I had an unexpected surprise yesterday morning. While I was walking along a Gulf of Mexico beach, a green sea turtle swam right past me, climbed out of the ocean onto the sand, stopped and stared at me for a moment, and then proceeded to make its way across the beach to find a place to lay its eggs. Although she was a small green turtle (about the size of a dinner plate), she scooted surprisingly fast as she found her way across the beach and up into the dunes.
After reporting the turtle sighting to the Turtle Patrol, I thought how sad it would be if we were not able to enjoy watching a sea turtle scoot across the sand to lay her eggs.
June 16, 2022 was “World Sea Turtle Day.” It’s okay if you didn’t remember or didn’t do anything special, because you can still help today. What the sea turtles need more than anything else is for you to help keep plastics and trash off the beach and out of the ocean. How?
Two ways: (1) put on plastic gloves and pick up trash every single time you go to the beach and (2) recycle plastics and keep plastics out of the ocean. Plastics are deadly for turtles.
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For more details on how you can help, read: WORLD SEA TURTLE DAY - June 16, 2022 - National Today
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We also need to recycle. Researchers say that it takes 400+ years for plastic to decompose in a landfill. It even takes 50+ years for your aluminum drink can or that Styrofoam picnic plate to decompose. So, yes, pick up your trash but also recycle whenever possible. If your area doesn’t recycle, start a recycling program.
So, let’s extend “World Sea Turtle Day” beyond just one day. Let’s make it an everyday event that we do something kind for the sea turtles.
When we don’t take care of sea turtles, they end up being injured like the turtle in the picture at the top of the page. Or, worse, your trash can even kill a sea turtle. Help a sea turtle today.
Photo by Elaine Clanton Harpine
After reporting the turtle sighting to the Turtle Patrol, I thought how sad it would be if we were not able to enjoy watching a sea turtle scoot across the sand to lay her eggs.
June 16, 2022 was “World Sea Turtle Day.” It’s okay if you didn’t remember or didn’t do anything special, because you can still help today. What the sea turtles need more than anything else is for you to help keep plastics and trash off the beach and out of the ocean. How?
Two ways: (1) put on plastic gloves and pick up trash every single time you go to the beach and (2) recycle plastics and keep plastics out of the ocean. Plastics are deadly for turtles.
___________________
For more details on how you can help, read: WORLD SEA TURTLE DAY - June 16, 2022 - National Today
___________________
We also need to recycle. Researchers say that it takes 400+ years for plastic to decompose in a landfill. It even takes 50+ years for your aluminum drink can or that Styrofoam picnic plate to decompose. So, yes, pick up your trash but also recycle whenever possible. If your area doesn’t recycle, start a recycling program.
So, let’s extend “World Sea Turtle Day” beyond just one day. Let’s make it an everyday event that we do something kind for the sea turtles.
When we don’t take care of sea turtles, they end up being injured like the turtle in the picture at the top of the page. Or, worse, your trash can even kill a sea turtle. Help a sea turtle today.
Photo by Elaine Clanton Harpine
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