A Good Start to the New Year!

(Photo: NMFS Permit # 1591)

So far, a total of eight (8) turtles have been caught this season while monitoring at the South Bay! Having been out only four times, NOAA scientists are averaging two turtles for every monitoring field day. Not a bad start to the season!

Tomorrow, we'll be out again and are hoping to continue this great trend in 2010. We'll be joined by some more local students as well.

For a number of years now, NOAA researchers, in partnership with Pro Peninsula (now part of the Ocean Foundation) and the Port of San Diego, have provided a select handful of students the chance to see science in action. On-site experiences start before the classes actually visit the field research station. This prep work provides students with background information through activities, classroom visits by researchers, and even visits to the Chula Vista Nature Center to see green turtles up close.

These experiences help the students to make the most of the time they actually spend on-site. At the South Bay, students help spot turtles resting in the "jacuzzi", witness the weighing, measuring and tagging of all the turtles found that day, and get the chance to ask the scientists about thier jobs, school experiences, and neat questions like "what does the nose of a sea turtle feel like?"

Because this research takes place at the power plant where access is limited, and combined with the fact that these turtles being studied are endangered, the number of people allowed to witness this amazing experience is very limited. The few classrooms able to participate in this moving and hands-on experience are extremely grateful for the funding support received from the Port and other sources, and for the researchers and staff who volunteer their time to enhancing this educational experience.

I know I am looking forward to seeing another group of excited San Diego students out in the field tomorrow- because I remember being a kid, seeing sea turtle researchers up close and personal, and thinking, "I wonder if I could do that one day, when I grow up...?"