Newsletter of the

Caretta Research Project

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Fall 2017

Savannah Science Museum, Inc.

Board of Directors

Kathleen Ramee, President

Holley Jaakkola, Vice President

Linsey McDougal, Secretary

Mary Jane Martin, Treasurer

Amy Condon

Kathryn Craven Jennifer Grayson

Corrine Howington Terri O’Neil

Kelley Parker Ann Ramee

John Reddan James Wilson

CRP Staff

Joseph B. Pfaller Kristina L. Williams

Assistants

Jason Fuller Darnice Pettigrew

Caleigh Quick Ed Strohsahl Sara Weaver

2018 Registration:

Early registration to participate on the CRP will open for 2 weeks in December-please refer to our Facebook page or website for further information. Regular registration will open on Tuesday, January 2nd. We fill up quickly and only have 102 available spots, so don’t get blocked out this year! CALL AND E-MAIL early on

January 2nd to reserve your spot on Wassaw and help study these magnificent animals!

A Summer to Remember Nesting season in Georgia began on May 1st with a nest on Cumberland Island, and Wassaw was not far behind. We found our first nest on the morning of May 3rd, mak-ing this the earliest start in the 45-year his-tory of the project. Additionally, we broke our 2nd highest record, with 253 loggerhead nests and three green nests! One hundred and twenty-six individual loggerheads were identified on Wassaw this year: 78 were neophytes (new turtles), 43 remigrants (turtles previously tagged on Wassaw), and five immigrants (turtles tagged on other beaches). Additionally, one of this year's loggerheads was first tagged in 1996, called "Neritina," and she has a long nesting history on Wassaw. She returned during seven more seasons to deposit a total of 30 nests. Luckily, Hurricane Irma did not do nearly as much damage to Wassaw NWR as Hurricane Matthew. Everyone had evacuated, and all cabins and structures were relatively unaffected. However, Hurricane Irma did cut the turtle season short. Irma caused nearly a 13’ storm surge along

the coast, resulting in a loss of 10-15% of the re-maining nests. For Wassaw, this meant losing 32 nests. While it’s always sad to lose nests, sea tur-tles are well adapted for these kinds of losses. By spreading their nesting efforts across several months each season and several decades during their lifetime, they ensure that nests lost to unpre-dictable storms will not hurt the next generation of turtles. Thanks to staff and volunteers with the CRP, more than 16,400 hatchlings were released!

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Sea Turtle Eggs: A Genetic Goldmine! Since 2006, the CRP has been working with biologists at the University of Georgia on a large-scale genet-ics research project, encompassing nesting sea turtles from Maryland to Georgia (the northern subpopula-tion of loggerhead sea turtles). Each night for the past 11 years, we have collected one fresh egg from every clutch (nest) laid on Wassaw and sent the eggshell to Dr. Brian Shamblin at UGA. The shell of each freshly laid egg contains the mother turtle’s DNA. By extracting DNA from one egg shell in each clutch, researchers can identify which turtle laid each clutch without actually seeing her. Essentially, turtles leave their “genetic name” right there in the eggs. Along with one egg from every clutch laid on Wassaw, colleagues from the University of Georgia have now done this for every loggerhead clutch laid in this subpopulation and the results have revealed several new and exciting secrets.

Dr. Shamblin published a paper this year in the journal Marine Biology, along with CRP biologists and other colleagues, which unveiled the key findings. From 2010-2012 alone, 5,684 mother turtles were iden-tified to lay 20,222 clutches, which is considerably more turtles than were previously estimated to be in this population using traditional methods (~3,000 turtles estimated in a 2011 study). Right off the bat, we learned that our Wassaw loggerheads are part of a population that is over 50% larger than we thought!

Also, DNA from egg shells revealed new information on nest site fidelity. In general, loggerhead sea tur-tles nest every 2-4 years, and each nesting season they lay between 4-8 clutches. The question was, how close together do females tend to lay their successive clutches along the coast? For example, how Wassaw-loving are our Wassaw turtles? In this study, we found that turtles tend to deposit successive clutches within 10km of each other about 70% of the time and all clutches within 10km from each other about 64% of the time. Because Wassaw is about 10km long, this means that many turtles that we see on Wassaw tend to remain Wassaw turtles within a season. However, a few turtles in this population wandered be-tween 15 and 725km within one season! This means that the turtles we see on Wassaw deposit about 45% of their nests within a season somewhere else other than Wassaw. Wassaw-loving or not, the CRP will al-ways happily welcome and lovingly experience every turtle we can get!

