ST. PETE BEACH — On this Valentine's Day, there is a local nonprofit that’s trying to get as many people as possible to show love for a mission near and dear to their hearts, and that’s saving sea turtle eggs.
Over the past year, the volunteers at Sea Turtle Trackers have worked to protect more than 10,000 turtle eggs in the Tampa Bay area.
“We get up very early in the morning before sunrise, we’re on the beach, we are checking for sea turtle tracks, and when we see the tracks, we find the nest, then we screen it off to protect it,” said Tammy Allen.
Without volunteers like Tammy, animals, and beachgoers would damage countless eggs from this endangered species.
However, Tammy said it’s hard not to think about how many more eggs they could have saved if their 20-year-old boat didn’t keep breaking down.
“Sometimes I have everyone here, ready to go, we go to start up, and it’s like, 'Now what?”' said Allen.
Tammy said when the boat doesn’t go that’s time being wasted that could have been spent protecting the eggs.
“So I’ve actually been out on the boat when the boat stopped working in the middle of Tampa Bay, and that’s not always fun, and then we are scrambling, who can come get us, or if we are going to paddle that day, or if we are going to get towed in,” said volunteer Paula Tusia.
So they thought no better time to ask for a little sea turtle love than Valentine's Day. They started a series of fundraisers to go toward their transportation budget. The goal is $50,000.
“We do love what we do, and on Valentine's Day, we called it a Sweet Gesture, and it is a sweet gesture to do that,” said Allen.
One of the fundraisers even gives you the opportunity to adopt your own turtle nest.
“And there is a plaque that goes out on the beach, and you can put whatever you want on the sign, and when the nest actually hatches, we’ll send you all the information about what was inside the nest,” said Allen.
For more information on the Sweet Gesture fundraiser, click here.
“It will be so nice to know that when we come out in the morning, we’ll be able to get it done, and all the other volunteers will get a chance to experience helping and making sure this species continues to live on,” said volunteer Jim Jeansonne.
