Georgia Ports Authority Protects Loggerhead Sea Turtles

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12/21/2009 - Savannah

Savannah, GA – December 21, 2009 – As a sponsor of the Caretta Research Project, the Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) is pleased to report a successful 2009 nesting season on Wassaw Island, protecting more than 63 loggerhead turtles and their nests. For the past five years, the GPA has partnered with the Caretta Research Project (CRP) to support volunteers working on the island.

“Maintaining the natural quality of our environment is integral to our mission,” said GPA’s Executive Director Doug J. Marchand. “At the Georgia Ports Authority, we understand the importance of being a good neighbor and maintaining the right balance in the world community is paramount when planning for future growth. The Caretta Research Project is one of our efforts to protect aquatic species off the coast of Georgia.”

The CRP has been studying and protecting Wassaw's loggerheads and educating people from all over the world about sea turtle conservation issues for the last 37 years. This year volunteers protected 91 nests. This allowed 6,418 sea turtle hatchlings to reach the ocean. Without Caretta’s efforts the vast majority of these eggs would never have hatched.

“Wassaw is one of the few islands in Georgia to see an increase in the number of nests each year, thanks to the CRP and its volunteers,” said Caretta Research Director Kris Williams. “Georgia Ports Authority has been instrumental in Caretta's success.”

The partnership between the GPA and the CRP has enabled volunteers to live on Wassaw Island to provide vital conditions that allow the nests to successfully hatch. The volunteers’ work dramatically increases the hatchling survival rate by patrolling for nesting turtles, protecting nests from predators and beach erosion and collecting data on the threatened loggerhead sea turtle.

The goals of the Caretta Research Project (CRP) are to learn more about the population levels, trends and nesting habits of the loggerhead; to enhance survival of eggs and hatchlings on a nesting beach; and to educate and include the public in research and conservation efforts.

The Savannah Science Museum’s CRP is a non-profit research organization based in Savannah, Ga. The 2009 season marks the project’s 37th year, making it the second longest running saturation tagging project on the East Coast. The CRP is conducted in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Wassaw Island Trust on the beaches of the Wassaw National Wildlife Refuge.

Georgia’s deepwater ports and inland barge terminals support more than 286,476 jobs throughout the state annually and contribute $14.9 billion in income, $55.8 billion in revenue and $2.8 billion in state and local taxes to Georgia’s economy.

About Caretta Research Project:The Caretta Research Project (CRP) is a non-profit environmental organization located in Savannah, Ga. The project was founded in 1972 by a family member of the Wassaw Island Trust, herpetologists at the Savannah Science Museum and staff of the USFWS Savannah Coastal Refuges. Initially the work was done by the Savannah Herpetology Club and it expanded to the volunteer based program that it is today. The primary goal of the project is to monitor loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) activity and to protect nests on Wassaw National Wildlife Refuge, Chatham County, Georgia. A second goal of the program is to educate the public on issues related to conservation and management of marine turtles via hands-on participation or public programming.

For more information about volunteering with the Caretta Research Project please contact Kris Williams at the Caretta Research Project (912) 447-8655 or via WassawCRP@aol.com. Visit the Caretta Research Project online at www.carettaresearchproject.org.

For additional information, please contact GPA’s Senior Director of External Affairs Robert Morris at (912) 964-3855 or rmorris@gaports.com. Visit the GPA web site at www.gaports.com.

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