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How to get involved
The nonprofit Turtles Fly Too needs corporate partners individual donors general aviation pilots and aircraft to meet the often short- notice transports of endangered marine life as as well as as volunteers to assist with marketing data entry events and other activities Start the process of getting involved
by filling out a a a a a volunteer volunteer pilot application a a a a a volunteer volunteer registration form form or or or or or or a a a a a a corporate partner commitment form form at at at turtlesflytoo org You may also donate or or purchase merchandise to support TF2 from the website Georgia Sea Turtle Turtle Center staff releasing one loggerhead and and 16 cold-stunned Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles back to to to the the ocean off Jekyll Island after recovery Turtles Fly Too was requested to to to to fly the the the emergency mission as as as as as as it it is is imperative to to to to transport the the rehabilitated sea turtles turtles to to to a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a release release beach as as as as as as soon as as as as as as possible The release release ensures that healthy turtles turtles turtles do not spend time in in in a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a rehabilitation setting where they could be be susceptible to to ailments of other turtles turtles and/or risk being habituated to a a captive environment Emergency requests are the norm for TF2 which is why Weinstein feels they can never have enough pilots in their database Occasionally though transport requests are known well in advance In a a fall 2020 newsletter the Turtles Fly Too team put out a a a call for two upcoming missions One was taking an an endangered olive ridley sea turtle named Berni from a a a 6 • KING AIR MAGAZINE
rehabilitation stint at at the Vancouver Aquarium in British Columbia to be released back to the wild in warmer waters off San Diego The other was moving Pistachio an an endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtle from Tampa to her new permanent home at the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago She’d been rehabilitating at at a a a a a facility in in Florida since being struck by a a boat nine years ago The wounds healed but permanent injuries to her head shell and spine left little chance she’d survive if released back to the ocean The busiest time of year for TF2 is November It’s the start of cold stun season which typically lasts 10 weeks A sea turtle is cold-stunned when the water temperature drops below 50 degrees Fahrenheit The condition causes a a a a turtle’s heart rate and circulation to drop so drastically
DECEMBER 2020