Watch out for SEA TURTLES!
Photo credit: The Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation
The Riverhead Foundation is one of many local organizations that Group for the East End teams up with to make sure important environmental protection messages are shared with our community. Please see below for an important message about local marine life.
Cold-stunning (similar to hypothermia) is a condition that occurs when cold-blooded sea turtles find themselves in water temperatures below 50º F. Cold-stunned sea turtles may appear dead because their bodily systems slow down considerably in cold water. However, organizations such as the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation and its trained biologists can often rehabilitate these animals as long as they are discovered in time – this is where you can help!
What You Can Do:
The Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation is actively recruiting volunteers willing to patrol Long Island beaches for cold-stunned sea turtles.
Volunteering involves walking specific stretches of the shoreline once or twice a week for the next few weeks. As you walk, you will keep an eye on the high tide line for any sign of a sea turtle. If you do find one, DO NOT TOUCH it (they bite!) and DO NOT TRY TO WARM it up, but do immediately CALL the Riverhead Foundation at its emergency hotline number and they will direct you on how to help.
EMERGENCY HOTLINE NUMBER: (631) 369-9829
To attend a cold-stunned sea turtle training lecture please contact the Foundation at 631-369-9840, or visit their website at www.riverheadfoundation.org.