#georgia sea turtle center

[artifacts-and-arthropods]

Gold Turtle Necklace from Ancient Colchis (modern-day Georgia/South Caucasus) c. 450 BCE: this necklace was crafted from 31 turtle-shaped pendants, each one made of g0ld

The necklace was discovered during excavations at a site known as Vani, in Georgia (the country, not the state). Ancient Vani once served as the religious and administrative center for the Kingdom of Colchis; as I've previously discussed, Colchis was also known as the homeland of the fabled Golden Fleece, and to much of the ancient world, the Colchians themselves were renowned for their skills in goldsmithing.

The turtle pendants on this necklace are all decorated with ornate filigree and granulation patterns. The eyes of the 30 smaller turtles were originally made with glass inlay, while the eyes of the largest turtle (seen in the center) were made from drops of gold.

As this article also notes (translated from Georgian):

[This necklace] is unique because of the zoomorphic depiction that it presents. Among the known examples of goldsmithing from antiquity, the depiction of a turtle is not attested anywhere other than the Vani necklace. 

The local origin of the necklace is primarily indicated by the stylistic unity of the pendants with other examples of Colchian goldsmithing. It should be noted that the land turtle depicted on the pendants was widespread in Colchis.

The excavations at Vani have uncovered lots of other artifacts made by Colchian goldsmiths. These artifacts include temple ornaments, zoomorphic figures, pieces of jewelry, diadems, headdresses, hairpins, drinking vessels, and appliqués, among other things, and they've provided some really valuable insights into the unique goldsmithing traditions that existed among the peoples of Colchis -- and the myths that evolved as a result.

A few of the other golden artifacts from Vani:

Top: headdress ornament featuring an openwork design, c. 350-300 BCE; the central panel of this piece depicts a stag and three other deer, while the frame is topped by two lions and several rows of birds; Bottom: a diadem with a set of temple ornaments, c. 400-350 BCE; all of the panels along the front of the diadem depict scenes of prey animals being hunted by lions

Top: necklace with a series of ram-shaped pendants, c. 400-350 BCE; each pendant was forged from two separate castings that were sealed together to form a complete shape, and the ears/horns were then soldered onto each piece; Bottom: set of bracelets with boar finials, c. 460-440 BCE

Set of temple ornaments that depict two pairs of riders on horseback, c. 400-350 BCE

And a map showing the location of modern-day Georgia (just for reference):

As this map illustrates, Georgia is nestled right at the crossroads between Europe and Asia, with the Black Sea located on one side and the Caspian not far from the other; it is bordered by Russia to the North and by Turkey, Armenia, and Azerbaijan to the South

Sources & More Info:

National Geographic (Georgian): Golden Kolkheti

Atinati: The Golden Kingdom of Colchis

Smithsonian: Summary of "Wine, Worship, and Sacrifice: the Golden Graves of Ancient Vani" Exhibition

Burusi (Georgian): The Archaeological Discoveries at Vani

Quaternary International: A Modern Field Investigation of the Mythical “Gold Sands” of Ancient Colchis and the “Golden Fleece” Phenomena

[2treez]

Georgia sea turtle rehabilitation center…. ❤️

🌳🐢🌳

[jleberg]

Cosmos Mariners: Turtle Time: The Georgia Sea Turtle Center Get ready to embark on a journey of turtle-tastic proportions. Join us at Cosmos Mariners: Turtle Time and discover the incredible work being done at The Georgia Sea Turtle Center. It's a day of fun and learning you won't want to miss.

[bella-chrono]

Cosmos Mariners: Turtle Time: The Georgia Sea Turtle Center

Dive into turtle-y awesome adventures at the Cosmos Mariners: Turtle Time event. Join us at The Georgia Sea Turtle Center for a day filled with fun and learning.

[writtwithwitt]

Cosmos Mariners: Turtle Time: The Georgia Sea Turtle Center Get ready to embark on a journey of turtle-tastic proportions. Join us at Cosmos Mariners: Turtle Time and discover the incredible work being done at The Georgia Sea Turtle Center. It's a day of fun and learning you won't want to miss.

[rjalker]

We went to a turtle “rescue” that....................you know what I don’t know anything about sea turtles but I’m pretty sure if they’re keeping turtles that big in pools that small all the time that’s just fucking cruel. Like if it were just so they could give them medical attention and then release them immediately it’d be one thing. But they’ve had this turtle there since June 2021. And I assume it’s been kept in this tank the whole time.

like what the fuck

someone who knows about sea turtles: is this actually like,,,,, safe and appropriate or what????

