Turtle-challenge 4: «Hatchlings in danger» – Send us a story about the protection of sea turtles on the beach where they are born
Loggerhead sea turtles migrate long distances in the Mediterranean and scientific research has shown that, as soon as they reach adulthood, at the age of about 15-20, they return to the same beaches from where they began their life journey, to lay their eggs. Sadly, nowadays there are several factors that make it difficult for turtles to lay their eggs: mainly rubbish, artificial lights, umbrellas and sunbeds, night parties and even walls, bulldozers, cars, motorcycles, speedboats.
How can one help the turtles on the beaches? We asked Chara Papailiou, the Volunteer Officer and she told us that the ARCHELON volunteers clean the beaches from garbage washed out by the sea, they record and protect the nests. However, many of the people who live or vacation there do not know what to do so as not to disturb the turtles. "We need help to show them what can go wrong with the turtles on the nesting beaches and how the situation can be improved."
So here is the #turtle-challenge 4. "Hatchlings in danger" - Make a story about the protection of sea turtles on the beach where they are born.
Find out what bothers the turtles and endangers their nests on the nesting beach. Imagine one or two heroes, who for some reason will be on a beach. What could be the reason they are there? Will they encounter traces of a turtle, a protected nest, or hatchlings? What other people might they meet? Put an obstacle, a scandal, a reversal and its evolution. Specify the time, place and who sees the events in the story. We want your story to have a beginning, a middle and an end.
Work with your parents, siblings, group or a group at your school, if you like. Capture your story in a text of up to 1000 words, in English, in an electronic file or in manuscripts or drawings that you will scan or narrate it in a video that you will film with a mobile phone at home. Write a few words about you, name, age, where you live, etc.
Email your story to ARCHELON until February 14, 2022 (midnight) to education@archelon.gr with the indication #turtle-challenge4.
What will happen next: "We will read them carefully and evaluate them primarily on the basis of their originality, the action and the values they bring forward and secondarily on the expression and narration that has been used," explains Anastasia Samartzi, the Education Officer.
The stories that will be distinguished will be published in the electronic media of ARCHELON and may be used in videos, movies or podcasts. If there is a possibility, we will invite the authors to an online or live tour by the volunteers on the beach and the Environmental Station Agiannakis of Messinia, around the end of May 2022!!
All participants will receive a surprise present from ARCHELON!
If you know nothing about sea turtles and the beaches that they lay their eggs, check out the links below. We will help you by posting announcements and short videos with the indication #turtle-challenge4 on our facebook and instagram pages.
Video- Kyparissiakos bay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9dDKBcsOWs&t=153s
Video -Zakynthos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yBT9aC_5ho
Read- Which is the way to the sea? https://www.archelon.gr/eng/ournews.php?mid=6&nid=1159
Info graphic - The 7 species of sea turtles and their threats https://www.archelon.gr/eng/ournews.php?mid=6&screen=1&nid=1148
Read –How to help https://www.archelon.gr/eng/help1.php?mid=1
Read – Sea turtle biology https://www.archelon.gr/eng/biology.php?mid=71&mid2=72
Find out about the ARCHELON project areas https://www.archelon.gr/eng/projects.php?mid=3
Contact: Anastasia Samartzi, Education Officer, email: education@archelon.gr, tel. +30 210 8982 600, daily 10.00-17.00
«Make-A-Wish» of Greece – Nikolas participates in the release of two sea turtles from the Rescue Centre
At the HELECOS 10 Conference: ARCHELON presented the trends in numbers of loggerhead nests in the wider Romanos area of Messinia
RECENT NEWS
- OUR NEWS27/09/2023
World Tourism Day 2023: Are there sea turtle-friendly hotels in north Crete?
But why is tourism important to sea turtles?
- 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
Interview with a volunteer: Lea Heinen, Rescue Centre Lea shares her experience volunteering at the ARCHELON Sea Turtle Rescue Centre: “I think when a turtle starts to eat after a month of trying, when you can see the improvement or healing of a turtle's injury and when a turtle is released back into the sea, into its natural habitat, into its home - then you know that you are indeed saving turtles”.
- 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 NEWS15/06/2023
A Saturday unlike any other - Turtle Festival 2023
ARCHELON invites kids and adults to celebrate the environment and the sea in an exciting way at the "Sea Turtle Festival" on Saturday, May 27 at the Sea Turtle Rescue Centre in the 3rd Marina of Glyfada.
- 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…