Results from this innovative study, to which CRP research played an integral role, have important impli-cations for the conservation and management of this population. These more robust estimates of popula-tion size and nest site fidelity will allow mangers to refine long-term population viability projections and target more localized sources of mortality that may have a greater impact than previously expected. We are proud that the CRP contributes to such an important project, as the information gained is critical for the preservation of our beloved loggerheads into the future.

Here are three different nesting strategies of individuals nesting on Wassaw, as revealed by this genetics project. Maps courtesy of Seaturtle.org. Inc.

One turtle who nested on Wassaw nested 675 km away, near Nags Head, NC.

Another turtle who nested on Wassaw also nested on 9 other beaches within 4 nesting seasons.

This turtle, “Constance,” has laid 42 nests on Wassaw, most on the north end, during 9 nesting seasons since 1999.

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How You Can Help Georgia’s Loggerheads Sea Turtles

The CRP is a public non-profit charity (501(c)3) and we do not receive funding from the state or Federal

government. We depend on outside contributions to fund operating costs of the project. Every year, we

receive generous contributions and gifts to fund our research, conservation and education efforts from peo-

ple like you. Here are suggestions on how you can donate your resources:

Participate on the Project and get a hands-on experience protecting the turtles Individual Donations made directly to the Caretta Research Project

Corporate Matching Gifts that match contributions from employees to charities, doubling support Adopt-A-Turtle for classroom learning tools, holiday gifts, birthdays, other special occasions, or for yourself

Purchase Sea Turtle Gifts from our on-line store Honorariums and Memorials in honor of or in memory of a special person in your life

Volunteer as a Boat Captain to transport crews and gear to and from Wassaw Island during the summer.

All donations to the CRP will be used to directly fund sea turtle research, education and conservation efforts.

The Great Atlantic Garbage Patch

What? No, silly, that nasty cesspool of floating garbage is in the Pacific Ocean not the Atlantic, right? Wrong! Although lesser known than its Texas-sized cousin in the Pacific, the Great At-lantic Garbage Patch is now garnering much needed attention from scientists and environmen-tal advocates alike. Just like in the Pacific, the immense circular vortex that is the North Atlantic gyre causes float-ing debris to accumulate in it’s center. Whether accidental or deliberate, the trash that we cast into our oceans often makes its way to these areas, where it forms ever-growing garbage patch-es. Although its east-west span is unknown, the Great Atlantic Garbage Patch is thought to cov-er a region between 22 and 38 degrees north latitude—roughly the distance from Cuba to Vir-ginia! Of particular concern are plastic items, including balloons, bottles and single-use bags and con-

tainers. Plastic items not only circulate for years, posing health risks to sea turtles and other marine animals that accidentally eat them, but they also gradually break-up into smaller and smaller pieces, turning the ocean into a plastic ‘soup’! Every summer, CRP staff and volunteers work with Clean Coast (www.cleancoast.org) to remove ma-rine debris from our beloved Wassaw Island, but of course there are many other ways we can help com-bat this problem in our everyday lives. The Ocean Conservancy (www.oceanconservancy.org) and the Mother Nature Network (www.mnn.com) both have some great information. Let’s all do what we can to keep our oceans clean!

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Celebrating 45 years of Loggerhead Research on Wassaw Island

This year’s event was held on a BEAUTIFUL, clear night, under the Harvest Moon on the bluff in Isle of Hope! WE are thrilled that nearly 150 people joined the staff and Board on October 5th to celebrate 45 years of research and conservation of loggerhead turtles! Special thanks go to: Juha and Holley Jaakkola, our wonderful hosts-the venue was beautiful! Big Bon Pizza for delicious gourmet pizzas all night long! The Savannah Country Day Jazz Quartet for fantastic music! Ann Ramee and Joe Pfaller for taking pictures throughout the night!

