Page of this site: http://islandfreepress.org/2008Archives/08.12.2008-SeaTurtlesAreNestingOnTheSeashoreInRecordNumbers.html http://islandfreepress.org/2008Archives/10.07.2008-RecordNumberOfNestsOnSeashoreTakeABeatingFromSeptemberStorms.html |
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