[luxebeat]

Lindblad Expeditions Launches New Itineraries Along U.S. East Coast

Lindblad Expeditions Launches New Itineraries Along U.S. East Coast

Starting this fall, Lindblad Expeditions is launching seven new itineraries for 2022 and 2023 designed to explore the most ecologically and culturally diverse destinations along the East Coast. They will take a unique expeditionary approach as they go in search of the wild, seldom-seen side of the Eastern Seaboard. Along this dynamic coastline, often not too far from bustling cities, you’ll find…

[bachiles]

Georgia Sea Turtle Center

Georgia Sea Turtle Center

The Georgia Sea Turtle Center located at 214 Stable Road on Jekyll Island, Georgia is a one of a kind place and one that is a must see if you have time on the island. It is the perfect place to go anytime of the year but especially perfect for a rainy day when you don’t want to be on the beach or doing other outdoor activities. Chris and I totally enjoyed our visit there and kept thinking how fun…

[fatehbaz]

To outsiders, SpaceX’s site in Texas’s Rio Grande Valley, where the company is ramping up to launch the world’s tallest rocket, inspires awe for the future. Local officials are starry-eyed about the jobs it brings. But for Brownsville resident Emma Guevara, who grew up visiting Boca Chica Beach, life in the facility’s shadow has a more dystopian feel. 

Since launches and testing began in 2019, there are beach closures, fires, and explosions to contend with. Guevara sees rocket detritus and noise spoiling one of Texas’s least developed coastlines, a stunning matrix of public lands and wildlife refuges where migrating birds visit and imperiled birds, sea turtles, and mammals live. She notices white-collar arrivals gentrifying her U.S.-Mexico border city, where poverty rates are high.

“We’re forcing this idea we need to colonize Mars, when in reality all we’re doing is colonizing Brownsville,” says Guevara, a South Texas Environmental Justice Network member. “People who have enough money to make money off of this think it’s a great idea. The rest of us, we’re just seeing this facility create more and more negative impacts.”

Concerns mounted in the last year as locals and environmentalists urged the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to prepare an environmental impact statement for launches of SpaceX’s experimental Starship Super Heavy rockets at Boca Chica. In June, the FAA laid out 75 mitigation actions the company must take to get a go-ahead, but found a deeper review wasn’t needed. The decision flabbergasted Jared Margolis, a Center for Biological Diversity senior attorney, who says many actions don’t go far enough or are already required by law. David Newstead, who monitors birds for the Coastal Bend Bays and Estuaries Program, has already correlated declines of the area’s Piping Plovers to launch activity at the site. “Nothing mitigates the damage done already,” he says of the FAA’s finding [...].

The high-stakes conflict is one of several created by the private space industry’s global growth [...]. Last year, for example, the FAA approved a contentious plan to fly rockets over Georgia’s Cumberland Island National Seashore (voters later nixed the idea). Audubon Florida and nine other groups have also been alarmed by early talk of developing LC-49, a site at the edge of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, for SpaceX’s use. They fear impacts to threatened Florida Scrub-Jays and curtailed public access to Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and Canaveral National Seashore.

---

Headline, image, caption, and text published with article by: Jessica Leber. “From Ground to Orbit, Space Industry’s Lift-Off Sparks Environmental Concerns.” Audobon Magazine. Fall 2020. [Story originally ran in the Fall 2022 issue as “To Leave the Earth Behind”.]

[underthegreensky]

I just found out Georgia has a sea turtle center. I'm gonna plan a trip for my birthday present to myself. My heart is gonna explode 🥺

[whattheflameo]

Did you base the Yue Center off of a real aquarium?

Yes and no? Its more of a mix of several places I’ve been- the indoor/outdoor concept is something I pulled from the Clearwater Marine Aquarium (yes, where Winter lives), and the rehab yard draws from Mote Marine Labs and from just about any sea turtle rehab facility you can come across. The center tank idea seems to be common among aquariums, but in my head this one is similar to those in the New England and National Aquariums in Boston and Baltimore. Yue is, basically, what I would build a marinelife center to look like given unlimited funding and space in a relatively small town.

Now, if I had unlimited options to build and actual aquarium... Georgia, watch your back....

[leftyoudreamless]

bumper sticker reveal

whew okay!!! I’ll link to all of the ones I remember getting!