Thank you to our generous sponsors!

LOGGERHEAD: Dr. and Mrs. Juha Jaakkola, Optim Ortho

GREEN:

Canewater Farm

KEMP'S RIDLEY: Brennan and Company

Joseph and Catherine Gussler Low Country Dermatology

Dr. David and Mrs. Christie Palmer, Optim Ortho Sonny and Dale Thorpe

Dr. and Mrs. James Wilson, Jr., Optim Ortho

HAWKSBILL: Beacon New Homes, LLC

Circa Lighting Kevin E. Finley

Georgia Power Company Innovative Veterinary Medicine

John and Holly McCormick One Fish Two Fish

River Street Sweets—Savannah Candy Kitchen Savannah Bee Company

HATCHLING:

MacAljon Family of Companies Mermaid Cottages

Judy McDougal Remax Savannah Linsey McDougal Remax Savannah

Rebecca and Joe Olson Rivers and Glen Trading Company Thomas J. Sheehan Insurance, Inc.

Tollison and Company, LLC

IN KIND: Byrd Cookie Company The Kennickell Group

Savannah Distributing Company, Inc. Service Brewing

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Thank you to our generous auction donors!

Amphibian Air, Ashley Blalock Designs, Blackhawk Fly Fishing, Patricia Branning, Betsy Cain, Staci Cannon, Caretta Research Project, Christine Hall Photography, Collins Quarter, Colorboxx, Al Cook, Cool Savannah Tours and Gifts, Found Jewelry, Herit-age Golf Group, LLC, Linda Howard, Diane Kaufman, Mountain Khakis, Bellamy Murphy, Optimal Hearing Systems, Inc., Mrs. Kelley Parker, Mr. Dave Peterson, Joe Pfaller, Satchell, Savannah Philharmonic Orchestra, Albert Seidl Fine Art Gallery and Stu-dio, Ridley Stallings, Georgia Walters, Ruth Weimar, Sallie

What do you get someone who already has everything for Christmas ?

How about a

THREATENED SPECIES! Support the Caretta Research Project by adopting a loggerhead sea turtle! Adopt one of the selected loggerhead sea turtles that has nested in previous years on Wassaw Island and was last seen during the 2014, 2015 or 2016 seasons. Since loggerheads typically have a 2-4 year nesting cycle, we expect that these in-

dividuals may return to Wassaw to nest during 2018! For a donation of $30.00, you will receive an adoption kit that includes a:

1) list of adoptees and an adoption form; 2) beautiful glass sea turtle ornament;

3) our semi-annual newsletter; and 4) bumper sticker.

Then log on to carettaresearchproject.org throughout the summer to track “your” turtle’s nesting ac-

tivity during the 2018 season!

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ACCOMPLISHMENTS SINCE 1973:

• Added nearly 1,685 turtles to the tagged loggerhead population; • Monitored 4,290 nests containing more than 464,600 eggs;

• Successfully released nearly 301,900 hatchlings into the ocean; • Trained 23 interns who have gone to other environmental education programs;

• Involved and educated 3,000+ global volunteers in sea turtle conservation efforts.

International Sea Turtle Symposium, Kobe, Japan: February 2018

Dr. Joseph Pfaller has submitted the following presentations for the ISTS 2018: Pfaller JB, Chaloupka M, Bolten AB, Bjorndal KA. 2018. Phylogeny, biogeography and methodology: a meta-analytic perspective on heterogeneity in adult marine turtle survival. (oral presentation) Pfaller JB, Williams KL, Frick MG, Shamblin BM, Nairn CJ, Girondot M (2018) Genetic determination of tag loss dynamics in nesting loggerhead turtles. (poster presentation)

SHOP THE CARETTA STORE!!

Get your CRP t-shirts with a hatchling crawling down one sleeve and ball caps and visors! Check out our website for details!

