BHI Conservancy Sea Turtle HEROES: Become One Today!

By Carrie Barnette, Director of Development

Bald Head Island Conservancy is pleased to announce the inaugural Sea Turtle HEROES: Help Environmental Research, Outreach, Education, and Sustainability Program, a donor opportunity designed to support our Sea Turtle Protection Program and BHIC Education Programming. As Sea Turtle HEROES, you have the opportunity to purchase personalized turtle plaques for display in the BISC Media Center. Proceeds from the plaques will be used to help the sea turtles of Bald Head Island.

You can purchase any number of sea turtle plaques, which come in four sizes: the 4-inch Hatchling ($175), 6-inch Kemp’s Ridley ($350), 8-inch Green Turtle ($575), or the 10-inch Loggerhead plaque ($875).  Each sea turtle can be personalized  to include names, sentiment, and/or a logo of the purchaser’s choice. 

Each turtle plaque will be hung for a period of three years. After the three-year display time, turtles may be renewed at the going rate for the program or removed. A replica of the tile purchased is also available with an additional donation.

This terrific, limited-time opportunity to help protect Bald Head sea turtles is only available through April 22, 2024. Order your Sea Turtle HEROES today at www.bhic.org/sea-turtle-HEROES.

At the Bald Head Island Conservancy, our Sea Turtle Protection Program utilizes saturation tagging to intercept and identify every turtle that nests on our beaches. The STPP team conducts nightly patrols and deploys a range of techniques when encountering a turtle: applying a passive integrated transponder (PIT), attaching a flipper tag, collecting a DNA sample, and taking both straight and curved carapace measurements. All the data gathered is recorded in our historical database, which spans over 40 years and provides a wealth of information on individual sea turtles that have visited Bald Head Island. This rigorous tagging program allows the STPP team to gather valuable insights into the health and behavior of these endangered species. By closely monitoring sea turtle populations, BHIC scientists can better understand how these animals respond to environmental changes and can adapt conservation efforts accordingly. Join us in our mission to protect and preserve these magnificent creatures and their habitats by becoming Sea Turtle HEROES!