5 things to know about sea turtle rescue center as it prepares to celebrate its 25th year
Iconic to North Carolina's coast, sea turtles depend on the area's extensive sandy beaches to lay their eggs and on productive estuaries and coastal habitats to forage.
The Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center will be celebrating its 25th anniversary of helping these reptiles.
Here are five things to know about the center.
What is the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center?
The center protects and conserves sea turtles, which the center accomplishes through its beach monitoring program and protecting nesting female turtles, their nests and hatchlings. The center also focuses on rescue, rehabilitation, and release of sick and injured sea turtles. Public educational programs including tours of the sea turtle hospital and hands-on internships for students are also part of the center's offerings.
How did the center get its name?
The center was legally incorporated in 1998. In 1990. it was the Topsail Turtle Project. When an injured sea turtle they dubbed "Lucky" came into the care of founder Jean Beasley and the Topsail Turtle Project volunteers, they realized there was no place locally to care for sick and injured turtles. The group was inspired to build a new sea turtle hospital.
Beasley named the new organization the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center in memory of her late daughter. The new center includes both the Topsail Turtle Project and the new Sea Turtle Hospital.
Where was the first sea turtle hospital?
The first sea turtle hospital was built in Topsail Beach (which now houses Lewis Seafood Market). At the request of her daughter, Beasley and the Topsail Turtle Project volunteers used Karen's life insurance policy, as well as donations made in memory of Karen, as seed money to build the sea turtle hospital. The community support was extensive, which helped to complete the 900-square-foot facility located a block from the Assembly Building on the Intracoastal Waterway. The Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center was located in Topsail Beach until 2014 when the organization moved into its new 13,000-square-foot facility on the mainland side of Surf City.
More: From boats to beaches, challenges facing sea turtles as nesting season starts in NC
Tours open to the public
As part of its educational mission, the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Center offers tours of its sea turtle hospital. Tours are run by volunteers throughout late spring, summer, and early fall. Hours vary. Book tours in advance. There is also a center gift shop, which is open during tour hours. Tickets are not required to shop.
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Gala and auction
To celebrate the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center's 25th anniversary of incorporation, there will be a gala and auction, 4-8 p.m. Sunday, July 16 at the center, located at 302 Tortuga Lane, Surf City. The event will feature fine dining, dancing and an auction. Beach formal attire requested. Tickets are $125 per person. Funds raised will help upgrade the sick bay and purchase a larger tank for Snooki (a 305-pound female loggerhead sea turtle, found stranded on Sept. 26, 2016, on Avalon Beach, New Jersey. She was transferred to the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center on Nov. 6, 2016, for ongoing care) and future large sea turtle patients. To purchase a ticket or for more information about other events for the center's 25th anniversary, visit https://www.seaturtlehospital.org/.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center 25th gala
