Sea turtle race contestant to be chosen
CINDY LANE | SUN
A new AMI turtle will be chosen to swim the marathon in
the Tour de Turtles, as Amie did in 2015.
A loggerhead sea turtle that nests on Anna Maria Island the night of Monday, June 19, will be fitted with a satellite transmitter and tracked by the Sea Turtle Conservancy in its Tour de Turtles migration marathon that begins Aug. 1, according to Suzi Fox, director of Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring.
The turtle will be named Eliza Ann and will be released to the Gulf of Mexico somewhere on the Island on June 20, she said. The turtle is sponsored by Waterline Marina Resort and Beach Club in Holmes Beach.
Turtles are scored on how many miles they swim during the race period.
It's the second time the Island has entered a turtle in the race – Amie, named for previous sponsor Anna Maria Elementary School, swam in 2015, finishing in last place (in true turtle style, according to Turtle Watch), traveling 207 miles from the Island to Everglades National Park. The winner swam 2,341 miles from Costa Rica to New Jersey.
The Sun will follow Eliza Ann's progress each week beginning in August.
Turtle Talks begin
Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring volunteers will present a 30-minute Turtle Talk program at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, June 20; Monday July 3; Tuesday, July 11; Tuesday, July 18; and Tuesday, July 25 at CrossPointe Fellowship Church, 8605 Gulf Drive in Holmes Beach.
Volunteers will take you on a virtual tour of Anna Maria Island's nesting beaches, answer questions and announce the time and location of upcoming nest excavations, which are done three days after hatchlings leave the nests.
Participants can pick up free activity books, handouts and temporary turtle tattoos. T-shirts, stickers, transfers and embroidered ball caps with Turtle Watch's Turtle Life logo will be available for a donation.
For more information, visit www.islandturtlewatch.com.
