January 17, 2015 Sea Turtle Necropsies at WHOI

We had a very successful Saturday at the Necropsy Facility at WHOI. Over 60 sea turtle carcasses were necropsied on this day which is a top number for us. NECWA will continue to attend these Saturday sessions until all 400+ carcasses are examined. 

First Sea Turtle Necropsy of the 2015 Season - January 10, 2015

Our first Saturday session for sea turtle necropsies down at WHOI was a success. NECWA and Mass Audubon at Wellfleet Bay partnered together once again to run these events. Over 40 sea turtle carcasses were examined and most were the Kemp's ridley sea turtle. We also had a chance to examine 1 green sea turtle and 1 loggerhead sea turtle. 

We have over 400 carcasses to examine this spring due to the high number of cold-stunned sea turtles that stranded on the shores of Cape Cod this past fall and winter. So we will be having a very busy necropsy season. 

Great teamwork by one and all included NECWA staff members Mary and Ashleen and last summer's intern Sam. Also joining us as Will, our newest NECWA members and a BSU student. And BSU student Michael Campbell, also joined in. Michael is a research student at BSU who is working with Krill and Bob to investigate connections between sea turtle standings and wind/current patterns using Arc GIS.

Happy New Years!

End-of-year Donation to NECWA

Thank you for your consideration.

From all of us at NECWA

Give to NECWA

Happy Holidays from all of us at NECWA.

If you are thinking about making a year-end donation for 2014, then please consider NECWA. We are a small, grassroots organization that does BIG things. 

NECWA is a registered 501(c) 3 organization so all donations are tax-deductible.

Any donation, big or small, makes a difference for it supports our many projects and activities. 

Any donation counts, small or large. 

NECWA helps protect marine wildlife in our New England waters through research projects, educational outreach and conservation activities including:

• studying marine wildlife from commercial whale-watching boats
• rescuing and studying ocean sunfish and sea turtles 
• offering an internship program for high school and college students
• conducting beach cleanups to collect marine debris
• offering free or reduced-priced educational programs for kids of all ages
• working with college students on research projects focused on various topics and issues regarding marine wildlife
• providing research samples and information to government and non-government organizations to support current knowledge and understanding on marine wildlife in New England
• sponsoring a community-sighting network (NEBShark) for basking sharks and ocean sunfish seen in our New England waters

and so much more.

NECWA is an all volunteer group which means that close to 100% of any donation goes directly to the projects and activities that we oversee. Can't get better than that! 

To donate, 

go to our website at www.necwa.org 

and give through either Just Give or PayPal. 

Or send in a check to NECWA at the address below. 

Thank you for considering NECWA for a year-end donation.  

Best to all,

Krill 

 

Marine Biologist and President, NECWA

New England Coastal Wildlife Alliance

www.necwa.org 

NECWA
11 Clarence Soule Drive

Middleboro, MA  02346 

To learn more about NECWA:

• go to our website at www.necwa.orgwww.necwa.org
• go to our blog at www.necwanews.blogspot.com
• visit NEBShark at www.nebshark.org
• keep in touch with us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/NecwaNews
• keep in touch with us via Twitter via necwa.org

Sea Turtle Supporter Certificate

Happy holidays from all of us at NECWA. 

We thank you for your support over the years, especially this season with the overwhelming sea turtle strandings that have occurred on Cape Cod. The number of stranded sea turtles in now over 1200! This is close to 6 times the normal number of sea turtle stranding that are typical for this area at this time.

We have a very special offer for our followers. If you provide NECWA a tax-deductable gift of $25 or more before the year's end, you will receive a personalized Sea Turtle Supporter Certificate. I created this certificate just this week to recognize the record number of endangered sea turtles that have stranded on our Cape Cod beaches.

To donate and receive your personalized certificate, go to the NECWA website (www.necwa.org) and donate through Just Give or PayPal. Indicate the names you would like printed on the certificate in the message box. 

I will also be sending out certificates to those who have donated earlier this month. If I miss anyone, please email me at krillcarson@mac.com.