Putting it all under the cut because this post is long!!!

Here is my whole care (yes it is very dirty 💔)

ray wylie hubbard 💛, Smokey bear, some random cat by dad put on my car, and of course my pride and joy “come on Eileen? I barely know her”

“My dog is a socialist” and MILF: Man I Love Fishing (my dad ALSO put that in my car when I was out of town)

Normal pride sticker that my friend got for me and ghostfacers

CAS! That’s my favorite sticker but also my most embarrassing. and blah blah boring tourist sticker (I haven’t even been there I was just passing through)

The last picture is peppa??? Which my dad put on while I was out of town?? And a georgia sea turtle center sticker (boring but it was my first one)

Anyway that is all!! They aren’t too crazy but I do sometimes see people taking pictures of them (specifically the come on Eileen one)

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from the Center for Biological Diversity:

A new review of leatherback sea turtle science concludes that seven distinct populations of leatherback sea turtles face a high extinction risk. The National Marine Fisheries Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today a finding that all seven leatherback sea turtle populations remain endangered, denying a petition by the commercial fishing industry to relax some protections.

If trends continue, the review found, U.S. leatherback sea turtles in the Atlantic will decline by half within 30 years. Pacific annual nest counts at the two most important beaches (Jamursba-Medi and Wermon, both in Indonesia) declined annually by 5.7% and 2.3% respectively in the most recent monitoring period.

“Giant leatherback sea turtles won’t make it into the next century unless we help them now,” said Catherine Kilduff, an attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. “This announcement shows we’re not doing enough to save leatherback sea turtles or protect their habitat. To save these magnificent creatures, we have to confront the problems they face, from climate change and plastic pollution to lethal entanglement in fishing nets.”

Today’s announcement confirmed that seven distinct populations of leatherback sea turtles exist around the world, and all meet the definition for endangered species. The species is already listed as endangered throughout its range under the Endangered Species Act. The Services did not propose changes to the existing global listing.

Fishing gear remains the primary threat to leatherback sea turtles. The vast majority of deaths occur outside of U.S. waters, in gillnet fisheries off the nesting beaches in Trinidad.

Leatherback entanglements off the U.S. East Coast are regular occurrences. A recent video of U.S. marine authorities freeing an entangled leatherback shows how difficult rescues can be. Estimates indicate that approximately 622,000 vertical lines are deployed from fishing gear in U.S. waters from Georgia to the Gulf of Maine. There are currently no mitigation measures to prevent leatherback entanglements in vertical fishing lines in the Atlantic.

[atlantainfo]

Atlanta is a Place You Will Love to Visit

Atlanta Georgia has many tourist attractions and activities that can be enjoyed by all. Atlanta is known for its history, culture, and people, which make this place a perfect destination for a weekend getaway. There are many hotels in Atlanta that offer discounts on hotel rooms and travel to Atlanta.

The Chattahoochee River runs through Atlanta, which provides some of the best river boat trips in the United States. Tourists can enjoy a trip aboard the Chattahoochee River Cruise, which provides sightseeing of the city, historic sites, and the historic Chattahoochee River. One of the best ways to see Atlanta is to spend some time aboard the Riverboat tour that leaves from the Chattahoochee River Visitors Center. There are tours available at various times of the day so that a tourist will have the chance to experience different times of the day. Tourists will also find the Riverboat tour to be one of the most memorable trips they have ever taken.

One of the places that tourists should definitely not miss is the Atlanta Aquarium. It is located in the Midtown Historic District in Atlanta. There is an exhibit that features the local wildlife. If you are looking to see a dolphin or a turtle, you can check out the Sea World in the Southeast part of the Aquarium. The exhibit is very educational and interesting to watch.

One of the famous landmarks in Atlanta is the Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Stadium is located in Downtown Atlanta near the Centennial Olympic Park. The Stadium is one of the biggest stadiums in the world that is used for various sports events including football games.

Atlanta is well known for its restaurants. There are several restaurants in the city, such as Ole Smokehouse BBQ, the Buford Highway Inn, and the Old Fourth Ward restaurant. There are also a number of popular sports bars in Atlanta, such as Hooters, Chili's, and the Atlanta Marriott Marquis Hotel.

