STAR CENTER UPGRADES GOING SWIMMINGLY
Renovations to the Sea Turtle Assistance and Rehabilitation (STAR) Center are nearly completed and rehabilitating sea turtles are moving into pools in the public area. Thanks to a generous grant from the Arthur L. and Elaine V. Johnson Foundation, the center now has an improved capacity to care for sick or injured sea turtles.
The busiest time of year for the STAR Center is the upcoming winter cold-stun season. Sea turtles, mostly in the shallow sounds, can experience rapid temperature drops in the winter, leaving them “stunned” and unable to swim.
These turtles are washed ashore where volunteers for the Cape Hatteras National Seashore and the Network for Endangered Sea Turtles (NEST) respond, collect data, and transport them to the STAR Center for care.