The Sea Turtles in North Carolina

My nephew Adam and I visited the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Hospital on Topsail Island last week.  The place was hopping with visitors and turtles recovering from cold stunning or boat injuries or mystery ailments.  The hospital is staffed by volunteers and funded by contributions.  

In addition to caring for sick or injured turtles, the Hospital patrols the beach each morning for new nests, marks them when they find them, clears trash, and educates a curious public.

So far this year, there are 103 nests on the island.  Last fall, the towns "nourished" the dunes by adding dredged sand.  This sand is more coarse than the talcum-like sand I have seen over the last decade or so.  This year, the ladies are making their nests higher on the dunes than on previous years.  Perhaps the quality of the sand is helping them nest higher up?  

The turtle in the video below suffered an injury that makes it hard for him to dive.  The basket in his big tub is there to help him practice staying under water.

The turtle hospital folks are amazing, kind, and generous people.  They are unlike the folks who asked the town of North Topsail to reconsider its ordinance requiring people to take their beach tents and toys home at night.  These people argued that they had a right to the convenience of leaving their stuff their because of their age.  The town saw things differently, arguing that the island is a turtle sanctuary.  I am grateful that kindness prevailed.