Sandbar Lecture: Sea Turtle Research on Bald Head Island

Enjoy lifelong learning fun throughout August at the Museum of Coastal Carolina’s weekly Sandbar Lecture Series! Every Tuesday at 6:00 pm, Sandbar Lectures inspire curiosity about regional history, coastal ecosystems, and diverse wildlife. Local subject matter experts facilitate lively and interactive presentations about a variety of fascinating topics for all visitors:

On August 20,Paul Hillbrand of Bald Head Island Conservancy will lead a discussion of sea turtle conservation and research on Bald Head Island. Established in 1983 in cooperation with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission and the National Marine Fisheries Service, the Bald Head Island Conservancy’s (BHIC) Sea Turtle Protection Program (STPP) is nationally recognized for its long-term sea turtle monitoring program.

During nightly patrols throughout nesting season, the STPP Team’s goal is to tag and identify every individual nesting turtle that comes ashore using a standardized data collection protocol. These efforts have produced an invaluable 40+ year dataset that allows the Conservancy’s biologists and collaborators to conduct studies on the reproductive ecology, migration, and population trends of nesting sea turtles.

Sea Turtle Biologist and Sandbar Lecture speaker Paul Hillbrand is in his sixth season at the Bald Head Island Conservancy on Bald Head Island, North Carolina. Hillbrand received a B.S. in Biology and a minor in Chemistry from Avila University in Kansas City and his M.S. in Marine and Environmental Science from the University of the Virgin Islands in St. Thomas.

Throughout his career he has worked with a variety of sea turtle species including Greens, Hawksbills, Kemp’s Ridleys, Loggerheads, and Leatherbacks in labs, rehab hospitals, and beaches throughout Florida, the U.S. Virgin Islands and North Carolina.

All one-hour Sandbar lectures are free with Museum admission. Visit the Museum website for current admission rates.