Posted by admin | 11.11.2011 | Turtle Talk

Traveling to the Turtles

Some of the most special moments of Sea Turtle Camp are the night nesting walks we perform at Topsail Island. Whether scanning the dim horizon for a turtle’s head popping out of the surf or surveying the sands for the telltale turtle tracks, the magic of those still moments are etched in our memories. Most students wanted even more of this experience, so we are thrilled to announce the addition of our Nesting Ecology program in Costa Rica!

Very few places are better suited for studying sea turtles than Costa Rica; 6 of the 7 species can be found there. And during the summer months, nesting season is extremely active.The stretch of beach we monitor is the largest nesting aggregation of greens in the entire Western Hemisphere! We’ll work alongside a grass roots, non-profit organization to collect data on nesting females, identify turtle tracks, record tag numbers, perform egg counts, and assist with nest relocations.

After following in the footsteps of famous turtle researchers like Archie Carr, we will have the opportunity to study some of the turtles’ terrestrial relatives as we travel inland to get the full “pura vida” experience. We’ll take some time away from the beach to explore another extremely diverse habitat – the cloud forests of Monteverde. Working alongside researchers we’ll learn about this incredible rainforest habitat that is supported by the moisture of the clouds. In addition to learning about rainforest ecology and all of its inhabitants we will take a 2 day raft down the Pacuare River, a zip-line treetop tour, and walk through the clouds on canopy bridges.

We look forward to exploring all the diverse ecosystems that Costa Rica has to offer. As with all Sea Turtle Camp programs, we minimize enrollment to maximize each participant’s experience. To learn more about this new and exciting offering, visit the Costa Rica Turtle Ecology page here or call the office at 910.686.4611 to speak with one of our reservation specialists.