Jessica (UR) - Climate Change and its Effect on Sea Turtle Populations

Sea Turtle Eggs

Did you know that the sex of a sea turtle is not predetermined by genetics?
The sex of a sea turtle is determined by the temperature in which its egg is incubated.  The warmer the nest, the result is generally female. The cooler the nest, the result is generally male. If the temperature is a happy medium, you will get a good mix of both male and female.
Here are some more fun facts about sea turtles!


We are all worried about climate change. Well, at least I know that I am. We think about how we are leaving our future planet for our children, grand-children, and great grand-children. Unless you live in a beach area, you don't often think of the effects that the climate change is going to have on the oceans and the life that lives in and around it. Here in Florida, it's what I think about.

The Sea Turtle Conservancy (STC) is based in Gainesville Florida. They are dedicated to the research and conservation of sea turtles within the Caribbean, Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean. They were founded in 1959 by Dr. Archie Carr.

Dr. Archie Carr

Now, if you live in this area of Florida and are into any for of Marine Science, you have most likely heard of the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge. Dr. Carr was the foremost expert on sea turtles. His mission was to save sea turtles from extinction by using science.

There is not one species of sea turtle that is not being affected by climate change. Climate change and global warming are different. Climate change is the fluctuations in the weather around us. Global warming is the  steady increase in global temperature. This is causing the polar ice caps to melt, which in turn causes the sea levels to rise.

Leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) Hatchlings

Rising sea levels poses threats to these newborn, baby sea turtles. Sea turtles "imprint" on the beach where they are born. It is stored in there memory, so when it is time for the females to nest, they go back to where they are born. These beaches are disappearing as the ice caps are melting.

As the temperature is increasing over the years, the coral reef's have begun dying off. These corals are a major source of food for the sea turtles.

Since the sea turtle's sex is determined by the temperature of the nest, the warming that is occurring is also creating another problem. Not enough males. The diverseness in the genetic population is decreasing.

Green (Chelonia mydas) Turtle

With the climate changing more every day, we also need to do our parts. The STC helps a lot during nesting season. They will dig up the nest and incubate the eggs. Once the eggs have hatched, they will release them back to the ocean.

Dr. Archie Carr made it his life's work to do everything he could to protect these beautiful creatures. I intend to do the same.




References:
Information About Sea Turtles: Threats from Climate Change – Sea Turtle Conservancy. (n.d.). Retrieved January 31, 2019, from https://conserveturtles.org/information-sea-turtles-threats-climate-change/

Seaturtle-World. (2014, January 4). Facts about Sea Turtles. Retrieved January 31, 2019, from https://www.seaturtle-world.com/facts-about-sea-turtles/

Morgan (UR) - crazy animal lover with a side of beach bum

Me at the beach in Daytona Beach by Sunglow peir.

I was born and raised here in Port Orange FL, being 10 minutes from the beach I was there before I could walk. The beach has always been my happy place, where I go to escape the real world. Growing up I have always wanted to become a vet, that is still my goal to this day. This will be my last semester at DSC until I transfer to UCF vet technician program. Recently I started to find an interest in Marine Biology so I figured this class would be the perfect opportunity to get more involved with the Marine options.

                                             Me and my pet Raccoons. Remmy and Bonnie.

What started my dream of becoming a Vet is watching both my parents be involved with wildlife and becoming licensed wildlife rehab/rescues. I've grown up around many animals but the two pictured are my favorites. Their names being 'Remmy' and 'Bonnie', my parents rescued these two babies from a tree company cutting down their home about 3 years ago. They were very young and still needed bottle feeding when we first got them, there were 4 of them but only these 2 survived the fall out of the tree. We were able to keep them as pets as they both have disabilities keeping them from being able to climb trees and hunt for food. They are the sweetest cuddle bugs ever and they love people and being held like babies. Watching my parents help many animals like them is what made me want to chase this dream of mine.

