Save our Tutles

Next Thursday evening, Defenders and our conservation partners from the Ocean Conservancy and Sierra Club are organizing a special event to empower people in the Tampa Bay area to help save Florida’s turtles. I hope you can join us! Dr. Peter Meylan, Professor of Natural Sciences at Eckerd College will give a presentation on turtle biology and conservation, and then Jessica Koelsch of the Ocean Conservancy and I will talk about how we can all help sea turtles survive by being better neighbors. If you care about saving Florida’s turtles, you won’t want to miss this special event. RSVP now to reserve your spot. What: Educational Event: Learn How to Help Florida’s Imperiled Turtles! When: Thursday, April 9th at 6:30 p.m. Where: St. Petersburg Times Auditorium490 1st Avenue SouthSt. Petersburg, FL During the summer months, a whopping 90% of sea turtles in the Continental U.S. will come ashore to nest on Florida beaches. And they will be coming soon. That's why now's the time to learn what we can do to help turtle hatchlings emerge from their nests and make it safely to the ocean. Learn more about our turtles and what you can do to support their well being in Florida. RSVP now to attend this special event. Even though sea turtles have been around for millions of years, human actions have put them at serious risk of extinction. Scientists have linked the recent drastic decline of sea turtles with habitat lost to coastal development, beach lighting, illegal harvest, fishing net casualties, rising sea levels caused by climate change, and pollution. Loggerhead turtles nesting on Florida beaches have plummeted by more than 40% in the last ten years! It's our responsibility to be good hosts to these ancient ocean travelers and give nesting mothers and their hatchlings the best chance for survival. And our freshwater turtles are in trouble, too. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will soon be considering new rules that will affect freshwater turtles, which are being over-harvested to meet East Asia’s growing demand for food -- and we need to stay engaged to make sure our state officials protect our aquatic friends. Florida’s turtles may be in trouble, but there’s a lot we can do to help them survive and thrive -- if we work together. I hope you’ll join us on Thursday to learn more about what you can do to be a part of these critical efforts. Don’t forget to reserve your spot! I hope to see you soon! Sincerely, Elizabeth FlemingFlorida Representative

cross posted from: http://www.defenders.org/