Released sea turtle carries Tony Amos’s ashes out to sea A rescued green sea turtle named Picasso was released back into the Gulf of Mexico on Saturday, carrying the ashes of a self-taught Texas oceanographer who founded the rehabilitation center that helped nurse it back to health. Hundreds of well-wishers surged forward to get better views during a sunset ceremony that effectively allowed Tony Amos, […]

Gopherus polyphemus Head-starting Project Moves Forward Through Collaborative Partnerships The Aiken Gopher Tortoise Heritage Preserve is home to the fascinating Gopherus polyphemus, which is also the subject of an interesting project headed by University of Georgia�s Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (SREL), The Longleaf Alliance, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Riverbanks Zoo & Garden. Gopherus polyphemus possesses endangered status in

Would-be thieves prevented from stealing ATVs from nonprofit Florida Leatherbacks As if it’s not difficult enough to run a nonprofit, two ATVs were almost stolen in Palm Beach after the culprit(s) failed to hot-wire one of them, attempting to hide them nearby and come back later. After they sent out a message on social media, a neighbor nearby then spotted the vehicles and was able

Yet Another State On Its Way To Initiating Ban Of Turtle Harvesting Arkansas may be following in the footsteps of New York, Nevada, and Missouri in implementing new laws to ban the commercial harvest of the 14 turtle species that are legally collected each year. A shocking 126,381 turtles were harvested between 2014 and 2016 within the state, and Elise Bennett from the Center for

NOAA, 1,000th turtle to be rehabilitated, release in the Hawaiian islands The agency�s fisheries stranding program in Hawaii has been responding to dead or injured sea turtles for more than 30 years. The 1,000th rehabilitated turtle, a 150-pound, sub-adult male, was released Friday afternoon at Maui�s Tavares Bay in Kuau. The Maui Ocean Center Marine Institute rescued the turtle Aug. 21 on a Maui beach

Ban To Halt Malaclemys terrapin Collection A Massive Conservation Victory New York’s quintessential chelonian, Malaclemys terrapin, is finally receiving the protection it deserves. The species is heavily collected for food consumption and populations have not bounced back following the massive collection rates of the 20th century. The state Department of Environmental Conservation has determined that the turtles are officially in decline and so has decided

Sonoyta mud turtle (Kinosternon sonoriense longifemorale) wins endangered species status It may not be surprising that an �aquatic desert� turtle faces long odds in life, but environmentalists and biologists still welcomed this week�s endangered species designation for the Sonoyta mud turtle. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced the designation Wednesday, citing threats from climate change to loss of habitat for the southern Arizona animal,

Trend toward sea turtle recovery around the globe (Read the full paper in Science Advances here) As a migratory species, sea turtles aren’t the easiest animals to protect. However, thanks to conservation efforts over the last 70 years, the effects of dangers such as over-exploitation and habitat loss appear to have been reduced significantly, allowing for a global bouncing back of sea turtle species. Dr.