CJ (UR) - Don't feed the locals

Daytona Beach, FL

My name is Scott Newlon Jr., CJ for short and I was born on May 12, 1992 right here in Daytona Beach, Florida. My dad was a student at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and that’s how it all started for me. When I was less than a year old my parents and I moved to Crestview, Florida, on the panhandle, which is about an hour east up I-10 from Pensacola and 30 minutes south of the Alabama state line. My brother and sister were also born there and that’s where I spent the first 7 years of my life. I grew up like any other kid, adventurous and curious, and spent a lot of my time outside. The Gulf was close but not that close, so I spent most of my time venturing out in the woods and grew up catching rattlesnakes, turtles, and frogs in my backyard and at times I sincerely felt like Steve Irwin. There wasn’t a lot of fishing to do, we had creeks and a bay nearby in Milton where we’d do a lot of feeding but my first exposure to the ocean was when we’d take trips to Destin and ever since that point, I loved the ocean. And from that love for the ocean grew the love for the evil shark. I guess I started nerding out over sharks because they were feared and mysterious. They were the kings of the ocean (till I found out that orcas eat the livers of great whites for a snack) and I wanted to learn more about them. I would stare at pictures upon pictures of the different shark species and learn of the variations of colors, shapes, and sizes. Which ones lived in cold water, warm water, in the open oceans or ocean floor and all the species in between. I would read book after book, annoying my parents constantly with new facts I had read. When I was 4 the movie Flipper was released and unbeknownst to me it was a reboot of a 60s TV series but Crocodile Dundee was in it and the field of marine biology looked like a lot of fun in the movie and there was a big bad hammerhead shark that freaked out the locals, the movie had everything. As an electrical engineer my old man would travel a lot, and his work would often times take him overseas and to Seattle, Washington, to do business with Boeing which is eventually where the next phase of my life took place because in 2000, our little Southern family moved across the hypotenuse of the country from the panhandle of Florida to the suburbs of Seattle. 

Crestview, FL

Washington state is great, it really is an outdoorsmans paradise, you've got two mountain ranges, a rain forest and an amazing diversity of wildlife which include my personal favorites, the orca and giant Pacific octopus. I lived in Washington from second grade up until 2016 when I left and moved back home to Florida. I have a lot of fond memories of Washington but the biggest was playing ice hockey. My love for hockey began in Florida when Pensacola had an ECHL team and my dad had season tickets but other than that there was nowhere to learn the game outside of your own driveway. So, when we moved to Washington, the first thing I did was get on a youth hockey team and my goal was to play professionally and that was my dream up until it wasn't when it just wasn't what I was destined to do. I still love the game and a lot of the principles and work ethic that I carry with me today come from my days as an athlete. 

The iconic Space Needle in Seattle, WA

Snowboarding in the Cascades, Stevens Pass, WA

One of the many invitationals our team played in. This particular one was in Spokane, WA.

I went to community college straight out of high school, I wasn’t the greatest student by any means and knew pretty quickly that I wanted to work law enforcement so I got an Associates in criminology and went looking for jobs. At around this time was unfortunately around the time when police officers nationwide were beginning to being killed in the national spotlight so I backed off of that career choice and started working with an ex hockey teammate of mine doing hardscaping, which is building retaining walls, paver walkways/patios and sprinkler systems for a couple years. At around this time was when I started asking myself if this was it. Am I just going to be a laborer for the rest of my life and make a good, honest living doing that or was there something more? 

One of the many hardscaping projects I worked on

At around this time, I watched a relatively dated documentary at the time called Sharkwater by the late Rob Stewart that brought to light the effects of the shark fin trade and the severe decline of shark populations across the planet that my passion for sharks and marine biology reappeared. Watching it made my blood boil, I felt it deep inside of me that I wanted to do something and help, in whatever way that may be. It made me committed to the conservation of vulnerable shark species (like great hammers, tigers, and threshers) and the education of the public about these apex predators. 

Now here I am, back in Florida, seeking out a career in shark biology and shark conservation. I’ve never volunteered anywhere, never been a part of a science club or shark club, haven’t done any community outreach or anything, all I know is that I want to make a difference. I went down to Palm Beach a year ago with a shark diving charter and although I don't have my open water PADI or Nitrox training, I snorkeled at the surface, surrounded by about a dozen full grown lemon sharks and that was a significant moment that changed my life. That solidified my love for them bigger than just a surface fascination but as a fascination that could inspire my life's work. I now am planning on getting my PADI cert and diving with sharks on a more regular basis, again to eliminate the deadly stigma associated with sharks and to educate the public. I love the ocean. I love sharks. That’s why I’m here. My goal I guess right now is to get a job with Florida Fish and Wildlife collecting population samples and using that information to inform the public and educate them on the fact that sharks are just curious about us, and they don't have hands to touch, only those sharp pearly whites that create the stigma that they are man eaters. 

