Michaela Wiersema

Wildlife Officer Defies The Odds In A Race Against Time To Stop The Path Of Poaching Destruction It sounds like a movie thriller but what one officer did is a story to remember and a spark of hope for the thousands of sea turtle eggs which are destroyed every year by poachers. Believe it or not, this event happened in Florida, which surprised even state

Discover What Goes On Behind The Scenes At One Of The Most Important Sea Turtle Conservation Centers In The Nation Baltimore, Maryland is home to the famous National Aquarium; and additionally, one of the largest sea turtle rescue facilities in the country. After this winter’s unexpected cold temperatures, staff have been working nonstop to rehabilitate the hundreds of cold-stunned sea turtles that have succumbed to

Renowned Sea Turtle Rehabiliation Program Opens The Doors Of Brand-New State-Of-The-Art Facility Deep in the southernmost part of the United States lies a gem not yet explored by many Americans. South Padre Island has remained a popular winter destination for winter Texans from around the country, and nestled in the center of the skinny island is one of the country’s most important sea turtle conservation

Discover The Origins And Meet The People Behind The Incredible Mission Of The American Tortoise Rescue Who would have thought that what started as a thoughtful birthday gift from a wife to her husband would be transformed into 30 years of wildlife rescue and rehabilitation. This is precisely what happened to Susan Tellem and Marshall Thompson in Malibu, CA. It did not take long for

New Couple To Be Married During a Dive With Rehabilitated Sea Turtles John Martin and AnaMaria Plumridge had no second thoughts when planning their upcoming marriage. They decided to dive right in, literally. In fact, John and AnaMaria are both professional divers. While John works at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, AnaMaria is an environmental specialist at the Department of Health in Pinellas County; however, since

Bold Burglary On Conservation Area A Tragic Development A gang of thieves wielding machetes and making off with goods- it sounds like the classic bank robbery, but in fact, these burglars were after something totally different. The Berau conservation area is home to endangered sea turtles which come each year to nest and lay their eggs. Protected with a barrier measuring over six feet tall,

Local Community Unites To Break Records In Their Commitment To Marine Conservation The Sunshine Coast in Australia is one of the prime nesting destinations for endangered sea turtles; however, it is also a prime area for dumping, and this debris can be fatal to the turtles which come to lay their eggs each season. Because of this unfortunate danger, the Sunshine Coast Council organizes an

Conservationist Turns Detective In A Race Against The Illegal Wildlife Trade It all started with a call from the local veterinary clinic to Richard Lewis, a wildlife conservationist in Madagascar, and a request to remove a microchip from a tortoise. It turns out that this was not just any tortoise. It was an Astrochelys yniphora, the rarest tortoise on the earth. An investigation revealed the