The Anna Maria Island Sun Newspaper

Vol. 15 No. 29 - May 13, 2015

TURTLES

Tuesday Turtle Talks begin

Carol Whitmore

CINDY LANE | SUN

Please do not disturb – sea turtles
are incubating!

Tuesday Turtle Talks begin this month for kids at the Anna Maria Island Community Center in Anna Maria and will continue through the summer at the Annie Silver Community Center in Bradenton Beach.

Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring volunteers will take kids in the Center’s after school program to the beach on May 12 and May 19 at 4 p.m. to search for sea turtle and shorebird nests, with a final activity at the Center on May 26.

From June through August, Tuesday Turtle Talks will move to the Annie Silver Community Center on 23rd Street one block off Gulf Drive in Bradenton Beach from 10 to 11 a.m.

The talks will replace morning tours of the nesting beach and will include a Power Point presentation, handouts and question and answer time. In August, volunteers will demonstrate nest excavations on the beach, Turtle Watch Director Suzi Fox said.

All summer, a new event, Turtles on Bridge Street, will be featured, with scavenger hunts to find turtles, free temporary turtle tattoos in Bridge Street businesses and other events.

”This will bring people to Bridge Street while teaching them about environmental impacts,” Fox said.

Children at the Center will write and illustrate a book about sea turtles that will be sold in shops on Bridge Street, said Amanda Escobio of the Bridge Street Merchants, adding, “It’s a tangible way to educate visitors regarding our unique habitat.”

If you would like to register your child to attend the Anna Maria Island Community Center Tuesday Turtle Talks, call 941-778-1908.

Saturday beach event

Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring will present “We All Have A Stake In It,” on Saturday, May 9, from 9:30 to 11 a.m. at the Manatee Beach Park picnic tables.

Kids can paint turtle stakes and a chick pallet that will be used on the Island’s nesting beaches. Volunteers also will demonstrate why people should fill in holes on the beach during nesting season.

Participating kids will be sworn into the Buddies and Pals Club by taking an oath that they will help to fill in holes, pick up trash and tell their friends about turtle friendly lighting. They will receive a signed membership card and other goodies.


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