Atlanta has many museums and art galleries that are located throughout the city. Some of the famous galleries in Atlanta are the Atlanta History Center, the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, and the Turner Museum of African American History. The Atlanta Botanical Garden, Atlanta History Center, and the Atlanta Jewish Museum are also some of the important places that tourists should visit in Atlanta. For those who want to enjoy a good night, they can attend the Atlanta Symphony concerts, or Atlanta Falcons football games.

Atlanta has many world class movie theaters. They are located throughout the city including Centennial Olympic Park and Turner Field. The Atlanta Film Center is also located downtown in the heart of the Atlanta, and is an excellent place to catch movies. There are also movie theaters in the suburbs.

For those who are looking for a good business investment, Atlanta offers a variety of different business opportunities. They include real estate, hospitality, education, fashion design, marketing, and technology.

Real Estate Atlanta is one of the fastest growing industries in Atlanta and is one of the largest in the Southeast. Atlanta realtors offer a range of services, ranging from commercial and residential properties, to luxury condos. They also provide property management services for their clients.

Hospitality Atlanta has been a leading industry in Atlanta since it began. They offer various services such as wedding services, corporate events, and private functions, catering, and event planning, travel arrangements, spa and salon services. They are also a well-known catering company. They also offer catering services for many other events such as sporting events, weddings, reunions, birthdays, and anniversaries.

Fashion design Atlanta is a big industry in Atlanta and is a rapidly growing industry. Many people in Atlanta are very famous for their clothing and fashion design. Atlanta has a wide range of different designers and apparel manufacturers, which cater to all different tastes.

Education Atlanta is also one of the fastest-growing industries, and provides programs for many different types of students and adults, such as high school, community colleges, universities, and colleges. They also offer accredited degree programs to their students and provide scholarships.

[mwcowan]

Mark & Georgia’s Big Trip

Chapter Seven – Miscellaneous Ramblings II

Another busy week, but that’s become the norm. At least this week we saw good progress towards getting everything together that we’ve been trying to get together. But not much of a theme so just some thoughts on the important events of the week.

Caretakers

The biggest milestone this week was that we selected and hired our housekeeper and caretaker. Plus their two boys – we will soon have a new family in our home, and we’re very excited. You’ll soon meet Ranny and Pina, and their boys Prince Denver and Ethan, who will take up residence in our caretaker’s apartment.

Ranny (pronounced “Ronny” – remember that the vowels AEIOU are pronounced here, without exception, Ah, Eh, Ee, Oh, Oo) for the previous seven years has worked as a groundskeeper for Kawayan Cove so he comes with excellent gardening and tree maintenance chops. Pina has been a homemaker, is a great cleaner and a good cook; Georgia says she’s a good student and will quickly learn our favorite dishes. She already knows that I like fresh fruit every morning – half the battle’s won already! Prince Denver (8 yrs) and Ethan (4 yrs) are just normal boys, though very polite. I think it’s going to be fun having them around.

Capiz

Capiz is both a province in the Philippines, on Panay Island, as well as an oyster from the area known for its special shell. A capiz oyster is on the left, the harvested and cleaned shell on the right. One shell of the oyster is flat, growing to 3-5 inches in diameter, and importantly, translucent.

You find all sorts of items here made from capiz – Christmas ornaments, outdoor lights, ashtrays, you name it. When we lived in the Bay Area, Georgia always said you could tell a Filipino’s house because of the capiz lights in the trees. Harvesting and producing craft items from the shells is today the principal livelihood of the people of Capiz. Historically, capiz is important in Philippines heritage and culture, one that’s given away by the Capiz oyster’s Western name: windowpane oyster. For thousands of years the shell served as the “glass” in Filipino windows; many older homes still feature these windows today.

So why this story about capiz? On this week’s trip to Manila, we were wandering around a mall and walked into an antique store. Stacked against the back wall we found a number of dusty old capiz windows. The shop owner had no hard information about their provenance but said they were likely from the 1800’s. They looked it; the Narra and Molave wood was weathered but the craftsmanship was still evident and not of this century. No nails or screws, the window frames are joined with hand-made mortise and tenons, held with wooden pegs. The capiz was dirty, but almost 100% intact – it looks fragile but is actually pretty sturdy stuff. We’re not sure yet what we’ll do with them, but we now have three panels. After an afternoon spent cleaning them we have a treasure we’ll proudly display.

