Turtle Awareness and Protection Studies (TAPS)


2014 Research Update


June - July, Roata

Dustin Baumbach

 

Dustin enjoys first class on TACA on his way to Roatan for summer research

  Mugshot of a beautiful hawksbill
Christian Hayes   Dustin Baumbach

Christian Hayes observing the behavior of hawksbill sea turtles underwater.

  Dustin Buambach observing the feeding behavior of hawksbills.
 
Steve took samples from coral and sponges throughout the Roatan Marine Park to analyze for heavy metals.   Barrel sponge that Steve took heavy metal samples from.
Dustin Baumbach, Christian Hayes   Dustin Baumbach, Christian Hayes
Christian and Dustin taking blood samples from a rescued juvenile hawksbill.   Christian and Dustin flipper tagging a juvenile hawksbill.
 
Hatchling hawksbills being held at Maya key before being released.   Hatchling Hawksbill adrift in a sea of sargassum.
     
July-September, Utila    
Rodney Smith   Stephen Dunbar
Rodney Smith conducting pollution and temperature studies on Utila.   Steve takes notes on beach temperatures on Utila.
Rodney Smith  
Part of Rodney's Internship experience was to measure sand temperatures on a debris-lined beach.   While measuring sand temperatures, Steve takes a quick break to organize the next step.
Stephen Dunbar   Stephen Dunbar
Scorpion inside of a local house in Utila.   Setting up the night patrol camp is part of the nightly process of getting ready to patrol for nesting hawksbills on the beach at Utila.
Stephen Dunbar   Stephen Dunbar
Female hawksbill depositing eggs into her nest in the sand.   Monitoring and recording data on the amount of eggs laid by this hawksbill.
Stephen Dunbar    
Here, a female hawksbill is starting to dig her nest underneath the vegetation.    
     
     
     
     

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