Bloggerhead

Today is Endangered Species Day – the most endangered Kemp’s Ridley faces two grim threats: loss of their nesting beaches and death by drowning in shrimp trawls.

It was quite an honor to have an astronaut present me with the President’s Volunteer Service Award!

Stonewashed blue & green Love A Sea Turtle shirts are now available on the Store page. Proceeds from the sale of these shirts go directly to the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue & Rehabilitation Center.

Love A Sea Turtle has created “The Outdoor Experience Center” at A Time For Science, a 400 acre nature conservancy and home of The Upstream Downstream Connection Camps. With a Paddle Nation/Outdoor Foundation grant, new kayaks have been purchased.

On Saturday, I made a presentation to 7th and 8th grade students participating in a Teen Leadership program. I also spoke to them about volunteer opportunities for summer camps.

Here are some highlights from our tree planting and river clean-up. 100 hazelnut trees were planted for agricultural and environmental benefits. Hazelnuts require less water, sequester more carbon and and reduce soil erosion and nitrogen pollution. The apple orchard has been expanded. When the apple trees bear fruit, the apples will be donated to a local food bank. We’re happy to report there was minimal trash in the river! There was even a compostable toilet everyone was encouraged “to try”. With the help of the Boys & Girls Club, ECU students, Kohl’s Cares volunteers, JROTC, and other groups who provided hands-on activities during the afternoon, we had a successful day with 150 participants.

As part of the Earth Day weekend and Global Youth Service Day, we’ll be planting fruit trees, 100 hazelnut bushes, and a pumpkin patch and holding a trail clean-up and river clean-up in kayaks along with Boys & Girls Club members thanks to a Disney Friends For Change grant! ECU students & Kohl’s Cares volunteers will also be helping. A cook-out for all volunteers will kick off our event!

We really are helping sea turtles by taking action on land. Clearing and cleaning trails keep the trash from blowing into the rivers and cleaning our rivers keeps the trash from flowing downstream into our oceans. We’re also engaging more youth to become involved in our community!

The Upstream Downstream Connection has been honored with a tree! We participated in a Serve and Celebrate event in the Frogtown Community, just outside of Minneapolis, MN, during the National Youth Leadership Conference.

We had an amazing time at the National Youth Leadership Conference in Minneapolis, MN! Becca Weidner and I represented the Upstream Downstream Connection summer camp program and received the Youth Leadership for Service-Learning Excellence Award.

We conclude National Week of the Ocean by encouraging everyone to clean-up the beach or river – many people are at the beach this weekend. You can pick up trash in your own neighborhood. “Our actions on land create reactions in the ocean – good and bad”.