Calamansi

I don’t think Calamansi has been featured in my Strange Fruit of the Day series; it’s really not that strange anyway. Calamansi is the citrus fruit of the Philippines. About ¾ to one inch in size, they look a lot like a key lime but aren’t limes. The insides and juice are orange, but they’re not oranges. They aren’t lemons either, they’re just Calamansi. They flavor many Filipino dishes: you’ll typically squeeze one onto your Pancit before eating, or onto your grilled fish, and they’re often an ingredient in the dipping sauces served with many dishes.

There are no limes here, so I had a dilemma: how to make a proper Gin and Tonic. Finding decent gin was easy (S&R/Costco), and after searching a few stores I found tonic water. But no limes. Calamansi to the rescue! I’m now able to enjoy my favorite summer cocktail. And it’s always summer here! Cheers!

The Massage Table

Massage is a way of life in the Philippines. Go to almost any beach and there will be massage tents set up, in the city there are plenty of establishments, or just call for home service. My only complaint, actually my neck’s complaint, is that the traditional Filipino massage is performed on a flat bed, not a massage table. You’ll sometimes find a real massage table but it’s rare. Fast forward to our weekly trip to S&R, and there it was! My neck had a sudden seizure as I tried to walk past, so into the cart it went! We set it up on the “meditation deck” and brought in a masseuse that Hervé and Lett turned us on to. She’s expensive, about $12 an hour, but good. Very good. Ahhhhhhhh, heaven!

Friends with Furniture

Our friends from Manila, Noel and Michelle Tanada, who have been mentioned before in my blogs (they’re the members at the Balesin Island Club with whom we’ve had some memorable trips) visited us yesterday. I don’t think I’ve ever said much about them. Michelle is a former local TV star/singer; after that career a serial entrepreneur, starting and running businesses in the advertising field. Noel was originally headed for a career in law, but left that world for his art, which encompasses traditional forms such as painting and sculpture, but his real passion lies with interior design and furniture design. In all they do they only use native and sustainable materials, or recycled materials, and always local labor. You can learn more and view some of their products at www.ecohomeart.com. They are also both active environmentalists, deeply involved with coral rehabilitation (www.coralmovement.org). This shot is with them at Balesin Island last year.

Today’s visit was more than a social call as they delivered a van full of furniture, some of the last items for our living room. We’d asked Noel to create some custom bar chairs, a breakfast table and chairs, and a credenza. Since we live in Kawayan Cove he chose a bamboo theme (kawayan is the Tagalog word for bamboo). He also brought a special floor lamp for us. All beautiful and unique pieces we’re proud to have.

House Tour

Finally all the major furniture is here and the house is feeling pretty livable (though we did fine with just a plastic card table and a mattress on the floor for the first 2 weeks…). So, I’ll wrap this up with a photo tour of our newly furnished rooms.

First up is the living room. The coffee and end tables from the acacia slab have arrived, we’re very happy with them and like the way they go with the sofa and love seat. The turtle on the coffee table is from Puerto Vallarta and has a special connection with Kawayan Cove – every fall Olive Ridley sea turtles arrive at Kawayan Cove to lay their eggs.

These are two of the barstools Noel designed for us. Using 100% native and sustainable materials, the backs feature split bamboo and the upholstery is hand-woven Tikog grass from Leyte. Besides a warm an inviting look, Tikog is durable and has a very nice, soft feel. It’s woven into many items here, historically the Banig which is the traditional Filipno sleeping mat.

Also in the same style and materials are this breakfast table and chairs. Noel feels the table design is sexy, resembling a woman’s curves. You decide!

One of Noel’s more creative pieces is this dramatic floor lamp, reflected in our corner windows. The lamp is made of water hyacinth reeds. Beyond being a sustainable material, the use of water hyacinth has an additional benefit as it’s a nuisance here, growing quickly and clogging rivers and harbors.

New in our master bedroom is this computer desk, made of mahogany from our design by Boyet, one of the construction foremen for our contractor. Boyet also made all of the cabinets in the house.

Our small guest bedroom, the one with the great view, has two new side tables of acacia, which we picked up pre-made at the same place where we got our slab. Note the baskets on the wall, which made their way here from the White Sulphur Springs Ranch rummage sale!

Last up is our second guest bedroom. In trade for the lack of a view you get a larger room, with a sofa and coffee table, which is the final piece of our acacia slab. Any of you who visited the Mokawk Community Resource Center last fall will recognize two paintings by Tyler Jacobsen, and a woven wall hanging by Salli Wise. Sorry the bed’s not made, we’ll make sure that’s done before you arrive!