Sea Turtle Inc. News

Farewell, Dave and SPX News bytesBy Teresa Shumaker

Passion is a word that is heard often

at Sea Turtle Inc. It is what makes

us a successful nonprofit that runs

with only a small staff and a large

volunteer force. Many who visit

comment on how visibly passionate

we are about saving

our sea turtles and

ocean; it exudes

from each person at

the center.

No one could

embody the word

passion more than

David Cromwell.

Dave has been a

volunteer, later turned

to part-time staffer,

since 2005, when he

relocated from New

Mexico just to join

the team at STI.

Jeff George,

Executive Director,

recalls that Dave met

some challenges

moving down to South Texas. Jeff

said when he hadn’t heard from him

for a while, he thought perhaps

Dave had changed his mind. But

then, a few months later, Dave rang

him up and said he was in Texas

ready to start.

Since then, Dave has been an

indispensable part of STI He often

gets to the facility around 4 a.m. in

the morning to check on the turtles

and begin the day. Dave is the

proverbial work-a-holic, and sea

turtle conservation is his third career.

Before STI, he worked in television

production and news for 22 years,

then at the Sacramento Police

Department as the Media Service

Director when the

department began

computerizing

everything.

Jeff added that Dave

has also been a great

mentor to the summer

interns over the years,

encouraging them to

get involved in

politics. “He is always

advocating that they

understand and

become involved in

the political process,”

said Jeff. “We can’t

keep politics out of

marine biology, so we

should have marine

biologists in politics.”

In addition, many visitors have

learned much about our nonprofit

from Dave’s great story-telling

skills. Throughout the day he

leads talks about STI, how we

operate, and Allison – the one-

flippered turtle.

Allison has Dave – among a

handful of others – to thank for

her life today.

• We had a very rough, cold winter.

From Thanksgiving to March, we

took in and released over 300 turtles

with hypothermia, also known as

cold-stunning.

• 29 people have become members,

or renewed their memberships so

far in 2014, bringing our total

members to over 300.

• Approximately 155 hatchlings and

24 nests have been adopted in 2014.

• Nesting season began April 7. If

you see a turtle on the beach, please

call 956-761 -4511 or 911 to alert us

to any possible nesting mama.

As ofApril 1 5, we have not yet had

our first nest. Hopefully soon!

• Our tank filtration upgrade was

completed last week, thanks to Jim

Jacobsmeyer, Regional Director of

Independent Pool & Spa Service

Association of Texas and all the IPSSA

volunteers. They overhauled the

filtration system and installed solar-

powered heaters to reduce the energy

use at the facility. The upgrade was

greatly needed. Words cannot

adequately express our gratitude and we

look forward to an ongoing partnership.

David Cromwell and SPX look

for a Kemps ridley nest.

STI File photo.

Issue 1, 2014April 15

Upcoming Events• Tuesday, April 22,Turtle Daysbonfire party between beach access5 & 6 around sunset

• Saturday, May 17, Caguama

Pachanga & Turtle Ball at Casa

Mariposa from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.David continued on Page 2

Turtle Tidbits• When swimming, sea turtles will

use their front flippers to propel

themselves through the water. A

sea turtle's best defense against

predators is speed. The rear

flippers are used for steering.

• Sea turtles are often injured by

marine debris. The turtles often

mistake the trash for food.

Plastic bags, latex balloons,

discarded fishing nets, and soda

pack rings are the most

common items causing injuries

and strandings of sea turtles.

• When visiting coastal areas,

you can help wildlife by

removing plastics, glass, and

other debris from the beach.

• Kemp's ridleys sea turtles

prefer windy or stormy days to

come ashore to nest. The wind

removes any tracks or scent,

making it hard for predators to

find the nest.

Page 2 Sea Turtle Inc. News April 2014

A turtle is usually releasable after it

loses one limb, and can lead a life in

captivity if it has lost two – but losing

three flippers used to mean the turtle

had to be put down, because it could

not swim with enough control to keep

from drowning. Dave continually

rooted for Allison’s recovery and was

integral in gathering great minds

together to create a first-ever sea turtle

prosthesis.

