The world according to me....

Several cell phone calls. Three-way negotiating. A late-night meeting at the parking lot of McDonald’s in Plymouth. An exchange.

No, this is not drug deal or information espionage. It is just another chapter in the long history of rehabilitation of cold-stunned turtles in North Carolina. In the current case, five turtles needed to be moved on short notice from Manteo (where they were treated) to Beaufort (where they will board a ship to be released into the Gulf Stream). As often happens, the volunteer organization N.E.S.T. stepped in and helped out, and Don was tapped to make the drive and meet Wendy and me halfway. The following morning, we will collect the other four rehabilitated turtles from Pine Knoll Shores, and bring all nine turtles to the boat that will take them out to the Gulf Stream. This is but a small part of the larger picture. There are dozens of folks in the North Carolina sea turtle stranding network who work tirelessly to ensure that turtles are successfully treated, rehabilitated and released. Our success is really their success. And once we finish with this release, we will start thinking about the next round of rehabilitated turtles to be released, most likely from the beach…