For Hometown News
Since 2002, Volusia County's Marine Science Center in Ponce Inlet has cared for thousands of turtles, birds and other living creatures.
Again this year, hundreds of citizens are expected to join the county in celebrating animal rehabilitation and raising awareness about marine life and the environment when the Marine Science Center holds its 10th annual Turtle Day from 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Saturday, April 21. Beachside animal releases will end the day at 3 p.m. Releases will be at the Beach Street ramp in Ponce Inlet.
A wide range of artists and crafters will join environmental groups such as the Halifax River Audubon Society, Canaveral National Seashore, the Volusia/Flagler Turtle Patrol, and the Volusia Sea Turtle Society. There also will be crafts, face painting, live music, food and Ritter's ice cream.
Turtle Day is a celebration of bird and turtle rehabilitation in Volusia County. As of April 2012, the Marine Science Center received 936 juvenile to adult size sea turtles, 15,418 hatchlings and washbacks, and 842 miscellaneous reptiles (gopher tortoises, freshwater turtles and snakes), bringing total number of reptiles received by the Marine Science Center to 17,196 since it opened in 2002.
The April 21 event will culminate in the likely release of a sea turtle from the sea turtle rehabilitation center. Several gulls and pelicans are scheduled to be released as well. The Mary Keller Seabird Rehabilitation Facility at the Marine Science Center has received 8,961 birds since opening in 2004. Sea turtle and seabird releases are subject to change due to animal health or environmental conditions.
For more information about Turtle Day, call (386) 304-5545 or visit www.marinesciencecenter.com.