A whale shark I encountered while shark snorkeling down in Palm Beach, FL

With that being said, this is now my fifth semester here at DSC, and I’ve only got two more classes of prerequisites to go before I can enroll at UF. UF has been my dream school ever since I was a little kid in Crestview and after learning that they hold the International Shark Attack File, it made we want to go there that much more. Being in Volusia County, there are definitely healthy populations of sharks, and many different species of sharks call this place home throughout the year which is fascinating. The opportunity to be here really pumps me up and I took OCE1001 with Dr. Woodall last semester and I really loved learning from her and her experiences and her passion for the ocean and I’m really looking forward to spending the semester with you guys and helping each other grow not only their individual marine passions but the ocean as a whole. We've still got time to make a difference. 

Century Tower at the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL

Elizabeth (UR) Water in my veins

Currituck County and the OBX

I have spent my entire life on the East Coast of the U.S. I was born in Norfolk, Va, grew up in a small county called Currituck in North Carolina and have lived in coastal Volusia County since 2000. The famous "OBX" aka The Outer Banks of North Carolina is where my mother and stepfather have spent the last 20 years... I still call it "HOME." It is rich with history, tiny fishing villages and thousands of tourists from May to September. I have always lived on or near a sound (a narrow stretch of water forming an inlet or connecting two wider areas of water such as two seas or a sea or a sea and a lake), a bay, a river or the Atlantic. 

My 1st shark. 1988

Beach seine fishing

I come from a "long line" (pun intended LOL) of fisherman. One grandfather was an oyster-man, another was a singer and fisherman, then there is my third grandpa (step but I love him just the same!!) who took me fishing every summer and I always out fished him. We had the best fish stories. My father loves fishing... mostly for my favorite fish, stripers; also known as rock fish. My brother loves beach seine finishing with my stepfather and stepbrother, but he is hunter of the family. My stepfather is a commercial fisherman on the Outer Banks. He soft crabs twice a year, beach seine nets in the summer, hard crabs if the catching is good, shrimps in the sounds of coastal North Carolina and he even oysters. The man LOVES to be on the water. I don't think he has blood in his veins... just salt water. I have learned a lot from him while fishing with him and listening to the fish tales at the fish houses and on the boats. My step brother has followed closely in his dad's footsteps and some days out fishes him :) he also shark fishes. We have shared our talks about this endeavor but coming from a long line of fisherman himself I know it's how he makes his living and it is in his blood too.

Helping the boys beach seine net fish

Dock fishing 2007

Little fishergirl

A rather OLD whelk
found at the Dry Tortugas 2018

I am not sure when my love of the ocean really happened; it goes back further than I can remember. I will say I have loved water all of my life. It is truly running through my veins and I think I have gills when I swim. In high school I took every science class I could. I loved it especially oceanography, marine biology, ecology, and biology. I got certified to scuba dive in my marine biology class. FUN! Growing up I spent weekends in the woods or on the water; whether at the beach playing in the water, trying to surf, fishing, crabbing picking up shells or laying with marine organisms in tide pools. Learning
new things meant listening and using dusty encyclopedias to see what I had found that day. If I had Google back then... MAN the things I would have known. :)

Over the year's life took hold and my dreams of being a Marine Ecologist and Environmentalist took

Orchid obsession

a back seat... a lot longer back seat than I liked or ever imagined until Daytona State began offering these degree programs! YAY!! So fast forward to present years... I work full-time, go to school part time some semesters and almost full time others. I have 4 furry creatures at home (cats and dogs) and an amazing husband. We love to travel. I LOVE orchids and gardening I would say as much as I love water. How is that possible you ask? Well, it is all intertwined... water, earth, air, right? Gardening is my relaxation after work. My weekend fun is homework (yes, because I get to learn!) and hiking local parks and trails, camping and visiting Florida's beautiful fresh water springs. Last year I got certified in freediving. It is an awesome experience and you truly feel like you belong underwater. All the worries of the world disappear, and you lose yourself in the beauty surrounding you.

Freediving in the springs.

Every time we go to a spring whether  I have been there a once or a hundred times I am awe struck. The water is always 72 degrees, usually crystal clear and you get to see wildlife underwater like turtles, fish and manatees. The springs are in danger though and that is pushing me towards where I want to go with my career. I am very big on plant and animal conservation and saving our wild spaces, but water conservation has my heart. Without the ocean our planet would never be the same; we wouldn't exist. Without the springs Florida loses its drinking water. It's up to us to get this planet and our bodies of water in check... we all contribute, and we can all do our part to help.

