Actually, there's no "spring break" for yours truly. However, throngs of young folks (and throngs of older ones, too) have invaded Hutchinson Island from north end to south.
Well, not so much as "throngs" as clusters... and not so much of an invasion, either. It's fairly quiet here.
Still, we are not onlt smack-dab in the middle of sea turtle nesting season but also (geographically) their destination.
I haven't actively gone out to look for signs of nesting on my beach but I plan to...very soon.
The "season" brings the perils facing these turtles in sharp focus.
Lights from the street, from night walkers on the beach, even cell phones present nesting turtles, and eventually hatchlings, with misguiding illumination that could have dire and tragic consequences.
More people on the beach also means the likelihood  of more plastic debris and fishing line being left on the sand or in the surf.
I can only imagine how awesome a sight it would be if a full-grown leatherback (7-feet long) were to lumber out of the rolling waves in front of curious tourists. I would just hope they's have enough common sense to give the turtle a wide berth and not disturb it while it digs its nest and lays eggs.
So, while we're all having fun and enjoying the sun and surf, I'm hoping folks remember to keep wildlife in mind...and keep special watch out for those things that might harm the turtles.

So, while this documentary is now in its final filming stages and about to enter the edit phase, I'm already looking towards my next project.
I've decided that when Journey Home is complete and screens for the first time, I will start an intensive nature doc about manatees.
Growing up in Central Florida during the mid-1980s, manatees were woefully on course to be extinct within a few generations. A spotlight on education, along with legislation to further protect the endangered marine mammals, helped stall the march to extinction.
I am not ready to lay out the whole plan, yet...but I'm certain it will be a true nature doc, shot in the wild.
I also think that I will likely do another film on sea turtles in the future. They are "under my skin" now.

Cheers.

Here's a pic from yesterday. Kahuna "mugs" for the camera! Love it!

The end run.
The final moments of a game are usually the most intense... filming a documentary can be like that, too.
I filmed a release of a juvenile green sea turtle today that was a great practice run for the upcoming release of one of the film's "stars."
I hate to call them that, really. They didn't ask to be injured by humans and they sure as heck aren't happy to have suffered through unimaginable pain and peril just to end up as patients at LMC.
Watching center staff gently place the young turtle into the lightly rolling surf is almost a religious experience. It sure is spiritual in the moment.
The turtle took off, its flippers flapping in anticipation before it even hit the salt water. Then it was simply gone.
Part of me hopes to see something different when my "star" is released next week. Part of me wishes for a quick surfacing just past the breakers...a momentary look back towards those who cared so dilligently for it. A larger part of me sincerely hopes the little turtle shoots away like a torpedo and never, never looks back.
I'll cry. I didn't think I would be this attached...but I am. It won't happen in the moment. I'll film it, all of my attention will be on that moment behind the lens. But later...watching the footage...I have no doubt it will hit me.
I was there when it arrived, injured and sick. I was there when the LMC staff and volunteers nursed it back to health. I was there when it went from a small, shallow pool to a large deep pool. I was there for all of it.
They will be happy tears and grateful ones for having been allowed the chance to get to know such a brave and courageous survivor.
In the end, the release only lasts for half of a minute. The lesson I'll carry away...the story I will share with the world...will last a lifetime.

There is a large project underway near my home on Hutchinson Island.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been working to restore the heavily eroded beaches near the Fort Pierce Inlet. Part of the process is taking sand from the ocean floor and dredging it onto the beach.
It seems that climate change is taking a dramatic toll on Florida's coastlines. Natural dunes and sandbars have been decimated by rising sea level and rough storm cycles.
The resulting loss of beach isn't simply rough on the eyes or bad for tourism, it's also another dramatic obstacle for already endangered sea turtles to overcome.
It's sea turtle nesting season and where I live, Hutchinson Island, is "prime time" nesting area. The inlet project aside, the beaches here are pretty wrecked. (see photo below, taken on the beach near my home)
Less beach area translates into a higher probability that nesting turtles or hatchlings will come into contact with people, manmade structures or worse. It also means turtles are likely to dig nests that are closer to the tide line and could possibly be washed out in summer storm surges.
Beach restoration projects sound like the "answer' to the problem but they are far from it. The dredging itself is thought to imperil the turtles who might get sucked into the dredging hoses and drown. Also, re-sanding the beaches is an expensive endeavor...one that less and less tax-payers are willing to support.
The best course of action is unclear. Certainly something can be done that will balance the turtles' ecosystem needs with our recreational desires.

