CityView Magazine

Discover Our State Above | Large tanks hold the turtles until they are able to be released back into their natural habitats, the warm waters of the Atlantic Ocean. 29. Ten years later, Beasley received the Animal Planet Hero of the Year award for her tireless efforts. Along the way, the retired teacher and a dedicated group of volunteers have become adept at plumbing, aquatic systems design and maintenance. “It’s like working in an emergency room run by MacGyver,” says volunteer Karen Sota. “People like MacGyver use what they have to make things happen, and when we get a turtle in here, we’ll say, ‘Let’s see … we have some Q-tips, duct tape and some gauze.’ How can we fix this? “You never know what’s going to walk through the door. Jean has been down there sometimes at one or two o’clock in the morning, dealing with an injury of some sort.” Dr. Craig Harms is the center’s on-call veterinarian and an associate professor at the College of Veterinary Medicine at North Carolina State University. “The space (is) not impressive,” he said, “but the drive behind it to make that mission work is impressive …. These are retired ladies who have learned to become some of the best (turtle) wound care specialists in the country.” Sea turtles are an endangered species in the United States, and while many of their “cold stun” injuries are the result of venturing a little further north than they should, most of their injuries are Above | Visitors are welcome during the summer months. inflicted by humans: encounters with boat propellers or fishing accidents in which nylon line can come within inches of tearing off a flipper or a hook can become embedded in a mouth. “The turtles tell us about our own environment,” Beasley says, “and what they’re telling us is not good. If there’s no safe environment for them, what hope is there for other species?” The sea turtle center receives no federal or state funding and is maintained, as Beasley puts it, “through the generosity of those who contribute.” Their work may only be a small gesture in the face of possible extinction, but every little bit helps. “Little gestures can have cascading consequences,” Beasley says, adding that it’s not just about saving turtles but CityViewNC.com | 59

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