ETSU Researcher Gets Grant to Help Endangered Sea Turtles
In an effort to save the leatherback sea turtle, an East Tennessee State University researcher has received a $15,000 grant to protect nesting beaches in Costa Rica and increase awareness.

The Leatherback Trust awarded Dr. Pamela Plotkin, assistant vice provost for research and director of sponsored programs, the grant for a project to educate local people about the rare creatures on their shores and to convince them to take specific steps to keep the beaches darker and safer for the turtles.

"Thousands of leatherbacks used to come ashore. Last year there were fewer than 50 females nesting on the beaches," Plotkin said in a news release, "and if nothing is done, there is a high probability that the leatherback turtle will be extinct in the next few years."

The leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) can reach a length of 7 feet, making it the largest turtle in the world. Strong swimmers, the turtles live in the open sea, but females must find warm, welcoming beaches on which to dig a nest and deposit eggs. Costa Rica is home to some of the nesting beaches.

Plotkin lived in Costa Rica while she was a doctoral student and postdoctoral fellow in the 1990s, and she has returned frequently.

Over the years, Plotkin studied leatherbacks and watched the rapid development of nearby beach property.

"Five-star hotels are being built, as well as condominiums, restaurants and strip malls," Plotkin said. "The once sleepy town of Tamarindo now resembles a bustling city."

With such progress came bright lights. Female leatherback turtles dislike such glare, preferring dark, quiet nesting spots. In addition, hatchlings become disoriented and head toward the light of civilization instead of entering the sea.

Plotkin has established the project "Amigos de Las Baulas" (Spanish for "Friends of the Leatherback Turtles") for businesses, community members and tourists who live near and visit Las Baulas National Park, which contains turtle nesting areas.

Through the project and its Web site at www.amigosdelasbaulas.org, Plotkin hopes to educate people in the area about the need to protect the species.

"They are the stewards of these beaches, and the turtles that come ashore to lay their eggs, and they can help the turtles during this brief visit on land," she said.

This year, Plotkin has targeted 60 businesses near the beaches, asking them to display material for their patrons about the leatherback turtles and the need to reduce lights. Her outreach effort asks for assistance in small ways to decrease nighttime glare, such as turning off beachfront lighting during nesting season, increasing the use of motion-sensitive security lights, and even something as simple as closing window curtains in the evening.

With hard work, luck and the help of an educated public, Plotkin hopes to play a part in preventing the extinction of one of nature's treasures.