Poster contest for children and young adults: Welcome the 2024 turtle hatchlings on the beaches!
June on the beautiful beaches of Laganas Bay of Zakynthos, Kyparissia Bay, Lakonikos Bay, Koroni, Rethymno, Chania and Messara Bay… Female loggerhead turtles come out of the sea at night and leave their precious eggs in the nests they make in the warm sand of the beach. In the mornings it is our turn to visit the beach for swimming and cooling off by the water. But we have to be careful...
In a few weeks the baby turtles will break their egg shells, emerge from their nests in the sand and begin their journey to the sea, which will be their home for the rest of their lives. If we come across nests or turtle hatchlings on the beach, there are some rules to follow:
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Respect the turtle nests that are protected by cages and carry the special ARCHELON signs.
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Do not litter the beaches. Keep them clean so that sea turtles don't ingest our plastic packaging.
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Close and remove umbrellas, sunbeds and any other furniture from the beach after sunset.
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Turn off the lights towards the beach so that the turtles don't lose their way.
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Do not touch or carry the hatchlings. They need to get to the sea by themselves.
Help us spread the message about sea turtle protection by making an Informational Poster of your own inspiration! Use colors, paints, collage or your computer and of course lots of creativity and imagination to make a poster that will inform how hatchlings can be protected.
Send a good photo of your poster at info@archelon.gr, along with your name, address, phone number and year of birth to participate in the competition! The competition is for children and young people. The most popular posters will be used by ARCHELON to inform visitors on the nesting beaches and their creators will win special prizes.
30 Years of Hope: The Sea Turtle Rescue Centre of ARCHELON Celebrates World Sea Turtle Day
Amvrakikos Project 2024: Special Call for a Field Leader
RECENT NEWS
- OUR NEWS02/06/2025
Sea Turtles Return to Crete: A Shared Challenge Victory for Nature and Sustainable Travel
ARCHELON volunteers have just located the first sea turtle nests of the season on the beaches of Rethymno, Messara, and Chania. Now the challenge to prove that tourism destinations on Crete can make a significant move towards sustainability is on again.
- OUR NEWS29/05/2025
Amvrakikos Project 2025: 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 NEWS22/05/2025
Sea turtle nesting has begun in Greece: learn what to look out for!
The first nests for 2025 have already been located and protected at Laganas beach in Zakynthos, Elaia beach in Kyparissia Bay and Pachia Ammos beach in Messara Bay in Crete!
- OUR NEWS16/05/2025
Advancing sea turtle photo-ID research with artificial intelligence
Sea turtle facial scales remain stable throughout a turtle’s life allowing researchers to recognise individuals from photos, often taken over decades!
- OUR NEWS15/05/2025
Kyparissia Bay: Balancing Nature and Tourism
Αs the popularity of the protected area increases and pressures from tourism and climate change intensify, the question that arises is: How many people can this beach “bear” without degrading the environment?
- OUR NEWS07/05/2025
Discover the secret nature of Crete: Sea Turtle Beach Walk with ARCHELON
Live a unique ecotourism experience in Crete by participating in ARCHELON Sea Turtle Beach Walks on the nesting beaches of the Loggerhead, starting on May 15th in Chania and Rethymno. Now open for reservations on our website!
- OUR NEWS24/04/2025
Are You Over 50? The Sea Turtles Need You!
If you’re 50 or older and ready to dive into a unique conservation experience, we warmly invite you to join us. Help protect sea turtles, meet like-minded people, and discover the natural beauty of Greece with ARCHELON by your side.
- OUR NEWS22/04/2025
Turning the Tide: Sea Turtle Populations Show Signs of Recovery Worldwide
The first, after a decade, global study brings encouraging news for sea turtle conservation: more than half of their populations across the globe show signs of recovery. Listed among the authors is the Research Coordinator of ARCHELON, Aliki Panagopoulou PhD, who is mobilizing the long term field work of our Society on the nesting beaches of Greece.
- OUR NEWS17/04/2025
Special 2-week volunteering opportunity on the nesting beaches – we need you this May and June!
- OUR NEWS14/04/2025
Groundbreaking Study on Microplastic Pollution of Marine Turtle Nesting Beaches
ARCHELON took part in a recent global study that has uncovered alarming levels of microplastic contamination on marine turtle nesting beaches around the world.
- OUR NEWS09/04/2025
Become a Sea Turtle Guardian in Lakonikos Bay
Gracie and Claire, two dedicated individuals who made a significant impact on the sea turtle project of Lakonikos Bay in 2024, talked about their experience.
- OUR NEWS08/04/2025
Meeting of organizations, authorities and businessmen in Rethymno: Crete is preparing for the arrival of the turtles!
On Monday, April 7, we met for another year in the hospitable city of Rethymno to participate in the meeting organized by the Regional Unit of Rethymno on the topic of management measures for the protection of the loggerhead sea turtle!
- OUR NEWS31/03/2025
150 satellite tags for the protection of sea turtles
Since 2002, ARCHELON and its partners have placed 150 satellite and GSM tags on sea turtles monitoring their vast journeys across the Mediterranean!
- OUR NEWS24/03/2025
Become a Guardian of the Night: Volunteer with ARCHELON
On some select beaches, volunteer duties also include night patrols. During the hours when the presence of people on the nesting beaches is prohibited so as not to disturb the turtles, our trained volunteers start their shift, equipped with measuring instruments, research notebooks and red flashlights.
- OUR NEWS14/03/2025
Enriching the lives of rescued sea turtles
A recent study at ARCHELON's Sea Turtle Rescue Centre highlights the importance of environmental enrichment in improving the physical and psychological well-being of rescued sea turtles, aiding their rehabilitation and preparing them for successful release back into the wild.