Dave even wrote the book

“Allison: The mostly true story of

a one-flippered sea turtle." And he

often signed the book when

visitors bought it in the Gift Shop.

Jean Pettit, part-time educator,

shared that Dave has made a huge

impact in her life.

“[He] has had a profound influence

on me in numerous ways, from sea

turtles, to conservation to politics,”

shared Jean. “He is a true friend…

loyal beyond compare to all that he

believes in, including his friendships.

He has made a difference in the lives

of so many people who have had the

pleasure of knowing him and has

made a tremendous impact on

various conservation efforts.”

Always by Dave’s side is SPX

(Speckles), a classic red heeler

working dog. SPX did search and

rescue in New Mexico before

moving to South Texas. Dave began

training with him a few years ago to

search for Kemp’s ridley nests,

using shells from old nests to learn

the scent. Since then, SPX has

found 15 nests. Dave and SPX both

thrive on staying busy, and even SPX

knows the phrase “Go to work,” as

that is his cue to start sniffing for

turtle nests.

Sadly, Dave and SPX are leaving.

They are moving to the Pacific

Northwest this month. April 1 7

will be their last day.

Both Dave and SPX have worked

enough to retire, but they live for

the job. Dave has already started

retraining SPX in human search and

rescue, so they both can continue

waking up early each morning and

filling their days with what they do

best. There is that passion, again.

Everyone at Sea Turtle Inc. will

dearly miss both of them. Dave has

definitely left his mark on S.T.I. He

designed our logo, created the

Kemp’s ridley display at the facility,

and wrote Allison’s book, which we

proudly display in our Gift Shop.

Thank you, Dave and SPX, for

your dedication and passion; you

are irreplaceable.

DavidContinued from Page 1

David with Allison, an Atlantic

green sea turtle. S.T.I. file photo.

SPX on the beach. STI file photo.

Three students were awarded

$500 academic scholarships by

Sea Turtle Inc.’s Board of

Directors on Feb. 26. Taylor

Cooke, Laramie Rile and

Katelynn Gifford are this year’s

recipients. For more

information about our

scholarships, visit us online at

seaturtleinc.org and look on the

Volunteer and Internships page.

Students receiveSea Turtle Inc.Scholarships

Running our center and nesting patrols requires hundreds of small and inexpensive

items that you may have laying around, or be willing to purchase. Below is a list of

items we are in constant need of. Your support is appreciated at any level of giving.

• Batteries, AAA or AA.

• Gasoline Cards. We use over 1 ,000 gallons just to patrol during nesting season.

• Bungee Cords, all lengths between 12-inch and 36-inch. We use these year around

on our ATVs or holding down winter tank covers.

• 4WD Pickup Truck. The salt environment is deadly and makes purchasing newer

vehicles a bad investment. If you have an older but reliable 4WD pickup that will get

us through one year, please contact us. The value of your vehicle is tax-deductible.

• Clean, unstained Scrub Tops. We’ll convert them to our Sea Turtle Hospital scrubs

for Intern use. All sizes needed.

• Chest Type Freezers. Any size.

• Vice Grips. Believe it or not, these are an ATV operator’s best friend if their ATV

breaks down.

• Office Supply Cards. Printing, copying, and laminating costs hundreds in supplies

each year.

S.T. I. Wish List

Recognition cornerBy Megan Chilcutt

The spotlight this month is

on JC Whitfield,

Salesforce, and their

incredible generosity to

Sea Turtle, Incorporated.

Salesforce is a cloud-based

software that helps

millions of businesses each year to

streamline their marketing

strategies by improving customer

service and relations. It is one of

the fastest growing companies out

there; they did roughly $4 billion in

revenue last year. The founder,

Marc Beniff, is a clever man, but

also a man with a large heart. He

realized he could create a

successful business with a

philanthropic approach. From the

beginning he has implemented a

Power of Us philanthropic plan to

his company, which entails

commitment of resources: time,

equity, and product. This includes

each employee receiving six days a

year of paid time to help with

nonprofit volunteering.

