Heading off to release the turtles.


my husband and I took turns finding the little guys and placing them in our container. We found 16 in our nest. Taking the still slightly groggy babies back to the nearby outdoor restaurant to wait, we let them get their bear- ings while the sun began to set. Te turtles are released at dusk as it is harder for the birds to see them. As the time passed, you could see the turtles becoming more active. We were able to pick them up as long as we were gentle and wore our gloves. Tey were the most beautiful ba- bies we had ever seen, and the emotional connection with these little creatures was amazing. At dusk, a section of the beach was cordoned off, and


Bringing our turtles to the beach.


about 20 feet from the water each of us released our tur- tles. Although we saved them from a much longer hike, the turtles needed to make their final trek to the water on their own. Most instinctively knew which way to go but a couple of stragglers, including one of ours, decided to try and detour and began walking parallel to the waves for a while. As each little turtle hit the surf, you could see them


come into their own. Te first wave or two may have knocked them back, but they fought their way through and soon were off swimming along the top of the wa- ter. It was heartwarming to see hundreds of baby turtles


66 • Summer 2017


The Hub


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