Two Global Crossroad Projects Offer Volunteers a Chance of Lifetime With nesting season quickly approaching, two Global Crossroad projects prepare for an influx of sea turtles and volunteers. Between the months of July and October, five species of sea turtles return to the beaches where they were born to lay their eggs.
Volunteers coming to work with the sea turtle protection project or the eco-tourism project will get to see the arrival of hundreds of sea turtles, something few others will ever experience. Every year, Panama sees the arrival of five species of threatened or endangered sea turtles: Green, Hawksbill, Leatherback, Olive Ridley, and Loggerhead. In Panama, sea turtle eggs, and sometimes the turtles themselves, are considered a delicacy, and the eggs are often stolen by poachers and eaten, greatly diminishing the number of turtles that make it to the ocean. Panamanians, and Global Crossroad volunteers, are working to protect these gentle creatures. Volunteers working with the eco-tourism group will get to witness first-hand the arrival of these marine animals. Volunteers will help community members clean the beach and protect the turtle eggs from natural predators. While the turtles and their eggs have been at the heart of a struggle between government agencies and the people of the island, the turtles remain a big part of the lives of the islanders. Volunteers heading to the turtle conservation project will have more opportunity for hands-on learning. The turtle conservation group patrols the beach a few nights a week, looking for sea turtles that have dug a nest to lay eggs. Volunteers will help the group members collect the eggs and bury them in the artificial nursery. When the baby sea turtles hatch, volunteers can witness the hatchlings beginning their journey across the beach and into the ocean.
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