SSILL OPENS DOORS TO GREATER COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT!
I joined the cause and registered for one of the “First Responder Training” programs.
The Aquarium offered several sessions, the November class at Meigs Point Nature Center in Madison was slated as one of the last for the year. Leaving the two-hour training with official identification in hand, I joined the 600 +/- volunteers knowing what to do and what not to do in the case of finding either a distressed or deceased animal.
During the winter, my husband joined in as we scanned the shoreline for cold-stunned turtles or any other sea animal in trouble. Wanting to be of some use, still I was happy to find no creatures in need of the protection of a volunteer. August 7th brought word, sent out to volunteers in the area to record, photograph, and communicate details about a deceased turtle that had been reported on a private beach in Guilford.
Another area volunteer, Rena Ricke, and I were the first to answer the call. The two of us met on the beach in our official capacity, with my husband joining in for support. We took measurements and photographs, with ongoing communications between our team and Noah Belanger from Mystic Aquarium. Each case of a deceased sea mammal differs, but Mystic Aquarium did not request follow-up study at their facility for this turtle. Thus, the decision came to bury the turtle, if possible. With the rockiness of the beach and the large size of the turtle, burying was deemed to be impossible for us. The second option was to hope that the high tide would return the animal to the Long Island Sound.
During deliberations on which course of action to take, a local resident stopped by to inquire about the turtle. She photographed our team of volunteers and promised to return the next day, adding that she would call Noah if high tide proved unsuccessful returning the sea turtle to the Sound. Noah wrote of his thanks for our work and for the outreach by the area resident.
To learn more about the work being done at Mystic Aquarium and how to volunteer, please visit their website at: www.mysticaquarium.org