I've been reading a lot lately. Mostly, I've been researching turtle behavior and the history of sea turtle conservation.
One book unrelated to the marine reptiles was "Moby Duck," by Donovan Hohn. It talks about the proliferation of plastics and plastic waste in our oceans.
Hohn was intrigued by "legendary" stories of a cargo container spill in the Pacific Ocean that (among other things) tossed thousands of toy plastic animals into the ocean. The animals, which were popularized by the "rubber" ducks among the group, would eventually traverse the ocean for years...even passing through the Northwest Passage and making landfall on the east coast of the U.S.
It's a great read but it also makes you think. Especially when it comes to sea turtles.
Part of what Hohn writes about are the "ghost nets," making their way around the world collecting and killing countless wildlife in their paths.
These nets are derelict pieces of commercial fishing gear made out of synthetic fibers that weigh (in some cases) thousands of pounds. And there are untold numbers of these lost or broken nets out there.
I see the result of some of the derelict gear at the turtle clinic at LMC.
Turtles that have come in with filament still wrapped around limbs, in their stomaches or around their necks. Rarely does it end well for the turtle who ingested plastic netting or line.
Of course, it's not just turtles that are being killed by the trash we humans have carelessly tossed into our seas.
Birds, dolphins, whales, sharks...most every other living thing in the water is negatively affected. Our own health is at risk, too. After all, where do you think our seafood comes from?
I guess the bottom line for the film...for Journey Home... is trying to put a spotlight on these man-made dangers. I'm hoping a little inspiration, a little knowledge, will someday result in change.

Hi all!
A quick vid post for you. I will update blog and the ongoing contest soon!

Cheers!
-Rick

Rollercoasters and reflections


I heard some good news today. One of the injured green sea turtles that I followed from the day they’d come into the center, broken and ill, is cleared for release back into the wild.

The day “he” came in to the turtle hospital was my first day of filming in early November.  Man, it really has been an incredible journey… for “him” and for me.

While filming today I noticed something. I saw a behavior that I hadn’t noticed before.

I arrived at LMC just as the first staff members unlocked the gate to the personnel entrance. The turtle yard is quiet then. The only sound that wafts through the air is the faucet-like bubbling of the tank current and the occasional “hiss” or “snort” of one of the patients taking a breath.

Even without the flurry of visiting guests and attendant staff and volunteers, the yard is alive with
activity.

Each turtle is doing their own personal, daily ritual. Some are swimming lazy circles in their pools. Others are taking short, resting dives to the tank’s bottom. Still, others – and quite a few others – are… well, the best way I put it is that they are watching themselves in the mirrored reflection of the viewing ports on the side on most of the tanks.

Certain turtles seem to be somewhat vain. I watched them (there were about three that did this behavior today). At first, I
thought they were anxiously peering out of the window, looking for people.  But upon second glance – and after looking at a close-up from an image I just shot – that wasn’t the case. These turtles were entranced by their own reflections.

It would be premature from one observation (and not just a little anthropomorphic of me) to say they were playing or even that the reptiles could recognize themselves in the reflection. I simply noticed that three turtles, in three separate tanks, chose to do similar behaviors a in the “calm”of the early morning.

Every new experience I have with sea turtles opens my mind to a wider realm of understanding who they are – not just as a species of “animal” – but as sentient individuals. I also know more about me since embarking on this documentary. I now know about the dearth of knowledge I had about sea turtles. I know about the animal preferences – prejudices, really – that I carried with me from childhood. 

Most of all, I now know that some of my greatest heroes and inspirations have a carapace.

Kim B. won yesterday's prize with the correct answer of Loggerhead MarineLife Center and two confirmed referrals! Way to go Kim!

(Just a note on the "rules," if you win a prize then you are no longer in consideration for the same prize on different contest dates. When a new prize is added, you will be considered again.)

Rules are simple. Answer the question correctly and refer at least 5 people to this blog entry (they must comment below saying who referred them - FIRST NAME AND LAST INITIAL). Easy? You betcha!
One winner per day will be announced at the start of the next day's blog until the contest ends (March 20th).
Have fun and good luck!

Today's question: What turtle rehab center is the focus of "Journey Home?"