Happy Holidays to one and all and thank you for your continued interest and support. 

Best, Krill and the staff and interns of NECWA

Holiday Fair to Support NECWA and Northbrook Academy

Tuesday, December 16th from 6 pm to 9 pm

In the Grants Building at 40 North Main Street, Middleboro MA

Join NECWA for a holiday fair in conjunction with Northbrook Academy on Tuesday evening from 6 pm to 9 pm. NECWA will offer free holiday activities and stocking stuffers for sale. The event will be in the Grants Building in Middleboro on 40 North Main Street. This is Northbrook Academy's location as well. Northbrook Academy is a wonderful private school for grades 5 to 12.

NECWA buttons

Support NECWA and Northbrook through your attendance and purchases. And since the NECWA office is right across the street, we can go over there if anyone is interested in our t-shirts and sweatshirt, both adult and children sizes are available. Thanks so much and look forward to seeing you on Tuesday evening.

NECWA hats

Great white shark t-shirt

Peace for Whale sweatshirt.

Sea Turtle Strandings on Cape Cod

Live sea turtles rescued from Truro beaches. 

NECWA staff and interns have been assisting Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary with their sea turtle stranding activities. This season, there has been a record number of strandings on the beaches of Cape Cod with over 1,000 animals coming ashore.

The 1000th sea turtle to strand in this 2014 season. 

The majority of stranded sea turtles are juveniles that had been feeding in Cape Cod Bay and Massachusetts Bay over the course of the summer. Our New England waters are home to 5 species of endangered and threatened sea turtles so their presence in our area is not unusual. The most common sea turtles to strand are the Kemp's ridley sea turtle, the loggerhead sea turtle and the green sea turtle. Since all are endangered, recusing each individual is of critical importance. Most cold-stunned turtles wash up just as the high tide is receding. This means that you have to walk the beaches day and night as the tides change each day.

NECWA intern Fabi with Kemp's ridley sea turtle.

As fall approaches, these animals begin to migrate south for warmer, more tropical waters. They will spend their winters in southern waters for they are cold-blooded animals that can not regulate their body temperature. From what we see happening in our area, they can not tolerate water temperatures lower than 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

Unfortunately, some sea turtles miss Race Point are funneled into the arm of Cape Cod. Sea turtles trapped inside Cape Cod Bay are stuck and can no longer travel south. As water temperatures in Cape Cod Bay decrease, these sea turtles became hypothermic, a process called cold-stunning. Cold-stunned individuals will eventually wash ashore, live and dead, typically on the northern shores of Cape Cod.

Director Bob Prescott measuring a live Kemp's ridley sea turtle. 

Rescued sea turtles are taken back to Wellfleet Bay where they receive an initial health check-up and examination. Once stabilized, these animals are then transported to the New England Aquarium's Quincy Rehabilitation Facility for more intense treatment that includes antibiotics and fluids. If large numbers of animals are rescued, many sea turtles will be transported to other rehabilitation facilities where they are cared for until their release back into the wild next spring.

NECWA staff walking Cold Storage Beach in Dennis.

This fall and winter, NECWA staff and interns have been walking the beaches of Cape Cod looking for stranded sea turtles in an effort to support these rescue activities.

NECWA intern Fabi with rescued sea turtle. 

Scavenged sea turtle carcass. 

Once a turtle has stranded, it is important to get to that animal as quickly as possible for they are now exposed to the wind and weather. They are also susceptible to scavengers like sea gulls and coyotes who will attach these helpless animals when exposed.

Rescued Kemp's ridley being transported back to Wellfleet Bay.

NECWA staff and interns have also been supporting Wellfleet Bay's efforts by just helping out in any way that makes sense. Wellfleet Bay is doing a fabulous job as a first responder in this rescue effort.

NECWA intern Jess helping clean at Wellfleet Bay.

Help us continue this work by donating to NECWA today. Please go to the NECWA website at www.necwa.org and donate today. Donations can be received through the mail, our through our website using PayPal or JustGive. Thank you for your support.

Marine debris collected by NECWA from local beaches as we walk for sea turtle.