Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Hospital at Topsail Beach, NC

Harsh sunlight bleached Topsail Beach, turning rooftops, houses, roads and dunes into something I once saw in a Sci Fi movie (a Vin Diesel flick, I think. The one with Judi Dench.) Record temps of around 100 had been forecasted for the eastern North Carolina area and being Texans, we knew better than to be out in that mess. But it's turtle season, and we really, really wanted to visit the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Hospital.

A handful of ladies, a few marine biology and veterinarian summer interns, and an ocean of dedication have saved 200 endangered sea turtles since the hospital opened in 1997. Though sixteen turtles were released this past Tuesday, fourteen still remain at the hospital. One, a loggerhead whose skull had been split. Another, a Green Turtle who injured a flipper in an encounter with a boat propeller. Yet another, a turtle named Lennie who went blind after getting struck by a blunt object. Though hospital workers will return his fellow patients to the water this fall, Lennie can no longer care for himself and must stay. He's a Kemp's Ridley, the number one endangered sea turtle.

Everyone associated with the hospital, from the people who patrol the beach each morning searching for turtle nests and report their findings, to the workers at the hospital, and those who help haul these 200 or more pound turtles to the sea for a release ARE VOLUNTEERS. Astounding considering the time and physical demands of their job. The hospital is open from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM, five days a week during the summer. During our visit, at least ten people were on duty to give the steady line of visitors a tour of the turtles residing in the tubs stuffed in an un-air conditioned room the size of a one and a half car garage. It was suffocatingly hot. Sweat beaded on their foreheads and on their lip as they shared the turtles' stories. They receive no compensation for this, and the tours are free. They ask only for a donation. They also offer attractive logo items in their gift store, the proceeds of which go back to the turtle hospital.

Workers hope to break ground on a new, larger facility in Surf City this fall. I asked if they received grants for this effort. One of the seven interns working this summer told me they don't receive that type of funding despite the fact they're a 501(c)3 charitable organization. It appears they rely solely on donations from individuals and, hopefully, businesses.

There are currently nine sea turtle nests on Topsail Beach. Nine. So soon! This is very good news. All of them are most likely Loggerhead nests and probably contain about a hundred eggs. Only a few of these turtles will grow to adulthood. If they do, the females will begin returning in about twenty years to lay their own eggs. Unfortunately, boaters and other Samaritans may bring a few of them home before that for treatment for illnesses or injuries.

More good news: it appears someone will be there to help them. Efforts like this are yet another reason why I love the Carolinas.

I posted photos of the hospital on my Webshots site. Sorry, no turtle pics. Volunteers asked us not to disturb the turtles with cameras. (I pulled the photo above off the hospital's website after receiving permission during our tour.)

For more information about the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle hospital including news about the mass release and a chance to watch a patient via the turtle cam, go to www.seaturtlehospital.org/.

For more information about the turtle hospital located at the South Carolina Aquarium, go to www.scaquarium.org/seaturtle/rescue.aspx

More on Topsail Beach itself in my next post!