Adopt a Legacy
Due to the variability in the number of nesting female sea turtles observed each season, the Conservancy will have limited numbers available to adopt each year. Please view the Adoption Selection Process below for more information on Legacy assignment.
If you are interested in adopting a Legacy, please contact Chris Shank prior to purchase at shank@bhic.org
Thank you for your interest in the Conservancy’s Adopt-a-Legacy!
This is a wonderful way to honor a loved one or celebrate a life! Legacy sea turtles are the moms who repeatedly nest on Bald Head Island beaches. Through our Sea Turtle Protection Program, we monitor and tag all of the sea turtles that nest on the island. We have over 40 years of data to accurately choose the right sea turtle for you. You also get the rare opportunity to name your adopted Legacy mom.
Sea turtles are a sign of longevity – they repeatedly come back to BHI to lay their nest so you can celebrate your family or loved one for years to come as you attend nest excavations for all of the nests and help her hatchlings get to sea. As a thank you for your adoption, the adoptive individual/family will receive the following gifts:
As an adoptive parent, you receive the opportunity to symbolically name an identified individual turtle. Your adopted turtle will have this given name forever, or as long as we document her on Bald Head Island. You will receive a personalized letter from our Executive Director, Chris Shank, detailing the known history of your turtle: when she was tagged, her tag info, and how many years she has been documented nesting on Bald Head Island. You will be notified every year that your turtle returns to nest on Bald Head Island, and receive birth announcements and invitations to excavations for each nest. At the end of each season that she nests, you will receive an in-depth summary of your Legacy’s season from our Sea Turtle Biologist, Paul Hillbrand.
