22/09/2009

XELONOPAREA SUMMER CAMP: AN UNFORGETTABLE MEMORY

It was early Saturday morning on August 1st when ARCHELONʼs youth group, XELONOPAREA started putting up camping tents and setting up their campground under the olive trees in the MELTEMI Camping area, besides the Mavrovouni beach on Lakonikos Bay. The sea turtles Caretta caretta have chosen this same coast to nest since thousands of years.

On the other hand, itʼs been more than 25 years since ARCHELON volunteers have been there protecting it. Again this summer season, XELONOPAREA joined forces with them and the young volunteers experienced 8 very intensive days with the adult field volunteers, taking part in all efforts made for the protection of the nests.

Of course the activitiesʼ list was far more extended; the members of XELONOPAREA took a daily trip around Mani, visited -among others-the traditional villages and hiked the path to the lighthouse of Cape Tenaro (the most southern point of continental Europe).

The highlight of the camp was undeniably the release of “Filippos” into the sea, a young Caretta caretta brought especially for that purpose from the Rescue Center in Glyfada.

This summer camp illustrates an example of the environmental education and awareness for children and young people at national level (participants came from Athens, Crete, Lakonia, etc). Using the powerful experience of the every day life and the challenging activities with the other volunteers in the camp, it achieved something indeed unique: to promote cognitive learning, to capture environmental knowledge by vivid and enjoyable means.

The variety of activities introduced and the procedures followed served efficiently the goals and aims of Environmental Education as a whole, in terms of social, emotional, kinetic, learning and mental dimensions as well as those set by the Members of ARCHELON Environmental Education Team.

The structure of our daily program included many workshops and projects (film projections, photographs, building protective cages for the nests, recreational games, cultural visits around Mani, etc) that also put our selected educational and information resources into practice.

In addition, the learning and interaction activities, functions and tools used (keeping a diary, original observation and field work, obtaining information from the sources, presentations, demonstrations, etc) helped participants to envisage new possibilities for more sustainable relations with nature. Itʼs true; our bond with nature becomes much deeper when we are directly engaged in its cycles.

The tireless efforts of the people who volunteered and ran the programme, Olga Karadaki, Dina Zafeiri, Thanassis Benos-Pamer, Constantinos Lygeros, Efie Skarmoutsou, Athina Tsekoura and Theodoros Benos-Palmer were also extremely significant and greatly appreciated. (TBP/ES)

RECENT NEWS

  1. OUR NEWS
    15/07/2024

    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.

    Read more
  2. OUR NEWS
    26/06/2024

    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".

    Read more
  3. OUR NEWS
    17/06/2024

    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.

    Read more
  4. OUR NEWS
    16/06/2024

    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.

    Read more
  5. OUR NEWS
    13/06/2024

    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.

    Read more
  6. OUR NEWS
    17/05/2024

    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.

    Read more
  7. OUR NEWS
    16/05/2024

    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.

    Read more
  8. OUR NEWS
    14/05/2024

    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!

    Read more
  9. OUR NEWS
    02/05/2024

    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!

    Read more
  10. OUR NEWS
    02/05/2024

    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.

    Read more
  11. OUR NEWS
    29/04/2024

    A Morning Beach Patrol with ARCHELON

    The camera lens of Stefanos and Maria of SteMajourneys caught a rare sight in the early morning: a Loggerhead sea turtle nesting! The volunteers in Chania took action right away to protect the nest.

    Read more
  12. OUR NEWS
    26/04/2024

    Protecting sea turtles in Rethymno- Our Ocean, an Ocean of Potential

    The 9th International Conference "Our Ocean", which was held in Athens from April 15 to 17, was successfully completed. ARCHELON had the honor to actively take part in the conference and hosted a side event.

    Read more
  13. OUR NEWS
    12/04/2024

    Coordination for the protection of sea turtles in Rethymno: Local authorities and tourism businesses join forces

    The meeting, which took place on April 5, 2024, in the building of the Regional Unit of Rethymno, touched upon key issues, such as the observance of conservation measures for the protection of the Loggerhead sea turtle. Given the tourist activity on the nesting beaches, the active participation of the tourism sector in the implementation of the measures is necessary.

    Read more
  14. OUR NEWS
    10/04/2024

    "Tourists and turtles?" The environmental awareness campaign of ARCHELON spreads to the nesting beaches of the Loggerhead sea turtle

    After the pandemic, ARCHELON - the Sea Turtle Protection Society of Greece - is once again mobilizing on the path to sustainable tourism. The aim of the new campaign is to provide information on the appropriate code of conduct for visitors to all nesting beaches, in cooperation with the tourism sector.

    Read more
  15. OUR NEWS
    04/04/2024

    LIFE MareNatura - The largest marine biodiversity program in Greece

    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!