Which is where JC

Whitfield comes into

play. He lives and works

in Aurora, Colorado, but

came down to South

Padre Island for vacation

last year. He and his

family fell in love with

the island; and Sea Turtle, Inc.

touched his heart. He decided to

use the Power of Us program to

donate Salesforce software to our

organization.

JC created a customized program

for us, importing our databases

into Salesforce software, providing

us with much needed tools to

broaden our public reach, as well

as communicating more efficiently

with our dedicated members,

volunteers, and donors.

This is invaluable for Sea Turtle,

Inc. as we have clearly outgrown

our facility and are in the midst of

raising much needed funds to

expand our facility.

JC was down here in March with

One of the most exciting ways

to support Sea Turtle, Inc. is to

become a new member of the

organization. Your membership

will aid in the cost of operations

and replacement of equipment,

and in return we will keep you

linked to activities at STI.

Members get special website

access to view our $5,000

underwater web-cam (thanks to a

grant from The Brown

Foundation ofHouston).

Also, we’ll automatically text and

email notices for hatchling

releases; no more hotline calls or

early morning Facebook checks.

You will be among the first to

know pulic releases of

rehabilitated turtles or hatchlings

are happening.

Members also get a 10 percent

discount in the Gift Shop. Visit our

website, www.seaturtleinc.org, to

learnmore!

Page 3 Sea Turtle Inc. News April 2014

NestingSeason is hereNesting season goes from April

to Mid-July. Please be careful

when out enjoying the beaches.

Remember to drive the speed

limit (1 5MPH). The turtles are

hard to see and they often dig

their nests in tire tracks.

If you see a turtle on the beach,

please call 956-761 -4511 or 911

immediately to alert our nesting

response team.

JC continued on Page 5

Memberships

JC Whitfield

Goodbye, WalterIt is with a heavy heart that we

inform you, Walter passed away

Monday morning, April 1 4.

Walter was a juvenile Atlantic

green sea turtle that came in as a

cold-stranded (hypothermic)

turtle in mid-December. Once on

the shore, he was attacked by a

predator, most likely a coyote.

The coyote chewed on his front

right flipper and ripped out a

large chunk of muscle.

Additionally, there were several

bite wounds on his face and eyes,

and he had pneumonia.

The bite on the flipper was so

severe that there was no chance

of healing. What was left of the

flipper and shoulder joint had to

be surgically removed by the

Gladys Porter Zoo veterinarian,

Dr. Tom deMaar. There was not

enough extra skin to stitch the

wound closed, so Walter was left

with a large open wound that had

to heal from the inside out.

We used a special wound V.A.C.

System to help Walter heal. It

applied negative pressure to the

wound and helped the edges heal

together. It also helped tissue

formation, provided moisture to

the wound heal and drew out bad

bacteria. Most recently, Dr. Tom

used a laser treatment on Walter. .

His wound was healing, but he

had other complications, as well.

Sadly, he did not make it. A full

necropsy will be performed on

Tuesday, April 1 5, to identify the

cause of death and help us learn

for future cases. Generous

proceeds raised for Walter’s care

will be utilized for other patient’s

medical care.

Walter, we hope you are at peace

in the big blue ocean in the sky.

Goodbye, dear friend.

Walter in the water for the first time after care. STI file photo.

Page 4 Sea Turtle Inc. News April 2014

• PREVENT the EVENT

DO NOT cast your line where sea

turtles are seen surfacing to

breathe.

• If you hook or entangle a turtle on

your line: GENTLY bring turtle

close to you, use dip net or firmly

hold front flippers and shell to

safely lift out of water. Lift from

the shell, not the flippers.

• DO cut line close to hook and

remove line that has become

entangled around turtle. AVOID

turtle’s mouth and flipper claws;

use blunt scissors or a knife to cut

the line.

• DO NOT lift turtle above the water

by pulling the line – this will result

in further injury. If the distance from

the boat, or pier, is too great, or turtle

is too large, cut line as short as

possible to release turtle.

• DO NOT remove a hook unless the

turtle is lightly hooked and it can be

taken out without further injury. If

uncertain, do not remove the hook.

