The first month in a few short paragraphs including the fruitful (finally!) return of the infamous turtle named Stumpy!

I arrived at the Archelon Turtle Conservation project after a long but panoramic bus ride to Gythio. The camp was set-up like an outdoor house, and I was happy to see the hammocks and chairs hanging from various trees. I met the other volunteers; some were from England, one from Amsterdam, another from Michigan, and myself from Canada. We ate a delicious supper and talked about our schooling, the customs of our countries, music, turtles, and how incredibly hot Greece is. We then headed over to the nearby pub to watch the football game (and discuss turtles, of course.)

Every night, after retiring to our tents, we’re lullabied to sleep by the howling of dogs, the crisp sound of crickets, and the local bartender’s booming laugh. We are then woken-up by wild roosters early in the morning, which is when we take to the beaches for the morning survey. Turtle tracks are pretty evident in the sand, and if we find a nest of eggs, we then lay a grid over it to protect the eggs from predators or anything heavy that may run-over them like cars (or tourists). We then hammer bamboo sticks into the sand with all our might, and top this off with a tripod and small informational sign.

Valtaki Beach and the shipwreck

Among the best experiences of volunteering on the project is visiting the nearby towns. There is a restaurant that serves fried pita-bread, a breakfast food mainly found in Gythio, which is regularly frequented by the sandy group of volunteers after morning surveys on beaches further out. Beaches including Valtaki, which harbours a shipwreck, and Selinitsa where you can visit the creepy abandoned hotel, are studied for tracks as well.

One of the major events of June was a sighting of Stumpy, a very special and persistent turtle who’s missing her two back flippers. These flippers are necessary for digging a hole in which she could then lay her eggs. Stumpy would visit the shore a few times a night, and this meant volunteers would study, record, and erase her tracks in the morning. We had become familiar with Stumpy’s particular prints in the sand, but knew it was very improbable of finding any eggs from this turtle. One night, as we were just finishing a green bean and tomato-sauce supper, we were informed that there was a turtle spotted on the beach. We gathered the necessary ‘turtle spotting’ materials and raced down the campsite to where the turtle, Stumpy, was beginning her unsuccessful ritual of making a nest. Neil and Juliana, experts in all things-turtle, flew up to Stumpy and began to help her in her struggle of digging a hole. The other volunteers, including myself, helped inform beach-goers of the turtle’s nesting routine, and how it is important to keep distance and calm. After over an hour of continuous digging and handing-out pamphlets, Stumpy finally started to lay her eggs. The small group of 5 ecstatic volunteers (including Neil who silently skipped and almost cart-wheeled on the beach) rushed quietly and crouched-down to where stumpy was. We shone a red light and were able to see the very rare sight of a turtle laying her eggs, thanks to the help of the volunteers. (see press release below...)

On one of our days off, I and other volunteers headed to a small town called Limeni, which has a view as if straight-out of a post card. We dove into the bright blue water and snorkelled around looking for interesting underwater happenings.

There is also Taverna night where the group goes-out to eat a pre-paid meal at a local restaurant. We order great amounts of food, wine (and fried zucchini) and we reminisce on the hours spent swimming and sunbathing on the beach, how much we love waking up before 6am, the moment were we uncover a turtle nest, and how beautiful and majestic the turtle-specie is, of course.

Delicious Mani Pita for breakfast

Mia Pearson (Volunteer, Montreal, Canada).

The first month in a few short paragraphs including the fruitful (finally!) return of the infamous turtle named Stumpy!