Happy 100th Archie!

Today marks the 100th birthday of the man most responsible for sea turtles still being around.  Dr. Archie Carr was born on June 16th, 1009 in Alabama.  Though not as famous as his contemporary Jacques Cousteau (who turns 100 next year), Dr. Carr was every bit as effective a conservationist.  In his honor, today is also Sea Turtle Day.

Among his many firsts were earning the first doctorate awarded by the University of Florida in zoology, starting the world's first sea turtle project (Tortuguero, Costa Rica), and founding the first organization dedicated to the survival of sea turtles (the Caribbean Conservatio

n Corporation).  Tortuguero (right), now celebrating its 50th 

year, is the world's longest continuously running wildlife conservation and was recently named one of the most successful conservation projects ever by the Smithsonian with a more than 500% increase in green turtle nesting since inception.  Dr. Carr also helped to protect one of the world's most important loggerhead sea turtle nesting beaches in Florida, now known as the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge.

All turtle lovers owe Dr. Carr a thank you today.  Hopefully he's somewhere where turtles don't have to worry about extinction...

CCC has a moving tribute here.