• Turtles with serious cuts, ingested

or deeply embedded hooks need

veterinary care. Keep the turtle in the

shade. Immediately call Sea Turtle

Inc. at (956)761-4511 or the Coastal

Studies Lab at (956) 761-2644

Help SeaTurtles WithSafe Fishing

Practices

Sea turtle tangled in fishing line.STI file photo.

What is a Stranded Turtle?When turtles are sick or injured they stop swimming and are washed

ashore by waves and tides. This is when people find them. After a

stranded turtle arrives at STI, triage begins. Its condition is evaluated

and they are treated by our Vet Tech and staff, or sent to Gladys

Porter Zoo in Brownsville if needed. GPZ does major surgeries and

x-rays. The four main reasons for stranding are: predation,

entanglement, boat props, and plastic consumption. Other reasons

are cold stuns (hypothermia), oil spills, and internal infections.

Copyright 2014 Sea Turtle Inc. All rights reserved.

Mail address:P.O. Box 3987

South Padre Island, TX 78597

Phone: 956-7614511

Website: www.seaturtleinc.org

Twitter & Instagram: @SeaTurtleInc

Facebook.com/SeaTurtleInc

YouTube Channel: SeaTurtleInc

Board of Directors

CreditsEditor Megan Chilcutt, Mareting Director

megan.chilcutt@seaturtleinc.org

Layout & design Teresa Shumaker, Marketing Assistant

teresa.shumaker@seaturtleinc.org

Do you know we aretrying to grow?

Years of contributions have enabled us

to purchase five acres of adjacent

property ($985K) to expand our facility,

which we desperately need.

In the summer, we can have up to

1 ,000 visitors each day; and only one

restroom. We have also had to be very

creative about housing our turtles, as

there is little space to handle large

amounts of turtles in need, like when

we rescued 300-plus cold-stunned

turtles this past winter.

Our 500-square-foot gift shop was

very cozy with turtles in pools taking

up 200- square-feet and crowds of

visitors, shopping and waiting in line

for the restroom.

With this new development, we will be

able to increase the scope ofour mission.

It will include a 4,000 sq.ft. educational

building ($1 .2M), a 234 seat

amphitheater ($150K), large tanks for

non-releasable turtles ($650K), and a

new hospital ($400K). The area will

also include parking for over 40 cars.

Progress!

The infrastructure ($417K) will be

finished by the end of April, and the

Nature Walk ($300K), is expected to

begin soon and be completed this fall.

Total cost: $4 million. So far, we have

raised $1 .9 million, but only $10,500 this

year. We need your help.

If you would like to help us build the new

facility, go to www.seaturtleinc.org/help-

our-cause/ to donate.

President Shane Wilson

First Vice President Peggy Fritchey Trahan

Second Vice President Mr. Les Hogdson

Treasurer Dr. John Butler

Secretary Ms. Mary Laddis

Board Member Dr. Patrick Burchfield

Board Member Ms. Robin Ferris

Board Member Mr. Scott Boruff

Board Member Mr. Robert Cackley

Scientific Advisory BoardChairman Dr. Patrick Burchfield

Board member Dr. Kimberly Herrin, DVM

Board member Mr. Jack Woody

Board member Dr. David Owens

Board member Dr. Joe Flannigan, DVM

Page 5 Sea Turtle Inc. News April 2014

his family, and even though he

was on vacation, he spent

multiple afternoons at Sea

Turtle, Inc. training the staff

and customizing the software

so Sea Turtle, Inc. can utilize

all aspects of this incredible

opportunity. We want to send a

HUGE thank you to you, JC

Whitfield, for your time,

devotion, and support of our

organization and mission. From

the bottom of hearts, we

appreciate your generosity! To

learn more about Salesforce

software, go online to

www.salesforce.com.

JCContinued from Page 3

Sea Turtle Inc. & the Kemp's ridleySTI is in charge of Kemp’s nest recovery and relocation for Boca

Chica and South Padre Island beaches, roughly 50 miles of

coastline. Unlike the rest of the Texas coast, STI is not funded by

the government. Staff, interns, and volunteers patrol the beach

daily form early April to mid-July, on foot and on ATV. STI

hatchling releases are usually from mid-June to mid-August –

when possible, the releases are open to the public.