Kennedy Space Center helping sea turtles again

May and June are the two months when sea turtles come ashore and
bury their eggs. Incubation is about two months, which means that
within four weeks, the eggs will begin hatching and the frenzy that
is the mad dash for the hatchlings to reach the deep water will begin.
One in one thousand will survive. Not great odds. When the water is
filled with oil, none will survive. This is the problem caused by the
oil spill currently entruding on the beaches of the Florida panhandle.

Because the sea turtles are endangered, experts had to take action. In
Pensacola Beach, workers will begin the painstaking job of digging up
the eggs that have been laid on the beach there. As mentioned in the
June 27th article, the eggs are buried two to three feet down. Digging
must be done by hand to prevent the eggs from cracking. The eggs will
then be transported to KSC to be stored in a temperature-controlled
warehouseuntil they hatch. When that happens, the hatchlings will be
placed on OUR beach, where they can make their mad dash to clean water.

Kids, surfboards & bikes travel for free

Students living along the Space Coast will have free use of the SCAT
services this summer. The program runs through August 8th. During the
summer, youth younger than 18 can ride any transit bus at no cost, as
long as they show a Brevard County Library card, which is free at any
county library. Students will be happy to know that they can bring a
surfboard on the bus or load their bike on the bus' bike rack. Of course,
the county would be more than happy if the students also took advantage
of the free ride and spent some time at their local library! For a map
and schedule for SCAT, visit www.ridescat.com.

Summer hours at Brevard Zoo

Starting July 3, the Brevard Zoo will extend their normal hours for
their annual Summer Saturday Nights. Every Sat. night, from July 3rd
through August 28th, the Zoo will remain open until 9 p.m. Admission
is free to everyone, starting at 5 p.m.. The last admission is 8 p.m..

Most of the animals will be out on exhibit, however, not all can be.
The aviary, the current butterfly exhibit, and Paws On play area will
close at the usual 5 p.m.. The zoo will provide musical entertainment
and guests will have a chance to ride the train, go kayaking, or even
feed the giraffes. The Brevard Zoo has many activities and camps that
Space Coast citizens and visitors should look into. Their web site is
www.brevardzoo.org and for more in-depth information and more photos,
visit the Brevard Zoo Examiner.

Boaters take note

Boaters exceeding the speed limits in the inland waterways and on
the rivers cause more than wakes. Their engines serve as a suction
for turtles and manatees. Even if they are trying to swim away, the
engines swirling motion will pull the poor turtles and manatees in.


This loggerhead was trying to get out of the way of a propeller, as is
evidenced by the damage done to the back of her shell and her back
flippers. She was found in the surf at Patrick where she was probably
trying to make it onshore to lay the eggs she was carrying.


It is not my goal to be graphic or use scare tactics; I'd rather dwell on
the many wonderful things about the Space Coast. Sometimes, however,
it's the best method of making a point. Boaters: please be careful!!!!

Beach Patrol

Meet two members of the Brevard County Beach Patrol. Every morning,
starting at sunrise, they look for turtle tracks leading from the
water's edge up to the dunes, and back down. When they find tracks,
their next step is to verify that a nest exists, and that eggs have
been deposited. That means digging, by hand, carefully and slowly.

Eggs may be found two to three feet below the surface, and there may
be from 50 to 200 eggs, depending on the species. If eggs are found,
the nest is marked and counted. Of great importance is whether the nest
is thought to be that of a loggerhead or a green turtle, which is now
endangered. Satisfied that a nest does exist, the Beach Patrol moves on.



Every year from May until October, hundreds of sea turtles make nests on
our Space Coast beaches. If you would like more information on them,
their nesting habits, or would like to volunteer with one of the groups
that work to protect sea turtles, visit www.seaturtlespacecoast.org.

Free! Music lessons for students

Melbourne High School, Melbourne, is offering free music instruction
from 9-11 a.m. , July 5-29, for all students enrolled in grades 6-9.
The program is being sponsored by the Melbourne Municipal Band. One
month's instrument rental fee and the cost of the beginner's lesson
book will be paid for but parents are responsible after July should
the child wish to continue. On the final day of the program, students
will present a concert at the Melbourne Auditorium. For more info, call
321-956-2283 or e-mail: art-martin27@gmail.com.

Hands Across the Sand

Today, Saturday, June 26, just before noon, folks began gathering
to take part in the Hands Across the Sand event. Six locations on
Florida's Space Coast had registered, organized events planned. This
writer took part in one at Hightower Beach, in Satellite Beach. Below
is a photo of our group. Additional groups formed in Indialantic, Canova,
Indian Harbor Beach, Melbourne Beach, and Cocoa Beach. Lori Wilson
Park had 1,500 participants, which may be the Space Coast record.

The Hands Across the Sand movement took off on Saturday, Feb 13th,
2010 as a statewide gathering against offshore oil drilling. Participants
from 60 towns and cities and over 90 beaches within Florida joined hands
to protest the Florida Legislature and US Congress efforts to lift the
ban on oil drilling off Florida's coasts.

On Friday, Surfrider Foundation posted that 873 total events had been
organized, with 774 of them in the U.S.. A total of 530 cities, in all
50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, were registered.
In addition, 99 organized events, outside the U.S., were planned. 91
cities, in 35 countries, would be taking part. By this morning, a Twitter
update announced the number had risen to 910 planned events. Whoa.


The above couple are obviously veterans of the movement, their shirts
being souvenirs of the Feb., 2010 Hands Across the Sand. They, like I,
were a little disappointed that this crowd was quite small. We agreed that
more or better advertising is needed. Perhaps some posters next year...