We’ve often mentioned how our patients quickly train us to prepare and serve only the food that they like. Don’t like capelin? How about some nice mackerel. Love squid but freaked out by the tentacles? We’ll cut them off for you. But how do you explain that Kemp’s “Kaia” will only eat shrimp from Sneads Ferry? How does she know where that other shrimp we’ve tried to sneak into her breakfast came from? But no matter what, we do try to serve only the freshest stuff to our patients. And this spring our green turtles were treated to lettuce locally grown, picked, and delivered to them by the first-grade students and teachers at Surf City Elementary School where their mascot just happens to be the sea turtle.
The “seeds” for this project were first planted after Covid when one of our hospital volunteers and Pender County Extension Master Gardener Sandy Pfeifer visited the school and saw that there were raised beds in the school courtyard. In fact, every grade from K-5 had a 4’x10’ space just begging for something that would make it feel pretty and useful again. As part of their school outreach program, Sandy approached the Pender County Extension Agency and the school principal with an idea. It would entail community involvement, be educational, and be a way for the kids to give back to their community. In December of 2022, she received the final go-ahead from the powers that be.
Sandy wanted to start small, if you consider eight first grade classes “small.” But those beds needed serious help before anything could happen. That’s when Lowe’s in Surf City stepped in and donated all the soil needed to ensure that whatever went in there had a great start. The first seeds were planted in early March, and a second crop was sown two weeks later so that there would be a succession of fresh green and romaine lettuce for our turtles. The teachers and the kids were given instructions and control of the care of their garden and were tasked with making sure the plants were kept watered. As the first crop started flourishing the second sowing was struggling. The kids learned a valuable lesson: if you don’t water the seeds they won’t grow – it’s science.
The lettuce kept producing from May 1 through early June as only the outer leaves were harvested while the inside section kept growing. The kids “supervised” the process, being very specific in their leaf selections, picking only the best ones to go to our turtles. At the end of the school year, the teachers were invited to the hospital for a behind-the-scenes tour where they saw the greens being fed to the patients.
The program was so successful that it is being expanded to Topsail Elementary for the 2023-24 school year. Of course, it will continue at Surf City with plans to eventually expand to every grade. The first plantings this fall will include typical cold-weather veggies like dandelion greens and chicory, as well as lettuces. Thanks, and flipper hugs to Sandy, her assistants, the kids, and the teachers for making this happen.
Our tour schedule for June and July is seven days a week: Mon – Fri, 12-4; Saturday 11-3, and Sunday 11-2. Tickets must be purchased in advance through our website www.seaturtlehospital.org. You can visit the gift shop during those hours without taking the tour. NOTE: The town is working on Charlie Medlin Drive for the next few months and frankly, it’s a mess. Please plan accordingly so you’re on time for your tour. The road is subject to major flooding and may close during heavy rain. In that case, you must access our hospital by an alternate route through the back gate behind the Surf City Community Center. That gate will be open only if Charlie Medlin Dr. is closed.
In addition to hooked and debilitated turtles, keep your eyes peeled for nesting mothers and turtle tracks. If you come across any sick, injured or nesting turtles immediately call our Director of Beach Operations, Terry Meyer at 910-470-2880. If she is not available, call the hospital during operating hours: 910-329-0222. After hospital business hours Terry can be reached on our phone by following the prompts to report a nest. The State of NC has a hotline for stranded, sick, and injured turtles (252-241-7367) which picks up 24/7. All conservation work for endangered sea turtles at KBSTRRC and on Topsail Island is authorized by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission, ES Permit 23ST05.