My husband (Ben) and I passively
viewing a manatee at a local spring.

sunshine and 72 degree water

So, I have rambled on about myself and my love of water and this EARTH! I hope you have enjoyed getting to know a little bit about me. I am full of fish stories, spring adventure stories and photos, gardening how to's and so much more... just ask, but be warned I might not be able to shut up. :)

Seth Dolan (UR) A Great Escape from the Great Lakes State

Seth Christopher Dolan, that’s my name, but my friends like to call me Dolan for some reason. I guess it just rolls off the tongue better? As of this Friday, the 25^th, I will be twenty years old.  I spent the first eighteen years of my life living in southern Michigan. A couple miles north of the Ohio border and just off Lake Erie's western shore in a little farm town called Bedford. Going to the Lake has always been one of my favorite ways to spend my free time. As soon as I was of age, I began to take our boat out on little weekend adventures to camp on uninhabited islands and sometimes even just the open water. My parents couldn’t keep me away from the water even if they wanted to. I come from a family of hunters and fishermen so naturally I grew up with an appreciation for the outdoors and the wildlife that inhabits it. 

Uninhabited Turtle Island in Lake Erie, Michigan on my Boat.

I was lucky enough to get away from the harsh cold winters and make the move to Ormond Beach right out of high school. I came to Daytona State College as a Physical Therapy major initially. After my second semester, I suddenly realized I was not interested or happy with my area of study anymore and needed to think deeply about what I wanted to pursue a career in. Finally, I realized what I should have known from the start. I wanted to study marine biology. It had always lingered in the back of my mind, but I always told myself it would be too hard or too competitive. Well, here I am now taking a leap of faith and going for something I love rather than something that is what some would call "practical" or a "safe choice". 

During my first year living here in Ormond beach, I have met some pretty amazing people. Specifically, my best friends Dalton and Tyler Dalecki and their wonderful mother Cindy who has become like a second mom to me. After my living situation fell apart, they took me in, and I became a part of their family and I couldn’t be more grateful for that. 

Dalton, Cindy, Myself and Tyler.

Fishing had always been one of my favorite pastime activities, however, Tyler introduced me to an entirely new realm of fishing for species I had never heard of before like snook and redfish and it took my love for fishing to a whole new level. I now fish at least four days a week. Whether it be for sharks, blues, jacks or whatever else is eating in the surf, or kayaking through the Tomoka River fishing for big snook, tailing reds or spawning tarpon, I am always out there. 

My Personal Best Snook (31").

Cindy was nice enough to put me in contact with a local paddle board company called Three Brothers Boards. I have been a tour guide doing paddle board tours for them around City Island for almost a year now and I must say it is, without a doubt, the perfect job for a college student to learn about how our local marine ecosystems operate and also to educate tourists on everything from sharks, dolphins and manatees to the harmful effects of plastics and runoff in our waterways. 

Last fall I took Mrs. Woodall’s OCE lecture course and I loved it. I am now in my fourth semester at Daytona State and I couldn’t be more excited to take part in this lab with you all. I truly look forward to what is ahead of us!

Jessica (UR) - The Crazy Turtle Lady

Westport, NY

Jessica Nicole Corrado. That is the name I was given on November 7, 1982. Born and raised in the state of New York. Now thinking about N.Y., you think of the city. Wrong! I grew in up a small town on Lake Champlain called Westport. About as far north and east as you an go in the state, but before you enter Canada or Vermont. My graduating class had 18 people in it and we all graduated. We had our very own Loch Ness monster, but ours is named Champy. Tons of people have seen him!

New Smyrna Beach, FL

I moved to New Smyrna Beach in 2010. Best decision I ever made! Moving so far from where I grew up gave me the courage to follow my dreams and go back to school. I always knew I wanted to work with animals. As a child, I remember wanting to be a veterinarian. Then I grew up.
My grandfather gave me my love of the ocean and my love of science. Moving to Florida gave me the opportunity to use both of my passions rolled into 1 awesome Major. Marine Biology!

Julianna, Joseph II, Joseph III

I met my husband while serving at a local restaurant, The Sand Bar Cafe. We were friends for a few years before dating and then getting married on February 18, 2017. I gained 2 step-children, which is perfect since I want no children of my own. We love to cruise! We have been to many of the islands in the Caribbean. My top 2 places are Cuba and Grand Cayman!

