Welcome to Turtle Foundation Cabo Verde's blog

Well hello turtle-lovers.  Happy almost Earth Day, and welcome to our new online blog.  Turtle Foundation, as you know, is dedicated to saving sea turtles.  We have several projects, but this blog is dedicated to our project in Cabo Verde, protecting the female loggerhead sea turtles as they come ashore to nest.  Currently they are threatened primarily by being slaughtered for meat.  Turtle Foundation patrols the beaches during nesting season, protecting the turtles and collecting vital data on their biology to learn more about the population.  International volunteers help us each summer with our patrols, as well as the Cape Verde military.  Other threats include an inordinate amount of trash on the beaches and in the water which the turtles mistake for food, and which hinders both nesting and the hatchlings' run to the sea. Rampant beach construction results in habitat loss, and turtles are accidentally caught on fishing lines.  Turtle Foundation is dedicated not only to helping save this 3rd most important nesting population of loggerhead turtles in the world, but in benefiting the community by doing so.  We work with educating youth, assisting local communities in finding alternative sources of income, and involving the government, community, tourists, conservation volunteers, schools, and anyone else we can reach in the goal of preserving this magnificent treasure of Cape Verde.  Join us!  Connect with us on Facebook, come and volunteer with us during nesting season, spread the word about our work, donate, sell turtle-shaped cookies to help sea turtles, and post comments and questions right here!