A Saturday unlike any other - Turtle Festival 2023
On Saturday, May 27, 2023, the ARCHELON Sea Turtle Rescue Centre was looking different from all other days of the year because it welcomed hundreds of young and old visitors for the Turtle Festival 2023.
Making the necessary silence, the visitors had the opportunity to take a guided tour of the facilities and get to know some of the sea turtles housed in this special "hospital" of Glyfada, as happens every other day during visiting hours. However, this Saturday was a special day, as many festivities were taking place in the outside area of the Centre.
The inspiration for this year's celebration was the turtle Ella and her travels in the Mediterranean Sea. Ella was spotted nesting in Kyparissia in 2019 by ARCHELON volunteers. After she finished nesting, ARCHELON’s researchers carefully placed a satellite transmitter on her shell and were able to track her travels for the next 2.5 years. These trips were turned into a big game of hide and seek outside the Rescue Centre to celebrate World Turtle Day.
The space was designed to "fit" all the Mediterranean countries that Ella passed through, as well as many activities for our little friends: We buried eggs in the sand like the Loggerhead mother turtles, we made our own turtle-collages with colored pasta, we decorated ourselves with pictures of the sea, we danced, we threw the big dice so that our baby turtles could reach the sea, we became rescuers of injured sea turtles, we sang and together we conveyed a resounding message for the protection of nature!
We were impressed by the young and old visitors with their good behavior and their consistency in the games and we were delighted with their enthusiasm when, in the big tent, there was a live connection with the ARCHELON team in Kyparissia Bay! Michalis Souroulidis, Project Manager for West Peloponnese, connected with Dimitris Fytilis, the Rescue Centre Officer, through the big screen. He showed us a real turtle nest and explained how the volunteers locate and protect the precious nests on the beaches.
And the celebration didn't end there! Finally, the stage was taken over by the Art Group "Parodos" who, with their handmade costumes and accompanied by music, transported us to their marine world. The children dressed up as sea creatures, played and sang together conveying the message for nature protection.
Among the visitors we recognized the Mayor of Glyfada and members of the Municipal Council, who support the Rescue Centre, as well as people from the CMA CGM Group, a global player organization in sea, land, air and logistics solutions, which supports the work of ARCHELON at the Rescue Centre, as well as at the nesting beaches.
A Saturday unlike any other - Turtle Festival 2023The Turtle Festival was an opportunity to have with us old and new volunteers who participated in the organization and staffing of the festival and passed on their knowledge and enthusiasm for the protection of the sea and nature. "The Rescue Centre needs more volunteers for its educational and informative activities. We invite everyone who has time and willingness to help this summer and the next school year, to get in touch with us in the coming weeks", explained Anna Kontoleon, Education Officer of ARCHELON.
We sincerely thank everyone who participated in the organization and staffing of the celebration and all the young and old visitors, who with their participation supported the work of ARCHELON for the protection of sea turtles. We will be happy to see you again at the Rescue Centre, the nesing beaches or at the upcoming ARCHELON events!
Learn more about volunteering with ARCHELON here.
A breath away from registering a new world record on the years of known active reproduction of a loggerhead sea turtle is ARCHELON, the Sea Turtle Protection Society of Greece
Announcement for all past volunteers of ARCHELON: Shall we meet this September?
RECENT NEWS
- OUR NEWS15/09/2023
Lilo, the tiny green turtle, made it back to the sea!
In November 2021 a small green turtle arrived at the ARCHELON Rescue Centre with a very serious head injury. After almost two years of intensive care, one Wednesday in September 2023 he was finally discharged and returned to the sea!
- OUR NEWS17/08/2023
World record of 37 years of reproductive life for a loggerhead sea turtle in Zakynthos, Greece – increased number of nests this summer, says ARCHELON
ARCHELON – the Sea Turtle Protection Society of Greece announces an important outcome of the systematic work of this year's sea turtle nest monitoring team in Zakynthos. Based on their long-term observations, ARCHELON managed to certify a new World Record of reproductive activity for loggerhead turtles.
- OUR NEWS07/08/2023
ATTENTION! Sea turtles are not pets: Do not touch them or feed them!
The Municipality of Eastern Mani and the Port Authorities requested the assistance of ARCHELON to inform beach users in the area of Limeni, near Mani, where 35 new incidents of sea turtle attacks on sea bathers have been recorded during this summer season. These are added to the already long list of 200 such records of previous years found in the nearby Health Center in Areopolis.
