After spending his first three years at the UGA Aquarium, Lefty the loggerhead sea turtle was released earlier this month into the Wassaw Sound from the shore of the Wassaw National Wildlife Refuge, near Savannah.

Lefty hatched on Ossabaw Island in September 2015. The turtle was discovered as a straggler in the nest and given by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant to serve as an ambassador sea turtle until he was big and strong enough to return to the wild.

“When we first got him we immediately noticed that it was having trouble using its left front flipper,” says Devin Dumont, curator at the UGA Aquarium on Skidaway Island. That, and the fact that the hatchling was left behind in the nest, inspired his name.

For three years, the charismatic sea turtle helped educate thousands of visitors to the UGA Aquarium about the importance of the Georgia coast to nesting sea turtles.

“Looking at a photo of a sea turtle or listening to someone talk about them doesn’t have the same impact as watching a live animal swim in the tank,” said Lisa Olenderski, assistant curator at the aquarium. “People are always amazed by how graceful they are in the water or how agile they are when going after blue crabs. Seeing them in person helps establish that connection and leaves a lasting impression.”

Lefty also helped advance scientific research by serving as a study subject in a project by researchers at Savannah State University that focused on improving environmental enrichment for loggerheads in captivity.

“We gained a little bit of insight into sea turtle color preference and food preference through the study,” Dumont said. “We learned information that can help us enhance their stay while they’re here.”

Undergraduate students at Savannah State participated in the study, conducting behavior analysis trails designed to determine whether sea turtles showed color preference among blue, green orange and yellow objects.

While preparing him for release, the aquarium staff fed him live food, such as blue crabs and mussels, so he could practice active foraging and hunting. With DNR’s approval, the director of the Georgia Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll Island attached number coded tags and a passive integrated transmitter to Lefty before the release. Both can be used to identify Lefty in the future.

On Wassaw, Dumont and Olenderski carried Lefty to the surf and gave him some gentle nudges before he swam into the water and disappeared.

Back at the aquarium, Neptune, a new straggler hatchling discovered by DNR in August, will be available to view during behind-the-scenes tours of the UGA Aquarium during Skidaway Marine Science Day, Oct. 13, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Neptune is the new ambassador sea turtle at the UGA Aquarium

Four species of sea turtles nest along the Georgia coast. While loggerheads are the most common, they are listed as threatened by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Georgia DNR. After almost 40 years of conservation efforts at the federal and state level, DNR reports nesting numbers on the Georgia coast have been increasing dramatically over the last several years.

Join Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant in celebrating World Oceans Day at the University of Georgia Marine Education Center and Aquarium on June 8.

As part of the celebration, UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant will offer family-friendly activities, including behind-the-scenes aquarium tours, hands-on science activities and reptile talks, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission to the UGA Aquarium on World Oceans Day will be free thanks to support from the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation.

Visitors will discover the amazing marine animals living in coastal Georgia, including the aquarium’s newest residents, a common octopus and two baby American alligators.

This year, marine research and education organizations across Skidaway Island will participate in the event, including Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary and Skidaway Island State Park.

Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary will have a virtual reality activity that will allow visitors to take a few dives around Gray’s Reef. Their booth will be set up in front of a new exhibit about the live bottom reef at the aquarium. The educational display was made possible by a Hollings Award from the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation.

UGA Skidaway Institute of Oceanography will highlight current ocean research projects. Skidaway Island State Park will feature live reptiles and provide information about responsible recreational activities available to park visitors.

“We want to engage the community in the research, education and outreach that’s happening on Skidaway Island,” says Mark Risse, director of Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant. “World Oceans Day provides us the opportunity to highlight the role of Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant and our coastal partners in improving coastal and ocean health.”

June 8 is designated by the United Nations as World Oceans Day to celebrate conservation of this important resource around the world.

World Oceans Day kicks off the summer season at the UGA Aquarium. In June and July, visitors can sign up for a variety of recurring programs taking place on Tuesdays and Thursdays, including family field trips, behind-the-scenes aquarium tours, toddler touch tanks and turtle Tuesdays.

More information is available at https://gacoast.uga.edu/events/ 

The UGA Aquarium on Skidaway Island near Savannah is launching a series of hands-on summer programs in June and July that are designed to educate visitors about Georgia’s coastal environments.

Behind-the-scenes tours, toddler touch tanks, family field trips and turtle Tuesdays are among the recurring programs scheduled to place at the facility on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

“By offering these programs, we hope to get visitors to explore beyond downtown Savannah and learn about everything the Georgia coast has to offer,” says Kayla Clark, public programs coordinator at Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant. “Our marine educators will lead guided explorations and interactive activities that allow visitors to experience the coast in a new way.”

