I’m Lindsey Walker-Thomas, a recent marine biology college-graduate and Savannah local. My journey with Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant began about 6 years ago. I was able to shadow some senior educators for a week, which sparked my love for this beautiful place and extraordinary people. Later that year, I became a volunteer, which led me to apply for the job I have now, as a Marine Education Fellow in the Aquarium Science and Animal Husbandry track. Part of a fellow’s job every year is to complete a project that has a lasting impact on the community and our facility. So, I chose to create a public program called Sea Turtle Studies.
My love for turtles happened almost by chance. I have always been obsessed with animals and caring for them, to ensure that they are happy and healthy. Turtles were never one of my favorite animals until they started entering almost every facet of my life. As I walked down the street, there was a turtle needing help. As I drove home from my day job as a lifeguard in high school, there they were, in the street or even in the pool. They were even here during my time as a volunteer needing to be fed and cared for. They were also the spark of my scholarship-volunteer opportunity at the Caretta Research Project which works to monitor and protect sea turtles that nest on Wassaw Island, a local National Wildlife Refuge.
What truly sparked my love for turtles is the need to protect them. A few summers ago, as I walked down the street in my local community, I saw five diamondback terrapin hatchlings stuck on a street built with curbs. Being a person who apparently attracts turtles, I knew I had to help. My community members helped me make sure the stranded hatchlings were relocated to a nearby suitable habitat around a small tidal creek on the island. This was extremely rewarding and seeing them swim away created a little spark in my heart and a dream to work in the field of wildlife rehabilitation one day. That summer, I went on to volunteer for a local non-profit wildlife rescue center. So while the UGA Marine Education Center and Aquarium is not a wildlife rehabilitation facility, I do get to assist the curators in the care of ambassador turtles and so my fellow project choice was obvious… something with turtles!
Lindsey gives a presentation to program participants on the different species of sea turtle that can be found on the Georgia coast.
I chose to create a public program for my project because I wanted participants to leave loving turtles and wanting to conserve them as much as I do. I invited local experts, Kathryn Craven, professor and researcher at Georgia Southern University, and Kris Williams, director of the Caretta Research Project, to speak about sea turtles with me. They were able to explain research, volunteer opportunities, and their local collaborative conservation work. Participants were also given the opportunity to peek behind the scenes of the aquarium during a feeding of our ambassador sea turtle, Wiso, while learning about how we care for our animals. It is important that a coastal community like ours comes together to speak for animals that cannot speak for themselves. All animals protected by the Endangered Species Act, including sea turtles rely on conservation efforts to protect their populations. Our efforts to create an impactful program were successful with registration filling over capacity and participants eager to learn. A local news outlet even joined us to cover the event.
Wiso, an ambassor loggerhead sea turtle at the UGA Aquarium.
To say I am appreciative of my experience as a marine education fellow is an understatement. I feel so blessed to have program participants come excited to learn during Sea Turtle Studies and to have coworkers, friends and family supporting me. I am grateful for research professionals taking time out of their day to speak about something they care for. To all who were involved, thank you. I will never forget that day and I hope the program can continue every year even after I finish my fellowship in late July.