26/11/2019

ARCHELON’s retreat was a sea turtle summit at 1850m.

It is common knowledge that, in order to withstand time, seeds need to be regenerated by having them planted in the soil, to be thus replaced by a new generation of seeds. In analogy, a purpose that brings people together, like a seed, needs to be regenerated in order to withstand time. With this in mind we prepared a two-day retreat for ARCHELON’s staff and current Board and Committee members.

retreat-tou-arxelwn-se-ypsometro-1850m-20191101_Velouhi_retreat1.jpg

Twenty “turtlers” responded to this call, reached mountain Tymphristos, a 4- hour- drive from Athens, and gathered in the mountain shelter Velouchi (1850 m. alt) on 1-3 November. You could argue that the place was too far from sea turtles. That’s right – we wanted it to be far enough from the beach and we succeeded!

There was fog around the shelter most of the time, but every time the fog was dissolved, the views were stunning. Most of us walked in the alpine landscape up to the lake. A team of 4 reached the summit of 2310 m; They were Daphne, Chara , Odysseas and Giorgos.

retreat-tou-arxelwn-se-ypsometro-1850m-20191101_Velouhi_retreat2.jpg

In the cosy space of the shelter, hosted by Panagiotis and Achilleas, who is also a volunteer at the Rescue Centre, we watched slide shows and videos from the latest season in Zakynthos and Kyparissia. We also had a presentation about “People in the beginnings of ARCHELON”. The older amongst us remembered and the young learned of important people who helped ensure protection of sea turtles in Greece like Nikos Margaris, Yiannis Palaiokrassas, Antonis Tritsis and others. Famous “turtlers” like Colin Limpus, Jack Frazier, Marydale Donnely, and Luc Hoffmann, the founder of WWF, were also mentioned for their help and support. We remembered old friends like Nikos Lalotis of the Zakynthian Ecological Movement, Catharine Butterworth, and also Thodoros Spondylides, the former mayor of Glyfada, who offered the space for the Rescue Centre 25 years ago.

retreat-tou-arxelwn-se-ypsometro-1850m-20191101_Velouhi_retreat3.jpg

As one would expect, we had several exchanges on what the “ideal” sea turtle protection society would do, on how far do we think we are from this “ideal’ and on how each one of us could envisage their own contribution to reach the “ideal”.

retreat-tou-arxelwn-se-ypsometro-1850m-20191101_Velouhi_retreat5.jpg

There were many jokes, there was wine and tsipouro, good food, singing and guitar playing as well as a ceremony of very important awards like the loudest snoring, the prettiest pajamas etc. We drove back to Athens feeling enriched and more knowledgeable, full of images from these great mountains.

Participants: Alexis Sachinides, Anna Kremezi- Margaritouli, Anna Lamaj, Daphne Mavrogiorgos, Dimitris Margaritoulis, Dimitris Fytilis, Elly Tarabe, Chara Papailiou, Katerina Papagiannopoulou, Katerina Tsikalaki, Lenio Margaritouli, Odysseas Paxinos, Olga Drettaki, Panagiota Theodorou, Rania Spyropoulou, Thomas Arapis, Giannis Chalkias, Giorgos Valais, Dimitris Dimopoulos, Giorgos Parchas.

retreat-tou-arxelwn-se-ypsometro-1850m-20191101_Velouhi_retreat7.jpg

(story by A. Kremezi- Margaritouli, photos: D. Fytilis, D. Mavrogiorgos, D. Dimopoulos, E. Tarabe)

RECENT NEWS

  1. OUR NEWS
    29/08/2025

    Turtle Run in Chania: Lace up your running shoes and get ready!

    September 7th, Chania: Join the event and support the protection of one of the most iconic marine species in the Mediterranean.

    Read more
  2. OUR NEWS
    27/08/2025

    Citizens Help us Map Sea Turtle Sporadic Nesting in the Ionian Sea

    This study is particularly important as it highlights the power of citizen science. Public eyes on beaches, outreach through online platforms and new reporting tools are expanding our understanding of turtle nesting beyond the beaches we monitor.

