Our Point of View
Saving Sea Turtles & Other Critters
By Mark A. Jicha
The Georgia Sea Turtle Center is one of the more embraceable ideas
I’ve heard come down the pike in quite a while, but mind you,
I’m the guy who bought a swamp up the Altamaha and still can’t
believe I was lucky enough to find a spread that stays under water
a good bit of the time.
 Saving
turtles is not quite a new concept in our household, and I’d
be happy to see it become a fad. The Center might just be the ticket.
The other day I was hauling the dog up to my McMillan Creek bottom
when I spotted a huge alligator snapping turtle - a good 25 pounds
if he was an ounce - struttin’ up US 341 like he owned the
road. I pulled over and tried to catch him before some imbecile
ended his life under their tires, but he dove back into the ditch
and headed toward the swamp. I’ve rescued box turtles and
gopher tortoises, and I’ve missed a few snappers, but that’s
another great thing about having your own creek bottom - it can
be home to almost any sort of creature. Unlike most places I know,
snakes are given safe passage on our place.
All of my life, I have been fascinated by reptiles - I even rescued
an 8-foot boa constrictor back in college when some halfcocked science
student dropped out and left the snake to starve. Saving sea turtles
is as good as it gets here in the Golden Isles, because having sea
turtles requires a healthy beach and that means we’ve got
to leave some stretch of natural ecosystem before the condos begin.
Even as we resume sentry duty for Atlantic storms after weathering
a visit from Hurricane Jeanne, one gets a real sense that living
in this water wonderland demands we pay attention to Mother Nature
when she calls.
Remember: if you can see the ocean, the ocean can see you.
Since we’re not gonna curtail the condo march, rehabilitating
injured sea turtles remains a very postive second choice. In that
spirit, EVENTS Magazine will donate $10 for every $100 donation
submitted with the coupon below (or 10% of any donation up to that
amount).
Please join the cause and send your check with the form we have
provided.
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