Leatherback Sea Turtles have been here for over
65 million years. They have witnessed the fall of the dinosaurs and
the rise of humanity. Their habitat spans the globe from the North
Atlantic near the Arctic Circle to the South Pacific around New Zealand.
Extraordinary creatures, they hold important secrets about biology
and medicine. Leatherbacks are the largest turtle, reaching a shell
length of 1.7m and a mass of 700kg. In 1980 there were over 115,000
adult females, but there are now less than 25,000 worldwide, and
they are close to extinction in the Pacific Ocean. If action is not
taken soon to protect leatherbacks in the ocean and on nesting beaches
the leatherback will disappear in our lifetime.
(adult leatherback, photo credit: Leron Tonge,
21, Antigua and Barbuda
morning leatherback, photo credit: '08 Playa Grande Field Team )
ALERT!
New threat to Las Baulas Park and the Leatherback turtle!
It is hard to believe, but President Oscar Arias,
the Noble Peace Prize winner and proposer of "Peace with Nature" has
proposed to eliminate Las Baulas Park. Developers there have claimed
that they had a deal with him when he got elected and they would
kill the Park. Well now he has proposed to do just that.
UPDATE: Major environmental
goups and conservation organizations have joined in protesting
the detruction of the park. These include Conservation
international, Nature Conservancy and World Wildlife Fund. Many environmental
groups in Costa Rica and many ordinary people are also joinging
the protest. There is still time for people to be heard. Write
to the Congress of Costa Rica and let your voice be heard.
Click to Read:
Leatherback
Trust Press Release
Annotated
Version of the Proposed Law sent by the President to the Congress
An
SOS Letter to the Congress
(from Mario Boza and Alvaro Ugalde,
founders of the national parks of Costa Rica and Dóna Karen
Olsen, the wife of former President Pepe Figueres who founded modern
Costa Rica and established the parks by law and the mother of Jose
Maria Figueres who established Las Baulas Park in law in 1995)
The international prestige Costa Rica enjoys globally as a leader
in conservation, is in jeopardy. If
the precedent of reducing a national park is
authorized, the whole system of national parks will be on
the threshold of the collapse, allowing the country to undergo
further environmental deterioration, seriously impacting the future
survival of the Leatherback.
TAKE
ACTION
Voice of the Leatherback Turtles ezine
This
28 page ezine is the definitive compilation of the efforts of
so many who have contributed to the groundswell of support in
favor of preserving Las Baulas National Park and protecting
the Leatherback sea turtle. It is most likely the first time
this relatively new format has been used in this manner and
it is a very powerful tool that can now be added to the arsenal
of the conservation movement.
Go
to the Voice of the Leatherback Turtles ezine
Beautiful Sea Turtle Artwork Now Available
Jeanette Chupack is offering her beautiful paintings
and prints of Green Sea Turtles for sale
with proceeds to benefit the Leatherback Trust. Jeanette
won first place in the Utrecht 60th anniversary Painting
Competition, juried by the American Artist
Magazine.
To learn more and to order...
  
Baulas Blend Coffee
Enjoy this excellent gourmet coffee and help the
leatherback sea turtle in the process!
Learn more...
The Great Turtle Race II, sponsored in part by The Leatherback
Trust.
Follow 11 leatherback turtles on a two-week
journey as they swim from their nesting sites on Playa Grande beach
in Costa Rica to the Galapagos Islands.
Learn
more...
Turtle Website of Interest
An online library for sea turtle journal articles, where visitors
can search for primary literature references related to sea turtles,
and view the reference abstract with a link to the full-text
version. Also includes conservation information, a discussion
board, and a links page. www.ccaretta.com
Leatherback Trust products now available at Zazzle
Your purchases help support the work of the Leatherback Trust...
click below...
buy
Leatherback products at Zazzle
What can one person do to save leatherbacks?
Maybe you could write books. Or start a lemonade
stand to raise money. Or perhaps you could give talks at local
schools and events to raise awareness. How about organizing an
Earth Day event and raising money? Well, one person has already
done ALL of those things, and she's still only 7 years old. Read
more about the inspiring Meghan Taschenberger...
Recommended Reading
 Turtle
Summer is a delightful book about sea turtles and sea life written
by award winning author Mary Alice Monroe and with photos by Barbara
J. Bergwerf. Aimed at young readers and those young at heart it
tells the story of loggerhead turtle nesting and the efforts by
turtle people to protect their nests and their hatchlings. It includes
many lovely pictures of sea life and birds along the Carolina shore.
A must read for all those who summer at the Shore. Learn
more...
Johnny Glidden, Sea Turtle Champion
Johnny Glidden first became aware of the plight
of the sea turtle during a family trip to Hawaii in 2004. By age
7, it had become his mission to save the Leatherback, after reading
Dr. James Spotila’s book, Sea Turtles: A Complete Guide
to Their Biology, Behavior and Conservation. Learn
more about this amazing young champion's efforts to help the leatherback...
Save the Leatherback Campaign
More than 1,000 scientists call for U.N. ban
on longlining in the Pacific – U.N. General Assembly adopts
resolution to benefit endangered turtles. Read
details (PDF), or learn more at SeaTurtles.org |