Havana, Cuba

 The Cuban culture has been one of the most amazing experiences. The people, the architecture, the food, the cars! We have been there twice!

Jess holding Juvenile Green

 Grand Cayman is by far my favorite! That is where the Cayman Turtle Farm is located. I was able to hold a juvenile Green Sea Turtle. I was also able to see Leatherbacks and a Kemp's Ridley.
I Love Sea Turtles!
I am the crazy turtle lady!

Best Shoes Ever!

Look at my truck. Heck, look at my wardrobe. I own sneakers with turtles on them!

"Jim", Juvenile Green

I named this one Jim! It didn't matter where I went around the tanks, this Green loved to follow me! We are planning another cruise soon so I can go back and hopefully see Jim again! He has special black marks on his head, so I would be able to recognize him easily enough!






Any more about me and you might start crying! If you have any questions about my travels or passions, don't hesitate to ask! I love talking about my life!

Gray (UR) - The Most Beautiful Baby in the World

The Baby

Me at 2 years old

I wanted to introduce everyone to the most beautiful baby ever. It's me, if you hadn't already figured it out! At least, that is what my mother said. Could she be a little biased, maybe? She did take me for a Gerber baby model interview. However, when she got there it was a residence, the shades were pulled and there were not any signs. Her motherly instinct said something was amiss. So she did not even get us out of the car. My career as a baby model ended before it even began.

The Farm

Berkshire cross pigs raised to sell and eat.

I grew up on a farm in southern Virginia. It was hard work, but we experienced a lot. We had all sorts of animals: some for food, some for work, some for pets and some just for fun. To the left is a picture of some Berkshire cross pigs, that were raised to sell and eat.  In addition to having animals from fowl to equine, we raised a multi-acre garden every year. Ugh, the upkeep was a tremendous and daunting task. When we finished weeding it was time to start all over. This went on for half the year.
After I graduated, I worked for a while, living on my own. Then I decided that I was going nowhere. So I joined the U.S. Navy. I took a contract as an avionic electronics technician, and fixed airplane electronics at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, FL for five years. After that I did some traveling and even moved to Phoenix, AZ for a year. Now I am in school full time on the G.I. Bill and working on an envitonmental science degree. 

The Fishing

Fishing at sunset
in Sanibel Island, FL

Jack Crevalle (Caranx hippos)
that I caught.

One of my favorite outdoor hobbies is fishing. Here are a few picture of my doing just that in Sanibel Island, FL.

The Marriage

My wife and I just after the ceremony

I recently got married, 12/22/18 to be exact. We became friends while I was in the navy and stayed friends for nine years. Then we decided to give dating a shot and were married soon after. We had a small intimate ceremony with an Irish theme. We decided on that theme because of the type of rings we chose. They are called "Claddagh." If you do not know about them, look it up, its a cool story. Above is a picture of us dressed up on our wedding day right after the ceremony. Her parents couldn't attend in person. So we decided to set up an iPhone and Skype them for the ceremony. Below is a picture of them joining in on the wedding photos. 

Her parents, on Skype, participating in the wedding photos

The Pets

The cats

I also love animals. Here are a few pictures of ones that reside in my home. To the right are my two cats. However, they are more like roommates that we support than pets. "Jet" is the stripped one. He got his name because he is the loudest purring cat on the planet. He was rescued from a hoarder with over 100 cats and he is 17lbs because he has an emmotional eating problem. He does play fetch and will sit on command for a catnip treat. The white one is "Widdle" because of how little she was when we first picked her up. She was smaller in size than a dollar bill. There is a picture of her, at six weeks old and weighing one pound, below. She was the baby of a neighborhood stray.

The day we brought "Widdle" home

Although I do love the cats, they are not my favorite animal. That is given to these guys: 

The ferrets

 Yes, they are ferrets! You guessed it. From left to right there names are: Eenie-meenie, Miney, and Mo. Yes, they are a business. Yes, there are three. They do best in groups. If they are by themselves they will become depressed and not eat. They sleep eighteen hours a day, but when they are awake and out it is full throttle. They give the cats their daily exercise. 

Well, that is me in a brief nutshell. I hope everyone has a great, fulfilling semester and fun in the field. I know I am looking forward to it.

If you fall flat on your face, atleast you fell forward and forward momentum is everything,

Gray Cochran

The End