The Sea
so excited too and she exclaimed,
‘well, next year when i come i’m
going to give you double!”
Turtle
When we left that day we had
to explain to Hannah how much
Story
$610 was and asked what ideas
she had to raise such an amount.
after some brainstorming we
came up with an idea. We made
How a young girl from arrangements with one of the
North Bay is making a
local Bali carvers with whom
we do business with for our
difference in this world importing business in north Bay.
We asked him to carve some
By Jennifer McNutt Bywater
beautiful wood turtles using a
locally harvested wood. The turtle
When Hannah Bywater was 6-years- is similar in size to a baby turtle
old she decided she wanted to make a when it is released on its journey
difference. to the open ocean. We purchased
as a Christmas gift in 2006 she 100 turtles and thought if she
received a small stuffed sea turtle from sold them for a $5.00 donation
the World Wildlife Foundation. Her aunt she could raise $500 that way.
& uncle made donations in the names this practice, a sea turtle sanctuary and She could raise the rest doing
of all their nieces & nephews and the hatchery were established. The first odd jobs for mom, perfect! We expected
stuffed animals were tokens for the step was for the sanctuary to pay the friends and family to buy the turtles of
animal they were helping to save. locals for the eggs so the hatchlings course however customers, strangers
Her animal was a sea turtle that she could be nurtured and then released. in - basically anyone who heard what
named “Splash”. this way these turtles are rescued and Hannah was doing wanted to support
During our annual buying trip that hopefully will help save the species from the project and bought a turtle. Before
winter to Bali, indonesia, we told extinction. long we’d sold out of the initial turtles
Hannah of a sea turtle sanctuary we This story proved to be a turning and we had to have more carved. This
had visited in Pemuteran in northern point for Hannah. kept happening and by the end of the
Bali many years earlier. We explained When we returned to Canada and year she had raised over $2,000!!
to her that a sea turtle sanctuary had time came for Hannah’s 7th birthday Last year we traveled back to the sea
been established to try to help save the party celebrations she announced that turtle sanctuary and she hand-delivered
sea turtles there. Between 15-30 years she did not want any birthday presents. the money. They were awe struck! We
of age sea turtles come to the beach to (i’m not sure if you have children but sat with them to discuss how the money
lay their eggs in the sand. Typically, they this is definitely not a common thing for would be utilized.
return to the very beach where they a young child to do!) instead, she told us Firstly, a 5m x 5m Bio Rock in the
were hatched to lay their own eggs. One if her friends wanted, they could donate shape of a sea turtle is being fashioned
problem, contributing to the decline of money towards saving the turtles. The out of metal rebar. This structure will
the sea turtle population, was the fact parents who received the birthday be submerged in the ocean and will
that the locals were digging up the eggs invitation with this request were so eventually be the basis of an artificial
to sell as food in the market or for their impressed they gave generously to start reef. This artificial reef installation, to
families to eat. To offset egg losses from Hannah’s fund raising project. Hannah be aptly named “Hannah’s Reef” (Bio
also started two jars and would put Boomer), will serve as an educational
half of her allowance each week into tool for a PaDi scuba diving certification
the turtle jar. She would do odd jobs organization’s Reef gardener Distinctive
to make a few extra dollars and would Specialty course. People from around
always share the money with the turtles. the world will come to be certified as a
When we returned to Bali in Jan reef gardener by being trained to scuba
2008, Hannah was able to travel up to dive to live coral reefs, to collect any
the northern part of the island for the damaged and/or broken coral and then
first time to see the turtle sanctuary first attach it to the artificial reef structure.
hand and to hand deliver the $305 she The Bio Rock receives a small electrical
had saved. She and the turtle sanctuary current from solar panels assisting the
staff were thrilled that a 7-year-old could damaged coral to adhere to the artificial
do this all on her own initiative! She was reef. in this way coral regenerates at
24 OTTAWA magazine summer/fall 2009 www.ottawaoutdoors.ca
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50