Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Want to help save Sea Turtles for a living?!?

If you want to dedicate your life to helping save sea turtles, now is your chance. The Sea Turtle Restoration Project is hiring!


ADVOCACY POSITION: SEA TURTLE AND OCEANS CAMPAIGN COORDINATOR
Turtle Island Restoration Network (TIRN), located near Pt. Reyes National Seashore (1 hour northwest of San Francisco), seeks a motivated grassroots activist to devise and implement campaigns to reduce the demand for industrially caught fish in order to protect endangered sea turtles, marine mammals, sharks, fish and the future of ocean life. We need a passionate, hard-working individual to help lead and coordinate the Sustainable Oceans and Fisheries Solutions Program of our Sea Turtle Restoration Project (STRP).

The sea turtle and ocean campaign coordinator will be charged with strengthening protections for endangered sea turtles and the oceans. To achieve this, the campaign aims to significantly impact U.S. consumption of industrially-caught seafood by building awareness of the environmental, health, and social impacts of eating such fish. This will be accomplished by changing people’s seafood choices and behaviors, putting grassroots pressure on companies and governments to change their ways and reforming fishery policies.

QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLS: Previous success and experience in grassroots and internet-based organizing, corporate campaigns, and policy work is needed. Environmental science background highly desirable. Lobbying experience a plus. Strong communication, research, writing, planning, public speaking and online skills are essential. Candidates must be hard-working, goal oriented, persistent and have an indomitable spirit to fight corporate and government inaction and deceit. You will only succeed in this position if you are motivated and eager to go the extra mile to make things happen. At the same time, we are seeking a team player able to work well within our small, dynamic organization.

REQUIREMENTS: This is a full-time, salaried, position. Candidate must be able to work in the Turtle Island offices in beautiful, rural West Marin, CA. Successful candidates must live nearby, be willing to relocate and/or have reliable transportation for commuting from the Bay Area. Some travel, after-hours and weekend work.

ABOUT US: Turtle Island Restoration Network (TIRN) is the parent organization of Sea Turtle Restoration Project. TIRN also runs the Salmon Protection and Watershed Network. TIRN is a small, risk-taking organization with big vision known for achieving environmental wins with limited resources. Joining the organization provides the opportunity for hands-on campaign work, stretching your skills, trying new approaches and engaging in a variety of activities in a fast-paced environment. The campaigner will report to the Program Director.

SALARY: Low $40Ks plus excellent benefits and the opportunity to work for a successful organization fighting to protect sea turtles, oceans and the environment. Seeking to fill the position by June 8 or before. Position open until filled. TIRN is committed to creating a diverse workforce.

TO APPLY: Please send your resume and a cover letter to: Sea Turtle and Ocean Campaign Position, Sea Turtle Restoration Project, POB 370, Forest Knolls, CA 94933 or email to tshore@tirn.net. Fax 415-663-9534. Please no calls.

Office location: 9255 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Olema CA 94950. Please check the location of our site before applying for this position.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Tell National Marine Fisheries Service that you DO NOT support backpeddaling!

NMFS's new plan for Hawaii-based shallow-set longline fishery would nearly triple the number of loggerhead sea turtles caught each year. We must act now to prevent their plan from taking effect. They are accepting comments online and by mail through Monday, May 18, 2009.

Please hurry to their website before they reverse the progress that has been made in recent years towards saving the sea turtle population.

http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=SubmitComment&o=090000648091b5c0

A full description of the proposed fishery management plan amendment is available online as well.

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Does your mom love turtles too? Here's the perfect gift!

Adopt a Nest of Sea Turtles for Mother's Day!

Instead of giving flowers and candy this year, adopt a nest of sea turtle hatchlings in honor of your mother.

Sea turtles have graced our oceans for 100 million years. The Sea Turtle Restoration Project is working hard to make sure that as many hatchlings survive as possible.

When you adopt a nest of sea turtle hatchlings, your loved one will receive:
• A personalized certificate of adoption
• A color photograph of your hatchlings emerging from their nest
• Fact sheets about the sea turtles
• A one-year membership in the Sea Turtle Restoration Project including a subscription to our newsletter, Viva La Tortuga!

Adoption funds support sea turtle conservation work, including:
• Projects to protect sea turtle nesting beaches
• Efforts to ensure that sea turtles are not needlessly caught and drowned in industrial fishing lines and nets
• International programs to teach local communities about sea turtle conservation.

Order at: http://seaturtles.org/adopt

Adopt-A-Nests are $45.00 for addresses within the U.S. and $55.00 for addresses outside the U.S.