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We would like to thank the following individuals and organizations for their support and contributions since November 2016:

HATCHLING: ($1-$499) Ms. Tiffany Alewine Drs. Thomas and Kelsey Alexander Mrs. Lynda Beam Dr. and Mrs. Charles Belin, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Bernard Mrs. Elizabeth Biermeier-Hanson Mr. and Mrs. Timothy Blanco Drs. Ryan and Pamela Boland Ms. Birgit Bolton Mr. Daniel Bromstad & Mrs. Eleanor Rhangos Mr. and Mrs. William J. Burroughs Mr. and Mrs. John Burt Ms. Trudy Byrd Mr. and Mrs. Charles Campbell Mrs. Paula Campbell Ms. Laura Card Mrs. Meta Carr Mr. Jim Carr and Ms. Linda Cline Mr. Jack Carroll and Mrs. Sue Bark Dr. and Mrs. Daniel Carson Mr. and Mrs. Steve Chick Mr. and Mrs. Nathaniel Clapp Ms. Stephanie Clement Mrs. Catherine Cooper Dr. Kathryn Craven Mr. and Mrs. Phillip Crawford Mr. and Mrs. Clifford Dales Mr. Neil Dawson Ms. Marie Dent LCDR. and Mrs. Edward J. Derst III Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Dimond Ms. Cornelia Dodge Mrs. April Downing Mr. and Mrs. Pat Downing Mr. and Mrs. Keith Drittler Mrs. Elizabeth DuBose & Mr. Mark Frissell Mr. and Mrs. Darryl Engle Mr. John Elberfeld & Mrs. Jane McLean Mr. and Mrs. William Eswine Ms. Josephine Ewing Ms. Tess Ewing & Ms. Louise Rice Dr. and Mrs. Charles C. Ferris The Fleischer Family Mrs. Patricia Folmar Mr. and Mrs. William Forrester Mr. Corey Fountain Mr. and Mrs. Alan Fuller Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey Gentes Mr. and Mrs. Joel Gerber Mr. and Mrs. Rolfe Glover IV Dr. and Mrs. Jeff Goldberg Dr. and Mrs. M.M. Goldsmith Mr. Bill Goldstrohm Mr. Hartford Gongaware Ms. Stephanie Gould Mr. and Mrs. Richard Grayson Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell Green Mrs. Karen Groce Mrs. Tricia Guggenheim Ms. Mary Hada Ms. Virginia Haile Mr. Greg Hall Mr. Roger Hanson & Ms. Anna Biermeier Mr. Justin Hart Mr. and Dr. John Helmken Mr. Boyd Holtan Mr. William Hopkins III Drs. Douglas Smith & Cynthia Hucks-Smith Dr. Jeanne Hungerpiller Mr. and Mrs. Kevin Iocovozzi Mr. and Mrs. Kim Iocovozzi Mr. and Mrs. Fred Irwin Mr. Kevan Jackson Mrs. Denise Jackson Mrs. Shirley Jensen Ms. Helen Johnson Mr. and Mrs. Garrett Kaminski Mermaid Cottages Mr. and Mrs. William Keaton Kroger Community Rewards Program Ms. Christi Lambert Mrs. Phyllis Lathrope Mr. and Mrs. William G. Lewis Mr. and Mrs. John Lewis Mr. and Mrs. James Lindley Ms. Margaret Livingston Mr. And Mrs. Melvin Lockwood MacAljon Family of Companies Mr. Jay Massey Mrs. Judy McDougal-Remax Savannah Ms. Linsey McDougal-Remax Savannah Mrs. Janice McGibbon Ms. Ginger McIntosh The McKee Family Mrs. Judy McLachlin Ms. Patricia McLeod Mr. and Mrs. Douglas McManamy Mr. and Mrs. Thomas McMullin Mrs. Marjorie McRainey Middleton Community Church Dr. Elza Mylona Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Nicholson Mr. Jim Olsen Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Olson Ms. Terri O’Neil Mr. Carl Parrish Mr. Kim Pfaller Mr. and Mrs. Gabe Pitt Ms. Audrey Platt Ms. Annie Quaile & Ms. Ellie Titus Ms. Kathleen Ramee Mr. and Mrs. John Reddan Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Reeves IV Mrs. Beverly Reynolds Mr. and Mrs. William Rhangos Rivers and Glen Trading Company Dr. and Mrs. Daniel Rose Mrs. Cathy Jo Sakas Mr. and Mrs. Larry Schmitz Dr. and Mrs. Richard Schulze, Jr. Ms. JoBeth Shelton Mrs. Rebecca Shortland Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Smith Mr. and Mrs. Philip Solomons, Jr. Dr. and Mrs. John Spellman Ms. Elizabeth Sweeney Mrs. Ansley Bell Threlkeld LLC Tollison and Company, LLC Dr. and Mrs. Charles Usher Mrs. Katherine Vater Mrs. Sue Vater Olsen Dr. and Mrs. Jules Victor Dr. Christopher Walls Mrs. Suzanne Williams Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Wright Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Yarbrough

