We started coming to Topsail Island in the early 70's and heard about the visiting sea turtles, but had never seen one. The week we moved to Topsail permanently in 1997, we called Jean Beasley at the Karen Beasley Turtle Hospital to volunteer. We were asked to walk the north end of the Island, as that's where we lived and no one was watching that stretch of beach regularly.
The very first morning we walked, not a hundred yards from our house, I asked "what in the world is THAT?"......looked like a small bulldozer had driven up from the ocean to the dune! We had just seen our first set of turtle tracks! We had been coming here for 20 years and never seen tracks before....was this a "sign" for us??
Once a nest was found, we would mark it with 3ft dowels, rope it off and code it......a date when it would be expected to hatch. A few days before the due date, we would smooth a path to the ocean with berms on either side to guide the babies to the ocean. There were usually 75 to 125 eggs per nest and they would all come bubbling out of the sand at the same time during the night. Someone was always in the water with a lantern to attract the baby turtles on a safe path and usually there were spectators there for the big event and to keep away the birds a crabs and other predators.
Our area to patrol was 4 1/2 miles and every morning was different. One morning starfish would be plentiful, the next morning would be Scotch Bonnet shells, and maybe conchs. Always different and the storms brought up all kinds of treasures.....sharks teeth were always a favorite.
From humble beginnings as a small plastic kids wading pool, through tents, a small crowded building, to a new state of the art hospital just off Hwy 50 in Surf City, Karen Beasley SeaTurtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center receives patients from all over the East Coast and works closely with the Veterinary School at N.C.State University.
When you visit Topsail Island, be sure to tour this facility and learn about these amazing sea animals.......you will be glad you did!
Written by: BlueCoast agent Janeise Collins