Help Save Our Sea Turtles

“Imagine where we would be if we all just gave a dollar.” 

Introduction:

Hola, hi! My name is Andrés Lester-Coll, and I have been working in marine conservation since graduating in 2015. After graduate school, I moved to Puerto Rico to pursue my dream and dedicate my life to protecting my homeland’s ecosystems… only to find near-impenetrable obstacles. Details on that under Background.

I am now working with a local conservation group to join forces and launch a project that, when funded, will protect Puerto Rico’s endangered Leatherback sea turtles in the most important nesting beach in the entirety of the United States and its territories. This project will place satellite tags on Leatherback sea turtles to track their global movements and assist them when they are out at sea and are most vulnerable.

Me marking a leatherback nest with her large tracks behind me.

I am committed to building up thr research division and to do that I need to raise $15,000 to support our first important project and track our nesting sea turtles out at sea. 100% of the proceeds from this GoFundMe page will go directly to this mission and with YOUR HELP we will know where our leatherback seaturtles are at all times and can protect them out at sea where again, they are most vulnerable!!

Details of the Fundraiser:

So what exactly are you contributing to:

1. Purchasing satellite transmitter—Durable and long-lasting, they cost around $5,000 each

2. Basic materials to fasten the satellite transmitter on the turtle ( gloves, wipes and applicator)

3. Providing wages, mainly for local students trying to gain experience to pursue a career in marine conservation and work hard to patrol the beach, install the satellite transmitters and continue to protect these endangered species.

In addition to my fieldwork, I am a strong believer in the power of education, and during the pandemic, I published a children’s book about sea turtle nesting, the race for life baby sea turtles take and how YOU can help them make it safely to the ocean. As part of this fundraiser, I am offering donor gifts at various levels, including a signed copy of my book to donors who are contributing $30 and above... Each level includes all the benefits from the previous levels and more details below!

Beach- Any amount - personal thank you note and specific updates on the progress of the project.

Egg- $30 (+) -Plant the Seed. You will receive a signed and dedicated copy of my book YOU ARE AN ANIMAL TOO, with Tina the Baby Sea Turtle. I will contact you for the delivery information.

Hatchling - $100 (+) - Adopt a hatchling. You will receive all the detailed information about a specific hatchling. What species is it? When was it born? BEST PART a video of your hatchling entering the ocean and starting its life journey!

Nest -$500 (+) - Adopt a nest. What species laid the nest? When was the nest laid? Did its mom have a name (was she tagged)? If not did we tag her? What did we name her? How successful was the nest ( How many of the total eggs laid developed into hatchings) How many hatchings were released and made it into the ocean?

The BEST PART is an extensive video showing the release of your nest. See all the babies born in your adopted nest crawl their way to the ocean SAFELY as they are protected by us thanks to your kind contribution.

Leatherback - $5,000 (+) - Sponsor a nesting mom. At this level, your donation goes directly to putting a satellite transmitter on the back of the nesting mom.The ultimate mission of the fundraiser. As her sponsor, you will receive all the information about your nesting sea turtle. You will name her, know how many times she came and nested that season, and know all the information from each one of her nests. As a sponsor of a nesting mom, you are not only sponsoring her but all of her hatchlings! That's close to a thousand sea turtles!

Background info:

So, you may be asking yourself “self why doesn't this organization just apply for small business grants, donors or federal funds like many other conservation organizations do?" It’s a good, easy, and yet complicated question. First of all, Puerto Rico has an ambiguous relationship with the United States – as a territory not a state, which restricts access to many public funds; even those geared toward conservation. In addition, the island has been going through an economic downfall since 2008, and still shows little sign of recovery. The situation only worsened with Hurricane Maria—when I, among so many others, lost my job and I made the difficult decision to leave Puerto Rico—then the COVID-19 pandemic hit, taking a massive toll on human life and resources on the island, and in 2022 Hurricane Fiona once again damaged infrastructure and life. With an already struggling economy, further stressed and weakened by humanitarian and repair demands from so many natural disasters, unfortunately, simply put, conservation is taking a back seat and left as an afterthought.

Another question then you may be asking yourself is “self, why does he insist on working in Puerto Rico when he could just find a job working with sea turtles anywhere else in the world?” Well, to be honest, that is an easy one. Puerto Rico is my homeland, which I love very much for its rich culture, natural wonders, and immense potential. On top of that it is a critical nesting area for three key species of sea turtles. Even so, very little is known about the status of these populations or what threats are affecting them. All we know, thanks to the hard work of Chelonia, is that our local beach is the most important nesting beach for the endangered leatherback sea turtle in the entirety of the United States and its territories. So basically, I insist on making this work because it is a place special to me because I get to call it my home is also an important conservation site for the global status of sea turtle populations. As a Puerto Rican conservation marine biologist, I would say this is hitting jackpot! So, I am determined to advance our knowledge for the betterment of sea turtles, Puerto Rico, and global environmental conservation—but I need your help!

So finally, after all this, you may be wondering deep down in yourself “self why should I care about sea turtle conservation anyway?” Well, this is my specialty and although this next part gets a little technical, bear with me! Sea turtles are keystone species, meaning their ecosystems are dependent on them exhibiting healthy populations. It also means that without them, these ecosystems will collapse, leading to global threats to all species (including humans!). Each of the three sea turtle species that nest in Puerto Rico serves a critical role in global conservation. Here are some examples:

Green sea turtles are ecosystem engineers, vital to coastal seagrass beds through pruning and mowing, encouraging life and providing nutrient cycling to occur. Seagrass beds in turn serve as nurseries to an array of important fish and invertebrates we eat; meaning they provide a place where the juvenile forms of these species can safely grow up, being protected from predators by the blades of grass. Seagrass beds also provide coastal protection from storms and erosion and produce oxygen while removing atmospheric CO2. These blue-carbon ecosystems are considered essential to our battle against climate change.

Hawksbill sea turtles are one of the few marine animals in the world that can feed on marine sponges—a victorious competitor to corals—and thus engineer coral reef ecosystems as well. Coral reefs, arguably one of the most important single ecosystems in the world, in turn, support the planet by absorbing ⅓ of the world's atmospheric CO2 and producing half of the available oxygen—not to mention providing raw materials for medicines and providing habitat to a quarter of the fish caught by developing nations. Without coral reefs, we have no climate control or security.

Leatherback sea turtles are specialized predators of jellyfish, which feed on many economically-important species of fish, such as tuna and swordfish, those same species who have now moved out to sea after safely growing up in seagrass beds. Therefore, without the leatherback’s influence and control over jellyfish populations, much of the world would be left without seafood. This would cause a global humanitarian crisis as according to the United Nations Oceans and the Law of the Sea report, seafood contributes to 17% of the world’s animal protein intake, and is the main source of animal protein and essential micronutrients and fatty acids for 3 billion people.

As you can see from the above information, as part of global populations, Puerto Rico’s sea turtle populations do so much for the planet, and that is why they mean so much to me. I believe the most effective mindset is to think globally and act locally and I hope to one day make Puerto Rico a leader in marine conservation; a hub for education and research to advance the future of environmental science, and a powerhouse in protecting these incredible sea turtle species from global extinction. I am ready to spearhead this effort but i can’t do it without you! Help us get off the ground!!! Help us save our sea turtles!