HAWKSBILL: ($500-$999) Beacon New Homes, LLC Mr. and Mrs. Frank Chisholm, Jr. Circa Lighting Mrs. Sally Dayton and Mr. Tim Moore Mr. Kevin Finley Innovative Veterinary Medicine Mr. and Mrs. John McCormick Morgan Stanley Cyber Grants One Fish Two Fish Ms. Christine Parsons The Pfaller Family Piper Jaffray Charitable Giving Program Mr. and Mrs. Michael Price River Street Sweets—Savannah Candy Kitchen Savannah Bee Company Savannah Community Foundation, Inc. Thomas J. Sheehan Insurance, Inc. Mr. and Mrs. Ray Williams The Wright-Troth Family KEMP’S RIDLEY: ($1,000-$2,499) Brennan and Company, LLC Colonial Oil Industries Georgia Power Dr. and Mrs. Joseph Gussler Low Country Dermatology J.C. Lewis Foundation, Inc. Jolly Foundation Mr. James Olsen Dr. and Mrs. David Palmer Mrs. Kelley Parker Publix Super Markets Charities Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Ramee Mr. and Mrs. Robert Stephens Mr. and Mrs. R. E. Thorpe, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Al Townsend Dr. and Mrs. James Wilson, Jr. GREEN: ($2,500-$4,999) Canewater Farm Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation The Helios Foundation Ms. Loretta Kane Savannah Presbytery Ecology Foundation LOGGERHEAD: ($5,000-$7,499) Dr. and Mrs. Juha Jaakkola The Imlay Foundation, Inc. The Nature Conservancy The Waterfall Foundation, Inc. LEATHERBACK: ($7,500+) Anderson-Rogers Foundation, Inc. Georgia Ports Authority Shared Earth Foundation BOAT CAPTAINS: Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Carroll Mr. and Mrs. Rolfe Glover IV Mr. and Mrs. Philip Grainey Dr. and Mrs. Joseph Gussler Mr. and Mrs. Wes Lanier Mr. and Mrs. Gabe Pitt Mr. and Mrs. Joe Powers Ms. Kathleen Ramee Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Ramee Mr. and Mrs. John Reddan Dr. Chris Walls SPECIAL THANK YOUS: All of our silent auction donors and in-kind sponsors! Mrs. Donna Edwards-In memory of Dr. John Hungerpiller. IKEA-for 10 packages of IKEA bags. Mr. and Mrs. George Mendonsa—In memory of Ms. Hadrienne Mendonsa. Mr. Dave Cahoon and Mr. Frances Becker for fixing and maintaining our Mules. Landings Harbor Marina for helping crews come and go from Wassaw each week. Delegal Creek Marina-for dock space throughout the season. Holly Gaboriault, Russ Webb, Chuck Hayes, Shaw Davis, Chris Cooley and the staff at USFW Savannah Coastal Refuges for assistance with permits and for their continuing support; Mark Dodd and Ashley Raybould of Georgia Department of Natural Resources for assistance with permits and fixing our mules; Beth Betbeze, Lillian Powell, Angie Sheets and all of the members of the Wassaw Island, LLC for their support which makes this possible.

SAVANNAH SCIENCE MUSEUM, INC. CARETTA RESEARCH PROJECT

P.O. Box 9841 Savannah, Georgia 31412

Phone: 912-704-9323 E-mail: WassawCRP@aol.com

Website: www.carettaresearchproject.org

Protecting Georgia’s Sea Turtles since 1973

CARETTA RESEARCH PROJECT