Activities offered as part of the programs include crabbing on the dock behind the aquarium, assisting with seahorse feedings, and hiking through the maritime forest and salt marsh along the banks of the Skidaway River.

The UGA Aquarium, part of UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant, has 16 exhibit tanks that house a variety of coastal species, all of which are found on the Georgia coast. Display animals include a loggerhead sea turtle, stingrays, diamondback terrapins and more. Aquarium visitors can also enjoy the facility’s 1.5-mile nature trail, observation platforms and shaded picnic areas.

The summer schedule and brief descriptions of each program is provided below. Details for all Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant events are available at gacoast.uga.edu/events

Summer Programs at the UGA Aquarium

Toddler Touch Tanks: Every Tuesday in June
9:30 – 10:30 a.m.
Toddler touch tanks is designed especially for 3- to 5-year-old guests and includes opportunities to interact with whelks, horseshoe cabs, spider crabs and other animals in the aquarium’s touch tanks. A mix of games, art, stories and other hands-on activities are also included.

Turtle Tuesdays: Every Tuesday in July
9:30 – 10:30 a.m.
Each week, visitors will meet one of the aquarium’s ambassador turtles. Learn about diamondback terrapins, loggerhead sea turtles, gopher tortoises and more!

Aquarium Tours: Every Thursday in June and July
2 – 3 p.m.
Discover the animals of the Georgia coast during a behind-the-scenes tour of the UGA Aquarium. Learn about what it’s like to care for the animals on exhibit and get close-up views of the holding tanks, filter systems and food preparation areas.

Family Field Trips: Every Thursday in June and July
10 a.m. – noon
Explore coastal habitats during hands-on, feet-in field trips.

• Maritime Forest: June 7 & July 5
  Discover the hidden wonders of the maritime forest during a guided hike on the natural trail with marine educators. Afterwards, enjoy a live reptile demonstration and interact with snakes and turtles that are native to coastal Georgia.
• Crabbing: June 14 & July 12
  Learn about one of Georgia’s most important species, the blue crab, during a catch-and-release crabbing lesson on the dock behind the UGA Aquarium.
• Friends of a Feather: June 21 & July 19   
  Search for birds of all shapes and sizes in the UGA Aquarium learning garden and on the nature trail. Improve your birding skills by learning new tips and tricks on how to identify birds based on their physical features.
• Marsh Mucking: June 28 & July 26
  Grab your mud boots and join educators on a trek through Georgia’s salt marshes. Watch fiddler crabs dancing, hum to periwinkle snails and search for signs of other animals that depend on this important coastal habitat.

One little sea turtle was in the right place earlier this month when he began struggling off the coast of Georgia.

A crew from Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary spotted the juvenile Kemp’s ridley sea turtle having buoyancy issues, unable to dive and stay under the water. The crew was at the reef, about 19 miles east of Sapelo Island between Savannah and Brunswick, deploying an autonomous underwater vehicle for a UGA Skidaway Institute of Oceanography research project.

They rescued the turtle and called Sea Turtle Program Coordinator Mark Dodd of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

Once back at the Skidaway Institute dock, they handed the turtle over to Katie Higgins, a new educator and volunteer coordinator at UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant, who drove it to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll Island, where it will be treated.

Sometimes it takes a village, even for a little sea turtle.

UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant will host Spring Celebration at the UGA Aquarium on March 10 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

During the event, participants will be among the first to see the UGA Aquarium’s new educational display about Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary that was made possible thanks to a Hollings Award from the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation.

The display will feature a wall-mounted monitor showing underwater video footage of Gray’s Reef. Volunteers from the sanctuary will give presentations about this unique protected area off the Georgia coast and its importance to marine life. The exhibit allows those who aren’t able to explore the offshore reef an opportunity to learn about its features and understand its importance.

Other activities include family-friendly, interactive presentations by marine educators at the aquarium that focus on animals you can observe in spring. Reptile talks will feature live native species found in Georgia, including gopher tortoises, diamondback terrapins and corn snakes. Outdoor birding activities will highlight the types of shorebirds that visit local beaches this time of year.

Behind-the-scenes aquarium tours will allow visitors a glimpse into the daily life of an aquarium curator and walks through the demonstration garden will educate visitors about native plants and animals found on the coast.

All activities are included with general admission to the aquarium.

Additional information about the event can be found here https://gacoast.uga.edu/event/3922/