A huge “Thank you!” is in order for all of the fellow turtle nerds who made this year’s International Sea Turtle Symposium so fantastic! To the symposium organizers, friends old and new, and all of the great presenters and attendees, this year’s Symposium was awesome. Thank you for making the Charleston ISTS so memorable. A special note goes out to the South Carolina Aquarium (https://scaquarium.org/) for hosting the Opening Social and the Charleston Marriott (https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/chsmc-charleston-marriott/) for hosting the Symposium.
The FSU Marine Turtle Research, Ecology, and Conservation Group was well represented with 5 oral presentations and 3 posters, including 1 undergraduate presentation! Topics ranged from knowledge gaps regarding juvenile turtles to coastal construction, Leave No Trace ordinances, and wave modeling to traditional uses and poaching. Much of this work either has already been published or will be available soon, so keep an eye out!
And of course, the annual Symposium would be nothing without the shenanigans of the Live Auction! Funds raised during this event go to sponsoring student travel grants for the next Symposium to the tune of more than $10,000. This year, the lab partnered with Waterlust to come out with a pair of sea turtle leggings (https://waterlust.com/sea-turtle-leggings) made from recycled materials. Waterlust donated a pair to the Live Auction and were a huge hit! As you can see, even the auctioneer was proud to show them off! Congratulations to Chelsea on your latest fashion statement!
We certainly cannot wait for next year’s Symposium in Cartagena, Colombia, March 16-21, 2020 – see everyone next year!
Ware Marine Research and Conservation 