Day 2 - Our First Day at the Hospital & the Oyster Reclamation Project!

Today was the first day that we began working at the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Hospital! Participants were working in the Sea Turtle Bay and Sea Turtle Sick Bay helping out with a variety of duties such as feeding the turtles, cleaning the turtles, mopping, refilling tanks with clean water, scrubbing the turtle's backs, medicating the turtles, and a variety of other duties. Jean Beasley, the founder and director of the hospital, met with us and talked about stories regarding certain sea turtles and their backgrounds. Afterwards, we met with Allie Sheffield who is in charge of the PenderWatch & Conservancy group. She gave us a beautiful tour of some of her oyster reclamation projects that she has been working on while learning about the importance of oysters and why they do the work at they do. She showed us her private pier that led to saltwater marshes filled with oysters! We also took a trip to the Topsail bridge where we have seen the impact that their group has made. Afterwards, we had breakfast for dinner which was beautifully prepared by Nicole Horvath and Moaz! We had chocolate chip & banana pancakes, fruit salad, bacon, and juice. It was delicious! We then began our reflection by talking about the importance of direct service, issue education, and reflection as the 3 important sides of the service triangle. We also made journals about what we know, what we want to know, and what we learned so far. This helped us come up with questions for Jean tomorrow since she will be presenting a PowerPoint about sea turtles. We then enjoyed some free time to work on homework, play video games, and spend time getting to know each other!

~Helen & Mike

Below, each student listed something he/she learned today. This may also include general thoughts about what we have done today!

"We woke up in the morning to a Lion King-esque sunrise before heading out to the hospital. Working in the turtle bay was incredible. There are so many turtles there in so many different sizes, all with a back story and personality. The volunteers were so patient with us as we learned how feed the turtles and how to go about cleaning the various sized tanks. Then, when we clean, we get to scratch at the turtles' shells with brooms because it helps clean off the dead cells, like they would do by themselves in the wild. We got to hear Jean talk about the progression of sea turtle care over the years, and how plastics break down and eventually make it into our environment and then our bodies. After our lunch break, Allie taught us about the importance of oysters (in filtering the water and preventing erosion) and how the Topsail Sound differs from the Chesapeake Bay back home. It was awesome learning about how we can have such a large impact on the lives of the turtles (both positively and negatively), and how we can work to naturally prevent environmental issues. The first day was so exciting, and I can't wait for the rest of the week!" - Shannon

"Today I spent time in the turtle bay helping to feed the turtles and clean their tanks. It was amazing to get close to these wonderful creatures and learn how the hospital volunteers care for them. Moaz, Shannon, and I got to scratch the backs of some turtles, throw them some squid, fish, and veggies, and observe a medical treatment of one turtle's skin infection. While that turtle sat with its chin in betadine and antifungal ointment, we got to closely inspect and feel its shell and skin. Green sea turtles are remarkably beautiful, and we learned from Beth, a volunteer hospital worker, that that is one of the reasons the turtles are often killed. When we met and talked to Jean later in the day, she described the damage fisheries do to turtle populations. It saddens me that people kill and endanger these wonderful animals through carelessness or for clothing and decoration, and that drives me further to want to help them. In the afternoon, we were taught about oyster reclamation and shown sites where humans have encouraged oysters to grow. I learned that oysters are effective in filtering human pollution from waterways and colonies can prevent erosion. They are an interesting natural approach to fixing some environmental problems! I have learned a lot today and I'm sure the rest of the trip holds even more." - Jesi

"Today, I had my first exposure to sea turtles and it was an amazing experience! I learned a lot about each individual turtle as well as the volunteers who donate their time to the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Hospital. I had the opportunity to work in the Sea Turtle Sick Bay and got to help clean out the tanks of around twenty sea turtles, many of which were green sea turtles. I was shocked to learn that a single fishery in North Carolina can catch around 1,000 sea turtles per year." - Nicole Moy

"It has been an extremely exciting first day volunteering at the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center! I was lucky enough to get to feed the turtles and wash their pools on our first day. I was surprised to see that the turtles all have different personalities and make connections with the volunteers, especially the ones they see regularly. The center volunteers also helped us learn how to identify the different species of turtles. Even though some of our daily cleaning tasks may be simple, I really feel like we are making a difference already at this center. It is so meaningful to have direct experience with the turtles because it helps us to better understand how they are endangered and how we can help. I also enjoyed our afternoon trip to the docks on the sound-side of the island. It's cool to see how this community already is underway in restoring the oyster population. I can't wait to see what the rest of this experience has in store for us!" - Kim

"I am from Baltimore, MD, so I had never actually seen oysters in the water. But, today I learned that the water in the NC Sound is so shallow that the oysters actually live above the water line. It was neat to see all of them growing vertically on ropes and rocks." - Gabrielle

"What I learned: that we are all plastivores -- our actions and use of plastics ultimately end up in the ocean, in the water we drink, and in the meat that we eat. Our actions don't just impact us; they affect our lives also." - David

"Today marked the beginning of our AB Experience! After rising before the sun, we all trudged our way down the many staircases of the house, and loaded up the car. Soon we were at the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center; it was pretty awesome! The center currently houses 54 sea turtles, of varying breeds. They also have one cat, Mama Kitty, who is equally awesome. We spent some time away from the center today, as well, viewing one of the Sounds on Topsail Island, and learning about the oyster rehabilitation project. I never knew that oysters would only survive and grow if they could adhere to a hard surface, like another oyster shell. I feel I'm unsure what we will learn this week, but if there's one thing I know, it's that this week is going to be full of great experiences, wonderful times, even better people, and late night bonding. Cheers to that!" - Brianne

"I learned that being a vet isn't always about the the stuff you learn in class or in books or even at internships. Sometimes it's about taking your everyday experiences and thinking outside of the box in order to figure out the best course of action. Also, it's important to understand that everyone involved in animal care has a voice that should be respected, from the high school volunteer to a highly experienced veterinarian. No matter what, the best interest of the animals matters above all else, which means everyone's contribution counts." - Pat

I learned a lot about how hard it is for sea turtles – or pretty much any animal for that matter – to survive under the huge impact that we make on their environment. Thousands of them die, year by year, and it’s really difficult for volunteers to change how fisheries fish and how people treat a wounded animal they find on the beach in order to save them. I got to feed the sea turtles today, and it’s astonishing to see the differences between species and it’s even more astonishing to see the work the hospital does for them. One was missing a flipper, and another one was hit by a boat, but thanks to remarkable work that was done on them they are recuperating well, and it is awesome to see the distance they’ve covered. - Moaz