Earthwatch's Tracking Sea Turtles in the Bahamas

Last month, Earthwatch’s Tracking Sea Turtles in the Bahamas expedition completed research activities in its 5th season, which ran from February – September. During this time, nearly 50 volunteers worked alongside Lead Scientist Annabelle Brooks and her staff to collect important data on the health and behaviors of juvenile sea turtles in the Bahamas. These observations are helping scientists and wildlife managers better understand how sea turtles choose their feeding sites in order to protect them during this critical life stage.

With the continued support of generous donors like you, Dr. Brooks was able to expand her research this year to neighboring Abaco and Andros islands. In 2019, Earthwatch volunteers will also collect data on previously unstudied Exuma.

Do the turtles travel the hundred miles or so between islands? Will the turtles at each location exhibit the same foraging behaviors? What new insights might this expanded data set reveal? We hope to answer these questions and more following careful analysis over the next few months.

In the meantime, thank you for all you do to help multi-year conservation studies like this one. Together, we are making a real difference in the fight to sustain our planet, one species, one donation, and one day at a time.

Best wishes for a joyous holiday season,

Heather Wilcox
Director of Annual Giving & Advancement Services
hwilcox@earthwatch.org
978-450-1208

P.S. Remember, you don't just have to read about this research from afar... you can be at the center of the action as an Earthwatch research volunteer! Please follow the link below to see which teams are accepting volunteers for 2019.

**All photos provided courtesy of Annabelle Brooks **

Links:

• Expedition Dates and Volunteer Availability
• Empowering People to Save the Natural World with Earthwatch