- December 8, 2025
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As planned, the City Island-based marine animal conservation facility is hard at work caring for creatures in need, and the Longboat Key Turtle Watch is helping boost those efforts.
The group's members gave three checks totaling nearly $12,000 to support rehabilitation and education efforts at Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium.
The City Island facility closed to the public after the organization shifted its outreach efforts to Mote SEA in east Sarasota. But the building on the island still houses sea turtles recovering from boat collisions, cold shock and other ailments.
On Dec. 5, LKTW gave three checks to Mote to support turtle rehabilitation. The contribution included $5,000 for the Sea Turtle Conservation and Research Program, $3,900 for educational outreach — $3,500 of which is for Mote Education and $400 of which is for the Orville Clayton Scholarship program — and $3,064 for the Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Hospital and Stranding Investigations Program.
Lynne Byrd, Mote's rehabilitation and medical care manager, said the contribution will be especially helpful in supporting sea turtle rescue efforts.
One particular need is upgrading their stretcher equipment for carrying turtles off the beach. An adult loggerhead sea turtle, the most common species in the area, can weigh anywhere from 155 to 412 pounds, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
"The new stretchers will aid in picking up turtles that are stranded in the wild, to return them, and to weigh them during the rehab process," she explained. "It's vitally important that we have good stretchers. All of ours in numerous sizes have gone through a lot of wear and tear, and this will help us replace them."
The equipment will be especially helpful as colder temperatures cause cold shock issues for turtles traveling northward. Byrd noted rescuers saw several boat collisions this summer, and she reminded drivers how imperative it is they consistently scan the water's surface through polarized sunglasses to avoid running into turtles.
Cyndi Seamon, vice president of the Longboat Key Turtle Watch, said she is proud that a group of their size can make a sizable annual contribution.
The group collects funds through shirt sales and turtle nest sponsorships.
