15 March 2008

SEEturtles.org in Outside Magazine


Outside Magazine, March 2008

The Green Issue

Al Needs Some Copilots

You don't need to have billions or hold office to make a big difference. Just check out how this year's nine eco-all-stars—from a Chilean dam buster to a snowboarder who's seen the light—are changing the world.

By Dianna Delling

"We're putting too much into the ocean and taking too much out," says Wallace J. Nichols, skipping the mind-numbing stats a guy with his credentials—he's an Ocean Conservancy senior scientist and a top sea turtle expert—could recite in his sleep. "Putting too much in? Go a week without creating plastic waste. Taking too much out? Check out ShrimpSuck.org."

The site, started by Nichols in 2007, urges consumers to stop eating the country's most popular seafood, which is typically caught using turtle- and dolphin-killing nets. It's one of many issues Santa Cruz, California–based Nichols has tackled while juggling research (he was the first to discover that Pacific loggerheads migrate almost 7,500 miles to the coast of Japan) and working with more than a dozen conservation groups. This year, among other projects, he'll help Mexican villagers develop profitable turtle-watching tours and lead the Ocean Conservancy's first SEE Turtles trip, which puts travelers face to face with the creatures. "Sea turtles are sentinels for the ocean," he says. "They're my portal into everything."

03 March 2008

SEE Turtles Program in Brief

We have developed a conservation effort called SEE Turtles that looks to steer travelers to turtle hotspots where their dollars can bolster protection efforts and local economies. We call it “conservation tourism.” Writer Andy Meyers was a guest on a pilot run in Baja California, Mexico, and filed this report for OC Magazine. For more on SEE Turtles and partner locations in Mexico, Trinidad & Tobago, Costa Rica and beyond visit the main SEE Turtles Web site. Ocean Conservancy remains a vital SEE partner and supporter, while the program is now run internationally by Ocean Revolution.

Read Andy's Travelogue HERE