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 In 2003 and 2004, Anita Litwitz, Minnesota Zoo Monorail Interpretive
Naturalist, joined the National Save the Sea Turtle Foundation
working on Sea Turtle Conservation on the Osa Peninsula in southern
Costa Rica. This project involves hands on experience doing field
work with Olive Ridley sea turtles, and occasionally with Pacific
Greens, Hawksbills, and Leatherbacks which also nest on the same
beach. Volunteers work to protect an eight-kilometer section
of sea turtle nesting beach. This beach has been documented receiving
up to 3000 nests in one year. Before this project started, almost
all of the sea turtle nests on the beach were lost to dogs and
pigs as well as to poachers. Results after the first season of
having a hatchery in place resulted in the release of 10,400
live hatchlings.
Anita’s average day during her volunteer service includes
checking the hatchery every couple of hours during the day. If
hatchlings are found, they are brought back to the field station
to be released that night. Beach surveys are conducted during
the day to check for predation or poaching of nests. Several
hours once a week are spent doing nest excavations and recording
data. At 9:00 each night, before starting the beach patrol, the
hatchery is checked for new hatchlings and any hatchlings found
as well as those found during the day are released. After this,
a nightly beach patrol is conducted, spending several hours collecting
data on nesting females, as well as collecting eggs to relocate
to the hatchery. After completing the beach patrol, any eggs
found during the night are redeposited in the hatchery and the
hatchery is rechecked for more hatchlings. After releasing any
new hatchlings, volunteers head back to the field station to
sleep for a couple of hours before hatchery checks start again.
Anita spent the month of September 2003 volunteering with the
program and is currently serving as a researcher for the entire
2004 breeding season (Sept-Nov).
The Ulysses S. Seal Conservation Grant Program awarded Anita a total
of $,2975 to cover transportation, food and lodging for her two
volunteer trips.
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