- OUR NEWS01/08/2023
Interview with a volunteer: Lea Heinen, Rescue Centre
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- OUR NEWS21/07/2023
Kids Beach Competition 2023: Make your own little sea turtle with natural materials and send us a photo!
Help us spread the message about the protection of sea turtles by making your own baby turtles with natural materials you will find on the beach. Sand, stones, pebbles, shells, seaweed, sticks and whatever else you have available, can be transformed with a little imagination! Take a photo of your work and send it to the ARCHELON Beach Competition.
- OUR NEWS18/07/2023
Paving the way for next steps in conservation of marine turtles in the Mediterranean region
Last week the partner organizations of the project “Conservation of Marine Turtles in the Mediterranean Region” met for the 9th Steering Committee Meeting. The meeting was organized by SPA/RAC in the area of Kyparissia Bay, Greece on the 4th and 5th of July, 2023 in collaboration with ARCHELON.
- OUR NEWS04/07/2023
An offer to EXPERIENCED volunteers: You can now join the beach projects for 2-3 weeks!
The time is just right to join the projects again, even if you have only 2 or 3 weeks of available time. This offer is valid for August, September, October 2023. Apply through our new website and find out more about the dates and places you can join. More…
- OUR NEWS22/06/2023
The nesting season has begun! Learn what you can do if you find sea turtle tracks or nests on the beach
The nesting season for the loggerhead sea turtles has begun. The nests that are made in the areas monitored by ARCHELON and other collaborating groups are already being recorded. However, if you find tracks or nests on other beaches, you can also participate in the effort to record and protect these sporadic nests. Find out why it's important…
- OUR NEWS16/06/2023
A breath away from registering a new world record on the years of known active reproduction of a loggerhead sea turtle is ARCHELON, the Sea Turtle Protection Society of Greece
This is the year when ARCHELON, a nonprofit environmental NGO, is celebrating 40 years of continuous and targeted action to save sea turtles in Greece and the Mediterranean. At the same time, the project teams of ARCHELON are ready to register the longest period of active reproduction known for the Loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta), in case it happens this year!
- OUR NEWS07/06/2023
Announcement for all past volunteers of ARCHELON: Shall we meet this September?
Highlight: Hi everyone! This year marks 40 years of ARCHELON’s action for protecting sea turtles in Greece. During these four decades, thousands of volunteers from many countries joined our sea turtle projects and the Rescue Centre to help save the turtles. Let’s meet again this coming September and celebrate the animals we saved during all these years.
- OUR NEWS07/04/2023
Waiting list for schools that want to visit the ARCHELON Rescue Centre
Thousands of Greek students visit the Centre and get informed about the value of protecting the environment through contact with a particularly beloved animal, the sea turtle. "All the available visiting hours until the end of the 2022-2023 school year have been booked, but there is a waiting list that is activated in case of cancellations", says Anna Kontoleon, ARCHELON’s Education Officer. More hours for online tours may be added in May if volunteers become available.
- OUR NEWS28/03/2023
People are supporting wildlife conservation
The donations and "adoptions" made at the Rescue Centre in Glyfada, Attica and at ARCHELON’s field projects in Zakynthos, the Peloponnese and Crete in 2022, reached the amount of €350,000. We did a lot last year thanks to all these people, who also made it possible for us to continue this year.
- OUR NEWS24/03/2023
Gail Schofield
We learned with deep sadness the passing away of Gail Schofield, a pronounced sea turtle researcher and former ARCHELON volunteer. Read more…
- OUR NEWS20/03/2023
More than half of the rehabilitated sea turtles got released back to the sea in 2022!
The Sea Turtle Rescue Centre of ARCHELON in Glyfada rescues, takes care of and rehabilitates injured sea turtles from all parts of Greece since 1994. More than half of the sea turtles that were under care at the Rescue Centre in 2022 got released back to the sea after reaching full recovery this year! Read more…
- OUR NEWS13/03/2023
Over 5,800 nests monitored by daily walking on sea turtle nesting beaches in 2022!
In the summer of 2022, ARCHELON volunteers/researchers walked daily over 100 kilometres of nesting beaches, monitoring and protecting, where necessary, nests and hatchlings. Few of them will make it to adulthood, somewhere between one in 1000 and one in 10,000. Learn more…