Turtletopia
The Turtle Lover's Utopia
Archive for the ‘News’ Category
News: New oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico
Marine life off the coast of Louisiana has already been devastated by the BP oil spill Photo: P.J. Hahn/AP
“A new oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has created a mile-long slick after a tug boat struck an abandoned well off the Louisiana coast.
A crew was scrambled from the Deepwater Horizon clean-up operation after the collision sent a plume of oil and gas 100ft into the air.
The spill in Barataria Bay, which is surrounded by wildlife-rich wetlands, is at least the third leak since in the area since the BP oil catastrophe began on April 10.
The area of ocean 65 miles south of New Orleans would normally be occupied by fishermen, shrimpers and oystermen, but it has been deserted since the BP spill began.
The abandoned wellhead burst in the early hours of Tuesday morning after being hit by a tug boat that was pushing a dredge barge.
About 6,000 feet of boom was placed around the spill, and the Coast Guard was surveying the scene from a helicopter.” Read more >>
Source: Telegraph.co.uk / July 28, 2010 9:20AM BST
Kill the Spill – Oil Spill Wildlife Cleanup
Kill the Spill Website - Help Fight the Oil Spill and Save Animals!
Looking for a way to help out with the oil spill? Check out this website by the Metalab, Campaign Monitor, SquareSpace and WooThemes websites titled Kill the Spill. They’re matching up to $35,000 worth of every dollar donated. You can make a donation as small as $10.00 and help make a difference for the animals affected by the oil spill.
Turtle Blog Post Round Up – June 29th
I know you can get turtle related news easily through with a little searching, but how about turtle related blog posts? Here are a few that have popped up over the last few weeks:
Native Wildflowers And A Turtle « Window On The Prairie
By Suzanne
Ornate Box Turtles may spend their entire lives within just a few acres. They eat insects, spiders, worms and berries, and can live up to 30 years. In the fall, they dig a shallow burrow, and then hibernate until spring. …
Window On The Prairie – http://windowontheprairie.com/
The Lord Geekington: A Most Peculiar Turtle
By Cameron McCormick
Shortly after 8 a.m. on June 20th, 2010, at approximately this location, I happened across a melanisticturtle with an ~8 inch/20 cm carapace which had just successfully crossed the East Bay Bike Path. It appeared to be an emydid, …
The Lord Geekington – http://cameronmccormick.blogspot.com/
Turtle Power « The Puppeteer
By The Puppeteer
Less than a day old, the fleet of *bite-sized turtles hatched out of their ping-pong-ball eggs around 6am. Rollicking in the pool, the little turtles were a fortunate few to have been gathered by a conservationist.…
The Puppeteer – http://messiahofmadness.wordpress.com/
Join Hands Across the Sand on June 26th!
Join Hands Across the Sand!
Looking for something to do tomorrow? Why not participate in Hands Across the Sand? It is a worldwide gathering opposed to near- and off-shore oil drilling in our waters to protect our coastal economies, oceans, marine wildlife, and fishing industry. This event will be held this Saturday, June 26th, at various locations worldwide.
If you’re wondering what you would do at the event, it’s as simple as this:
- Go to the beach at 11 AM in your time zone for one hour, rain or shine.
- Join hands for 15 minutes at 12:00 forming lines in the sand against oil drilling in our coastal waters.
- Leave only your footprints.
That’s it!
Don’t live near a beach? Not a problem! There are organizers who have scheduled solidarity events at the same time. Use this link to find the even nearest to you!
The image is powerful, the message is simple. NO to Offshore Oil Drilling, YES to Clean Energy!
Moonlight, Sea Turtles and You!
Photo © National Park Service
Live near Fort Lauderdale? Visit the Museum of Discovery and Science for a moonlight look at nesting turtles! In this summer program that started Tuesday, June 16th, your evening begins at the museum at 9 p.m. for a one-hour presentation on nesting, threats to turtles and conservation. The presentation is followed by a short drive to the Marriott Harbor Beach Resort in Fort Lauderdale. While participants relax on lounge chairs, the program administrators comb the beach in search of nesting turtles. Once they spot a turtle, the program scouts relay information to museum staffers waiting with the participants. Turtle watchers get to see the mother-to-be after she has begun the nesting process.
The program is called “Moonlight, Sea Turtles & You”. For more information, visit the Museum of Discovery and Science website events calendar for more information.
Seriously, how neat is that? Definitely worth a look if you’re visiting Fort Lauderdale!
Sea Turtle Next YouTube Sensation!
I’m not one much for Cloverfield style movies, but for those of you who can stand it, you should check out this clip. It appears this turtle’s fin got caught in a yellow strap attached to a waterproof camera. The sea turtle somehow turned the camera on and filmed itself for 5 minutes while moving along its merry way. This clip has had over 2 million views, but I couldn’t watch more than 2 minutes of it. Shaky cameras are not my thing, but like I said, if you can deal, check it out.
BP Blocks Rescue Efforts to Save Turtles
BP may be cleaning up their oil spill, but they might be doing more harm than good in their efforts. A Louisiana shrimp boat captain hired by BP was captured on video saying that BP was burning up turtles and other marine life as part of the other oil slicked ocean debris. The Los Angeles Times reported on what is now being called the “Death by Fire” incident June 17, click here to read the story.
Endangered Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle rescued from Gulf oil spill…
NEW ORLEANS — Officials say the first sea turtle to be rescued from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill is being cared for in New Orleans. Audubon Aquarium spokeswoman Meghan Calhoun said the endangered Kemp’s Ridley turtle was found by…
Turtle restoration helps endangered species thrive
Conservationist Virginia Grimley holds one of the western pond turtles that will be released in the Columbia River Gorge this month. – Courtesy of the Oregon Zoo
“The Oregon Zoo is releasing nearly 60 endangered western pond turtles in the Columbia River Gorge this month, part of an on-going effort to restore a Northwest native that has teetered on the edge of extinction.
The turtles won’t be easy prey for bulldogs and bass. They’ve spent much of the year at the zoo under lights, which simulates perpetual summer and causes them to pack three years of growth into 11 months.
“The lights trick the turtles into thinking it’s still summer so they don’t go into hibernation,” said David Shepherdson, the zoo’s conservation program scientist. “The turtles grow and grow.”
Once the turtles reach a suitable size of about 70 grams, slightly more than two ounces, they are returned to their homes and monitored for safety.
“Since the turtles are larger, predators such as non-native bullfrogs and large-mouth bass are no longer threats,” Shepherdson said. “
Fly Away Turtle
Recently spending a weekend volunteering at the Universidad de Guadalajara’s Sea Turtle Protection Station, smallflightlessbird took this great video that I just had to share:
Too cute. Make sure to check out the rest of his turtle photos from the trip.
