Michael J. Fox on turtles and optimism

Michael J. Fox is one of those people whose incredibly sunny attitude in the face of hardship can't help but inspire.  Instead of disappearing when he learned he had Parkinsons, he decided to use his celebrity and energy to bring attention to this debilitating disease.  His show last night "Always Looking Up" was a look at what makes people optimistic and visited sites around the world where people are working together to improve their conditions.  http://abc.go.com/specials/michaeljfox/index

What does this have to do with sea turtles?  Michael had one of those moments of clarity one day while snorkeling off the US Virgin Islands.  From his memoir Lucky Man:

"My family and I were snorkelling the pristine waters off St John's in the US Virgin Islands. We'd been visiting this beach for years, and had never seen a sea turtle. Having finally spotted one gliding through the sea grass just inside the coral reef, I swam slowly behind it, keeping a respectful distance. When I finally emerged from the water, I kicked off my flippers, walked over to where Tracy was towelling off the kids, grabbed a towel for myself, and informed her that I was leaving the show."

Michael's attitude is one that I see in many sea turtle conservationists working long hours to protect an animal that has seen a dramatic decline over the past few decades.  A well-known magazine not too long ago named "oceanographer" as the second worst job in the world because of the constant bad news.  But I see cause for optimism in sea turtle conservation, that where groups of dedicated people and organizations have been working for many years, numbers are going back up.  There is a long way to go till their numbers reach where they should be, but there's enough evidence in many populations that we have turned a corner.

And Michael, anytime you want to SEE Turtles again, just let us know!

-Brad Nahill