Five Sea Turtles were Returned to the Sea!

Last Saturday at Ponquogue Beach in Hampton Bays, the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation released five sea turtles back into the wild. After being rescued from area beaches last fall and expertly rehabilitated by the Riverhead Foundation, these endangered species will have a second chance to live out their turtle lives and do all the things sea turtles like to do.

Sea turtles are common in our area when the weather (and water) is warm, but if they don’t migrate to warm water in the fall, they get cold stunned and strand when our water cools. These turtles were very lucky to have been rescued after people spotted them on our beaches and called the Riverhead Foundations 24-hour hotline.

If you spot a sea turtle (or any marine mammal) be sure to call the  Riverhead Foundations 24-hour rescue hotline – 631-369-9829- any time of the day or night.

Four of the turtles were Atlantic green sea turtles, named Banzai, Sebastian, Cody and Tommy the Turtle, and were equipped with sonic tracking devices. The fifth, named Doc, is a Kemps Ridley, and was fitted with a special satellite tag. All these tracking devices are important because they yield data that could not otherwise be obtained. Docs movements are especially important, because the Kemps Ridleys are the most critically endangered of all the sea turtles, and data such as post-reproductive migration routes and locations and use of foraging grounds can be analyzed and used to help the species. You can click here to follow Doc’s movements. The map of his progress is updated daily, so check back often! .

Check out the videos I posted of the turtles scurrying to the sea as hundreds of people happily cheered them on.  I highly recommend attending a release,as it is an exciting and memorable experience. There will be more releases throughout the summer, so be sure to check out Riverhead Foundation’s  facebook by clicking here  or go to their website for more information.

The Riverhead Foundation is federally authorized to respond to marine mammals and sea turtles.  Since its inception, they have recovered, rescued and rehabilitated thousands of sea turtles and marine mammals.  They do their work through grants and public support. There is no federal, state, county or local funding, so please think about helping them continue to do their good work. You can help them save stranded sea turtles and marine mammals by making a dollar a day pledge-or more!  Click here for more information.

You can adopt rescued animals as well.  One of the perks of adoption is helping with the release of your adopted animal! Click here for more information! 

 You can give them your time! How many people do you know who can say they volunteer to rescue and rehabilitate sea turtles?  You need to attend a training session first- follow this link for dates and times.

They also need stuff like  bleach and laundry detergent, copy paper and permanent markers, a four-wheel drive pickup truck,a new box truck, a washer and dryer, and for those of you who have access to medical equipment, they urgently need a sonogram machine, as their well-used machine reached the end of its useful life. Click here for a complete list of items that you can donate.

You can become a member and get special benefits- click here to sign up.

And please don’t forget about Roxanne, the female Risso’s dolphin currently in rehabilitation who was rescued by the Riverhead Foundation on June 6th after stranding herself on a sandbar near Oak Beach, NY.  She is eating almost 100 pounds of squid a day- and there is a special squid fund set up the help her. You can donate to the Dolphin Squid Fund to help us offset the cost of her food . If you would like to adopt Roxanne please visit her adoption page by clicking here.  She should be released in the near future, which will be a very exciting and historic release!

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