The deadline to order a Mother's Day Adopt A Nest is May 6. After May 6th, we cannot guarantee the adoption packet will arrive in time for Mother's Day.

The Adopt-a-Nest Program is tax deductible.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Research Grants Available

The Turtle Conservation Fund is requesting proposals for conservation and research grants. The proposal deadline is May 1, 2009.


TCF Executive Board:Hugh R. Quinn, Co-Chair (DoubleHQ@aol.com)Anders G.J. Rhodin, Co-Chair (RhodinCRF@aol.com)Chris B. Banks; Kurt A. Buhlmann; Kevin R. Buley; Eric Goode; Douglas B. Hendrie; Brian D. Horne; Rick Hudson; Russell A. Mittermeier; Hans-Dieter Philippen; Colin Poole; Peter C.H. Pritchard; Walter C. Sedgwick; Peter Paul van Dijk
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The Turtle Conservation Fund (TCF) administers a turtle conservation and research grants program. Awards are granted to organizations or individuals for specific conservation or research projects dealing with tortoises or freshwater turtles, but not marine turtles, with either partial or full support as funding allows. Awards at the present time are approximately in the $2000 to $5000 range per project, with occasional funding up to $10,000.
Priority for funding is given to projects that focus on species that are already highly threatened (Critically Endangered or Endangered) as determined by the IUCN Red List (http://www.iucnredlist.org/).
TCF’s highest priority species targeted for funding are listed below.
We welcome proposals for the conservation of species other than those listed, provided a convincing rationale is included why the species’ conservation status merits funding from the TCF.
Award recipients enter into contractual agreement with one of our partner organizations (Conservation International, Chelonian Research Foundation or EAZA Shellshock Campaign) to produce the proposed work. Award recipients are also encouraged to publish at least partial results of the supported research in the international scientific turtle journal, Chelonian Conservation and Biology, published by TCF Alliance Partner Chelonian Research Foundation (CRF; http://www.chelonian.org/).
For further information and application guidelines go to http://www.turtleconservationfund.org/
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TCF Priority Species List

Apalone spinifera ater
Astrochelys radiata
Astrochelys yniphora
Batagur affinis (southern Malay Peninsula and Sumatra )
Batagur baska (northeastern India and Bangladesh , perhaps into Myanmar )
Batagur borneoensis
Batagur kachuga
Batagur trivittata
Chelodina mccordi
Chitra chitra
Chitra indica
Chitra vandijki
Cuora aurocapitata
Cuora bourreti
Cuora glabinifrons
Cuora mccordi
Cuora pani
Cuora picturata
Cuora trifasciata
Cuora yunnanensis
Cuora zhoui
Dermatemys mawii
Elusor macrurus
Erymnochelys madagascariensis
Geochelone platynota
Heosemys depressa
Leucocephalon yuwonoi
Mauremys annamensis
Nilssonia lethii
Nilssonia nigricans
Pelochelys bibroni
Pelochelys cantori
Pelochelys signifera
Podocnemis lewyana
Psammobates geometricus
Pseudemydura umbrina
Pyxis arachnoides
Pyxis planicauda
Rafetus swinhoei
Siebenrockiella leytensis
Terrapene coahuila
Testudo kleinmanni

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Adopt a Turtle!


This cute little russian tortoise, known as Big Mac, needs a home. If you know anyone who is interested, please email rachhoyt@gmail.com. Thanks!


Thursday, January 1, 2009

The Turtle Man

Through the muddy farm ponds of Kentucky wades a man with the spirit of Robin Hood and the aspirations of the Crocodile Hunter known as the Turtle Man. He calls himself "Kentucky's best kept secret" and "the poorest famous guy around" because word is spreading about his entertaining hobby. His father taught him how to locate snapping turtles and catch them by the tail in blinding muddy waters at the age of 7, and he's been obsessed with the activity ever since. These sometimes vicious turtles can be more than a nuisance to farmers whose cattle and horses enjoy wading in cool waters on a hot summer day, so the Turtle Man helps save their livestock from bite wounds by relocating the perpetrators. “I don’t kill it,” says The Turtle Man. “I only catch it. Don’t never torture nothing. That’s my name of the game. That’s how you stay into it. Keep people liking you.” Not surprisingly, he is developing a fan base, which now includes myself. I hope we will see him and hear his Indian rebel yell on national television soon. For now, I recommend you check out this video and buy a snapper-licious logo shirt (if you can find one) to show that you appreciate and support the Turtle Man’s quest.

http://videos.kansascity.com/vmix_hosted_apps/p/media?id=2594376