Skidaway Audubon Meeting on Sea Turtles

Caretta Research Project (CRP) Director Kris Williams will be Skidaway Audubon’s guest speaker on April 18 at 4 p.m. at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church. Caretta is dedicated to the protection and recovery of Northwest Atlantic loggerhead turtles.

In 1973, CRP began monitoring the loggerhead sea turtle population nesting on Wassaw Island, which has a high density of loggerhead nests. Since then, its research and conservation efforts have helped produce an eight-fold increase in loggerhead nesting. This past summer, 77 volunteers helped protect more than 27,000 eggs in 267 nests, leading to the release of more than 18,000 hatchlings.

Williams has been involved in numerous sea turtle conservation projects since 1990 after graduating with master’s and bachelor’s degrees in biology from the State University of New York. She has worked with Kemp's Ridleys in New York and Mexico, Leatherbacks in Costa Rica, and Loggerheads in Florida and Georgia. She became CRP director in 1996. During her tenure, she has secured more than $600,000 in grant funding, modernized CRP’s database, and co-authored more than 50 scientific publications and presentations.

All are welcomed to attend this meeting. Admission is free for members of Friends of Skidaway Audubon (FOSA), and $5 for guests, payable online or at the door.  Attendees are asked to pre-register online at SkidawayAudubon.org.

Skidaway Audubon’s mission is to enhance and conserve Skidaway Island’s natural environment. In addition to implementing a wide variety of projects, it strives to promote environmental awareness through education and outreach. For more information about Skidaway Audubon activities, or to make a donation to help continue these programs, visit SkidawayAudubon.org.