Turtle Association needs help with funding, mule parking
BY THE BGSTA
The Boca Grande Sea Turtle Association is sending out this SOS, in desperate need of local residents’ help in two areas: a place to keep our UTV during nesting season and financial support for the organization. The BGSTA recently learned that we lost our home for our Kawasaki Mule UTV, affectionately called HATCH, upon the passing of a beloved and generous supporter who graciously provided a parking spot for it. The impact of HATCH on last nesting season’s program was immediate and profound.
By using HATCH on patrols last season, we saw a positive impact on nesting sea turtles and our organization. We were able to efficiently cover multiple zones on the beach in less time, with minimal volunteers, compared to traditional walking patrols. This reduced volunteer fatigue and burnout from physically demanding patrols, and lowered our operational costs (fewer volunteers, lower bridge toll costs). HATCH supported quick response times for on-beach volunteer assistance, consultations, and transport of rescued hatchlings. And most critically, it enabled us to easily transport cumbersome metal screens to pre-screen several hundred sea turtle nests in areas prone to coyote predation, protecting them from the predators. Without the use of HATCH, we can anticipate a significant increase in coyote-caused nest losses due to the inability to pre-screen them, higher operational costs due to additional volunteers needed to cover the zones by foot, and loss of a quick response to another volunteer or situation on the island.
We want to keep last season’s successful momentum, so now we must urgently seek a new home for HATCH. We need a place, preferably on the beach between the north end of the island and 10th Street, to park HATCH during the peak nesting activity months of May through September. While a covered area would be ideal, it is not necessary; we do, however, need to have easy access to the beach (i.e., wide pathway, no steep dunes or other obstructions like steps or seawalls). We also need access to water for rinsing sand/salt off the vehicle each day. Resident references can be provided upon request. PLEASE contact Denise Juergens at (941) 999-7177 if you can support our efforts and provide a spot from May-September.
Our second urgent request is for your financial support. We are nearing the end of our “Locals for Locals” fundraising campaign, but to date have only raised $2,235 of our $28,000 goal (8 percent). The BGSTA, a 501(c)3 non-profit, community-based conservation organization, is funded SOLELY through donations and grants to meet our operational needs. Your tax-deductible donations help us purchase supplies and other items needed for nest identification and protection and provide materials for local community outreach education programs. We are a very small, very lean organization and we count on the generosity of local residents to support this conservation of our local endangered sea turtle population. Please donate to the BGSTA today by visiting our website at bocagrandeseaturtles.org. Thank you!
The BGSTA Board of Directors are Denise Juergens, Arlene Hall and Lisa Turan
