Our microcosm is still expanding!
Last week marked the 35th anniversary of the foundation of ARCHELON. We were planning to celebrate this a bit later, but suddenly the actual date was reminded by some of the newest members. The first wishes appeared, followed by an explosion of messages and posts and a colorful cloud of wishes from friends and members. Happy birthday ARCHELON!
The first statutes of the Sea Turtle Protection Society of Greece, as it was known then, were signed by 21 persons on the 20th of November 1983. Dimitris Margaritoulis, Anna-Kremezi Margaritouli and Thomas Arapis are three of them that remain actively involved to the day.
So, it has been 35 years!
With a lot of walking, many sea turtles, nights on the beach, nesting, 4-wheel motorbikes, tags.
With great successes, threats, dangers, some failures, petitions, sweat, blood and appeals.
With travels, conferences, presentations, skills, awards, schools, colouring books, information kiosks, reports, camp sites, invoices.
With careers, collaborations, research, huge number of romances (some weddings as well) oppositions, ‘envies’, degrees, suitcases (sea turtle education kits), calipers , PhDs.
With T-shirts, stickers, data sheets, table games, motorbikes, inflatable boats, automobiles and one property.
With presidential decrees, appeals, courts, arrests (but no convictions).
With rescues, releases, strategies, loving souls of volunteers, celebrations, parties, retreats, joint dinners in tavernas, deaths.
We grew older with ARCHELON and with us grew older many thousands of volunteers and friends who passed by. They all left a small stone on the road for ARXHELON to reach this point. We will grow older with thousands of volunteers who are yet to come and will leave their mark on this path.
35 years of concerns, efforts and results! Many people, with different personalities and different ways. We have existed in each other’s lives for many years. Some of us became close, others we never came to know on a personal level, but we have been travelling down the same path. Different people, with a common denominator, we have found ourselves in the same great story!
Our story has indelibly touched many more people than we can imagine. Each one has their own story of meeting with the Society, especially with the sea turtles they met, the large loggerheads and the others, the greens with the white belly.
It is an amazing story, the story of ARCHELON. Thanks to the will, the persistence, the patience, the joyous spirit, the attitude, the resistance, the influence, the contribution of so many people and our good luck, ARCHELON made it to here and it seems we are getting ready for continuing the journey further.
We continue with respect to each other, focus and responsibility, based on the knowledge and experience gained. Sea turtles are our starting point and direction and through them we come to touch the many social and environmental challenges of the world.
Let’s try to answer this: ‘who would we be without ARCHELON?’
(This article is made up of texts spontaneously shared by ARCHELON’s BoD members and staff for the 35 years anniversary)
Special equipment for people at sea to help sea turtles
The protection of the Loggerhead Sea turtles in Laganas Bay, Zakynthos, Greece during 2018
RECENT NEWS
- OUR NEWS30/08/2024
Local Resort leads the way in protecting Zakynthos' sea turtles
In the summer of 2023, Domes Aulus Zante, Autograph Collection Resort stepped forward to support ARCHELON's mission adopting 70 turtle nests!
- OUR NEWS27/08/2024
ARCHELON Launches Comprehensive Study to Protect Sea Turtle Nesting Sites
- OUR NEWS05/08/2024
A Major Leap for Sea Turtle Conservation: Tracking Loggerheads Across the Mediterranean
Last month our team successfully completed the attachment of satellite transmitters to 20 individuals found near the beaches of west and south Peloponnese as well as those of Crete.
- OUR NEWS31/07/2024
Urgent Call for Volunteers: Are you looking for a meaningful adventure? Join in to save sea turtle hatchlings!
We’re urgently seeking volunteers to help protect sea turtles in Greece during August and September. Come and help the hatchlings reach the sea! ARCHELON will offer discounts to the first 50 volunteers who sign up now for the projects.
- OUR NEWS29/07/2024
Help Hatchlings Reach the Sea: Keep Nesting Beaches Dark for Sea Turtles!
Vacationing on a beautiful Greek beach with a sea view? You can be a hero for baby sea turtles!
- OUR NEWS15/07/2024
Ecotourism in Peloponnese and Crete: Explore a Loggerhead sea turtle nesting beach
ARCHELON offers a unique ecological experience for the lucky and aware travelers who will find themselves this summer on important Loggerhead sea turtle nesting beaches that the Association protects.
- OUR NEWS26/06/2024
Sea Turtles Surprise us: if you see tracks on the beach, help ARCHELON's research!
Not all beaches on Greece's extensive coastline are suitable for sea turtle nesting, but sometimes these marine reptiles surprise us! This summer, ARCHELON is asking for your help to investigate a phenomenon called "sporadic nesting".
- OUR NEWS17/06/2024
ATTENTION! Sea turtles are not pets: Do not touch them or feed them!
In areas where a sea turtle associates human presence with food, it’s behavior changes. The turtle treats humans as well as other turtles as competitors in its feeding grounds and tries to drive them away with bites.
- OUR NEWS16/06/2024
30 Years of Hope: The Sea Turtle Rescue Centre of ARCHELON Celebrates World Sea Turtle Day
Every year on June 16th, we celebrate World Sea Turtle Day, a day dedicated to raising awareness about these magnificent creatures and the threats they face. This year is particularly important for ARCHELON, as the Sea Turtle Rescue Centre marks 30 years of operation.
- OUR NEWS13/06/2024
Poster contest for children and young adults: Welcome the 2024 turtle hatchlings on the beaches!
Watercolors, markers, collage, computer, phone? Everything is useful. Use your creativity and imagination to make an A3 or A4 size poster announcing that the 2024 sea turtle eggs are about to hatch.
- OUR NEWS17/05/2024
Amvrakikos Project 2024: Special Call for a Field Leader
ARCHELON is looking for a highly motivated person to lead its project in Amvrakikos Gulf, one of the few foraging sites for loggerhead turtles in Greece linking several populations nesting across the Mediterranean region.
- OUR NEWS16/05/2024
Τhe nesting of loggerhead sea turtles started earlier this year and the effects of the climate crisis on the oceans are worrying
For the first time, in the 40 years of ARCHELON records, the first sea turtle nest was found in Laganas Gulf, Zakythos on May 10th. Scientific predictions of the nesting season moving earlier in the spring due to climate change are being confirmed.
- OUR NEWS14/05/2024
Save Turtles, See Greece on a Budget
Dreaming of pristine Greek beaches and a chance to make a real difference? Here's why June and September are the perfect months to volunteer with sea turtle conservation efforts in Greece!
- OUR NEWS02/05/2024
Sea Turtle Festival for Kids 2024
Save the date! On Saturday 18 May at 11:00, the ARCHELON Rescue Centre opens its doors to welcome young and old sea turtle friends who want to celebrate, explore, learn, play and travel magically in the Mediterranean Sea. We are waiting for you to strengthen our message for a better and sustainable planet!
- OUR NEWS02/05/2024
A successful year for the International Sea Turtle Symposium
The International Sea Turtle Symposium concluded triumphantly this March in Pattaya, Thailand, with ARCHELON actively participating.