The sea turtle nesting season has begun. Several confirmed nests have already been reported on Brunswick County, North Carolina beaches. Want to learn more about sea turtles? Every Monday at 3:30 pm this summer, the Museum of Coastal Carolina – in conjunction with the Ocean Isle Beach Sea Turtle Protection Organization (OIBSTPO) – is presenting a program called Odyssey of the Sea Turtle. Jim Boyce and volunteers from OIBSTPO will discuss the life cycle of sea turtles, focusing especially on the loggerhead sea turtles that nest on our beaches every summer. The presentation will include a 14-minute video and a question-and-answer session at the end. Learn what you can do to help protect these magnificent animals.
Jim Boyce and his wife, Deb, are island coordinators for OIBSTPO. They are licensed by the NC Wildlife Commission and coordinate a network of approximately 50 volunteers in a year-round effort to promote sea turtles and educate the public about them. Volunteers are especially active between May and late September when female sea turtles dig their nests and lay their eggs. Volunteers identify and mark the nests, try to protect the nests from predators, keep an eye on hatchlings as they make their way from their nests into the ocean, and transport sick and injured sea turtles to the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center at Topsail Island. For more information about OIBSTPO, visit www.oibseaturtles.org.
The Museum of Coastal Carolina is located at 21 East Second Street, Ocean Isle Beach, NC. The museum is open from 10-8 Monday-Thursday, 10-5 Friday, and 10-1:30 Saturday. Admission to the museum is free for members. Non-member all-day admission (including NC sales tax) is $9.50 for adults, $8.50 for seniors, $7.50 for children (3-12), and free for age 2 and under. For more information about the Museum of Coastal Carolina, call 910-579-1016 or visit www.MuseumPlanetarium.org.