    Read more
  3. OUR NEWS
    20/08/2025

    A nesting turtle brings hope amidst a night of fire

    After a 12-hour period filled with fear and uncertainty, the family witnessed a miracle of nature. “It brought us peace and reminded us of what is important”.

    Read more
  4. OUR NEWS
    14/08/2025

    ARCHELON’s Life-Saving Chain with the Support of the Green Fund

    Thanks to persistence, medication, daily care, and a great deal of patience, “Snowball” gradually moved from a critical state to full recovery.

    Read more
  5. OUR NEWS
    31/07/2025

    ATTENTION! Please do not feed sea turtles – They are not pets- Protect them from human induced impacts

    ARCHELON informs that the phenomenon of feeding sea turtles by people in coastal areas, ports and tourist spots has been observed in recent years. Despite good intentions, this practice causes serious problems – for turtles and for people alike.

    Read more
  6. OUR NEWS
    25/07/2025

    New Info Station in Kyparissia Opens for LIFE MareNatura Project

    Located at the beachfront of the town, the Info Station operates daily 18:30 - 21:00.

    Read more
  7. OUR NEWS
    21/07/2025

    Public Excavations of Sea Turtle Nests in Crete

    The excavations are open for both kids and adults and take place on the nesting beaches of Rethymno, Chania, and the Messara Bay during the months of August and September.

    Read more
  8. OUR NEWS
    21/07/2025

    Public Excavations of Sea Turtle Nests in the Peloponnese

    The excavations are open for both kids and adults and take place on the nesting beaches of Kyparissia Bay, Romanos, Koroni and Lakonikos Bay during the months of August and September.

    Read more
  9. OUR NEWS
    16/07/2025

    Earlier than ever before was the start of the 2025 Hatching Season of Loggerheads in Greece – The first hatchlings have reached the sea!

    We are excited to announce the beginning of the 2025 sea turtle hatching season, with the earliest hatching event ever recorded since monitoring began in 1984.

    Read more
  10. OUR NEWS
    15/07/2025

    Important presentations at the 16th International Congress on the Zoogeography and Ecology of Greece and Adjacent Regions (ICZEGAR)

    ARCHELON actively contributed to the Congress with three oral presentations, highlighting key aspects of its scientific and conservation work for sea turtles.

    Read more
  11. OUR NEWS
    09/07/2025

    Inspections in Zakynthos and Kyparissia by representatives of the Bern Convention

    The experts were in Greece to monitor the implementation of the Recommendations adopted by the Standing Committee of the Bern Convention to our country regarding the protection of the Loggerhead sea turtle and the ongoing threats faced by the species in its largest breeding habitats in the Mediterranean.

    Read more
  12. OUR NEWS
    02/07/2025

    Citizen Science: Recording of Sporadic Nesting of Sea turtles across the Aegean

    For over four decades, many people have been reporting turtle sightings and tracks across the Greek coastline. Thanks to them, we have confirmed 577 unique nesting events outside our regularly monitored areas

    Read more
  13. OUR NEWS
    01/07/2025

    Satellite Tagging Completed and Captured on Film in Crete

    ARCHELON has just successfully completed the 2025 deployment of satellite transmitters on Loggerhead Sea Turtles (Caretta caretta) in Crete, as part of the ongoing LIFE MareNatura Project. This year’s work in Crete was extra special: the LIFE MareNatura Documentary team joined us in the field!

    Read more
  14. OUR NEWS
    23/06/2025

    Enjoy the Beaches Responsibly: Together We Protect the Sea Turtles of Kyparissia Bay!

    So far, more than 2,000 nests have been recorded in the area. In order to best manage the protected beaches, we have adapted our field work protocols.

    Read more
  15. OUR NEWS
    16/06/2025

    World Sea Turtle Day: We can all live together!

    Today, June 16th, we celebrate World Sea Turtle Day. On this occasion, ARCHELON expresses its warmest thanks to all citizens, volunteers, donors and supporters who actively contribute to our work.

    Read more
1 out of 0
Subscribe to our newsletter!
Learn about our latest actions and find out about our programs and how you can help sea turtles!