If you are local, you might know what is going on at the Navarre Beach Sea Turtle Conservation Center (NBSTCC). If you are not, you might just see a beautiful mural and on-going construction without ever knowing there is a turtle center inside.
Two grants, totaling nearly $45,000, are helping to grow educational programs, as well as expand the Navarre Beach Sea Turtle Conservation Center. The grants from Santa Rosa County and International Paper are supporting projects for the NBSTCC and the Navarre Beach Marine Sanctuary.
“I don’t think there is a kid yet that we haven’t taught how to surf,” said Waterboyz owner Sean Fell. Fell is referring to the eight surf camp sessions Waterboyz holds for aspiring surfers each summer.
Plastic bags. Bottles. Cups. Straws. Cans. Fishing line. Just some of the items that were removed from Navarre Beach by volunteers July 26 during the Navarre Beach Sea Turtle Conservation Center’s monthly “Trash Bash.”
The tar mat found June 21 in the Gulf of Mexico in the Fort Pickens Area of Gulf Islands National Seashore (GINS) is about 25 percent larger than one removed from a similar location earlier this year.
Tourists in many cases drive hundreds of miles to enjoy the beauty of Navarre Beach and its emerald green waters. But what is there for them to do when they arrive and find warning flags flying suggesting they stay out of the water?
As with any seasonal job that is generally filled by high school and college students, turnover among the ranks of Navarre Beach lifeguards is inevitable. However, the 2014 season was different with more than half of the staff being new. Plus, the growing popularity of the Navarre Beach Marine Sanctuary snorkeling and diving reef added another spot that lifeguards needed to monitor closely.
