For 32 years, the National Save the Sea Turtle Foundation (NSSTF) has worked to protect the marine environment, while saving sea turtles from extinction.
Established in 1987, the foundation began when a group of business owners in the Florida Keys noticed degrading changes in the marine environment, including fewer sea turtles.
“Even though it was the overall environment they noticed was deteriorating, the sea turtles were really the main focus,” said Larry Wood, Ph.D., a conservation biologist and an NSSTF spokesman. “The sea turtles grabbed people’s attention. They weren’t seeing them anymore.
“These were business people, not biologists, but they figured they could do something about it. Through their business acumen, they were able to raise funds that were distributed to various conservation, research, and educational projects related to sea turtles.”
At NSU, NSSTF is funding the construction and installation of a new, permanent educational exhibit at the Marine Environmental Education Center (MEEC). The exhibit will focus on sea turtles and the foundation’s work. Additionally, a gift from the foundation will fund educational programming and staff for MEEC. The center is naming its National Save the Sea Turtle Foundation Education Building in recognition of the gift.
Opened in 2017 at the historic Carpenter House in Hollywood Beach, MEEC, which is home to Captain, a resident green sea turtle, was forged from a partnership between NSU and Broward County with the goal of expanding sea turtle education and public outreach. NSU’s Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography manages the center on behalf of Broward County.
In Florida, the loggerhead is the most common sea turtle. Named for its large head, which can be 10 inches wide, it has powerful jaws to crush the heavy-shelled clams, crabs and encrusting animals on which it feeds. In recent years, between 49,000 to 68,000 loggerhead nests have been recorded each year.
NSSTF raises funds, in part, by selling donated boats and through membership and adopt-a-sea turtle nest programs. (It currently keeps two donated boats in Key West for research). It also has awarded thousands of dollars in scholarships to graduate students.
“We are able to provide funding to folks who would otherwise have a real challenge,” Wood said. “There are a lot of smaller organizations and researchers who aren’t part of a multi-million dollar research project or facility…to whom we can provide some funding.
“That’s probably the most valuable thing the foundation does. Yes, we provide money and that’s a valuable thing in itself. But it’s also who we provide funding to that makes a big difference.”