Loggerhead hatchling – Ponte Vedra Beach, 2011
I created this blog for a two reasons: to capture a snapshot of my experiences in Costa Rica and to update family and friends on my adventures. This is my first time blogging, so bear with me.
I have always had a passion for animals as long as I can remember. Growing up outside of St. Louis, MO, I spent hours in the creek behind my house catching crawdads, frogs, toads, turtles, snakes and anything else I could get my hands on. For birthdays and Christmas, I always had ‘animal books’ on my list just so I could learn more about them. When the time came to go to college, I decided to attend Jacksonville University where I majored in biology and marine science – an obvious choice for my love of animals. After graduation, I worked at the university a bit and it was during my time there I began to discover my passion for sea turtles.
I began volunteering with the Ponte Vedra Beach Sea Turtle Patrol in 2011, where I spent one morning a week walking a 4-mile stretch of beach looking for signs of sea turtle nests and marking them when found. After the nests emerged, our teams would excavate them and determine how many eggs hatched and submit the data to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
After almost two years of working for the university, I accepted a position in the development office at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens. Since I didn’t work directly with animals in my position, after a few months I began an internship within the herpetology department to get a better understanding of the conservation programs we have and learn more about the natural history of various species.
In November 2013, I heard about a research assistantship program in Costa Rica with the Sea Turtle Conservancy for the following summer. I decided to apply, and now I’m here! I look forward to learning about the sea turtle conservation programs in Tortuguero and bringing ideas back to the Zoo and the sea turtle patrol in Ponte Vedra Beach.
Tortuguero Traveler 