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His achievements include initiating some of the earliest sea turtle conservation measures in the USA, from establishing some of the earliest and longest running sea turtle nest monitoring programs, to nest protection, and head-starting. He was so effective at getting the word out that turtles should be protected, that an avid beach home owner once mistook him for a poacher and turned her garden hose on him when he was checking a turtle nest. He was fortunate to live long enough to see some of the impacts of his work. Green turtles, a species he spent a great deal of time and effort protecting, have started to increase from the very depleted numbers that he recognized in the late 1950s. Today, there has been an increase in number of nesting turtles now visiting Florida’s beaches that measures 1-2 orders of magnitude since Witham started his work. These increases match in time the period required for some of the hatchlings Ross protected through head-starting and nest protection, to mature into turtles now nesting on our beaches.

Ross authored more than 30 professional papers about aspects of sea turtle and spiny lobster biology. But, long before it became fashionable for professional scientists to communicate with the public, Ross wrote a children’s book on sea turtles and actively involved children and the general public in sea turtle protection. He coached countless volunteers (including children, retirees, and academics) on how to identify and protect sea turtles. There are few biologists in Florida over 20 who did not receive some training and encouragement from Ross to excel in the field. His advice was not uniformly what one wanted to hear but it always had value, reflecting his years of experience and his intension to provide thoughtful input.

Perhaps what many of us will miss most are wonderful conversations with Ross about Florida’s beaches, and Florida’s turtles prior to World War II. He was years ahead of his time, not only in management but also in experience. He was an effective communicator who simply, and directly, told the story of sea turtles to a wide audience that today is largely responsible for maintaining the programs and enthusiasm for protecting these species that characterizes sea turtle conservation today. And he did this “his way” – as a naturalist who recognized the importance, beauty and inherent fascination of the story Florida’s wildlife had to tell to future generations. Ross would take delight in telling us how things used to be, but was never fazed by change (for example, learning how to use computers when he was in his 60s.) The central message was how to use all of the tools (past and present) for effective conservation. Ross did just that, and did it with style, grace, and enthusiasm that simply never was lost.
Ross Witham worked on sea turtle conservation for more than 30 years. After his retirement from DNR, Ross and his wife of more than 58 years, Mabel, traveled widely throughout the USA. A memorial has been established at the Environmental Studies Center in Jensen Beach, Florida. His ashes are to be scattered in the ocean this summer when this year’s cohort of green turtle hatchlings are swimming offshore to start their pelagic lives.