Amelia
Release date: 6/8/2022
Release location: Casey Key, FL
Amelia is an adult female green sea turtle who was observed nesting and received a satellite tag on Casey Key in the early morning hours of June 21, 2019. This was the first time Amelia has been observed nesting, and she received flipper tags and a microchip so that scientists can identify her after her satellite tag come off. Amelia was tracked to her foraging grounds in the Marquesas Keys, Florida, where she likely rubbed off her tag. We spotted Amelia nesting again on Casey Key on June 8, 2022 and attached another satellite tag to her. She is being tracked again thanks to divers that recovered one of our satellite tags and returned it to us (it is being reused) and thanks to a generous donation from Cathy Paris. Amelia was named after pilot Amelia Earhart, in honor of Mote Sea Turtle Patrol volunteer Will Collins, a former pilot. Will and his wife, Sally, were longtime friends, volunteers (1985-2006), and supporters of Mote’s Sea Turtle Conservation & Research Program. Their kindness and generosity will be forever remembered and appreciated, whether they were waving as Sea Turtle Patrol passed by their home or providing a nighttime shelter to Mote’s tagging team in stormy weather.
Brenda
Release date: June 11, 2021
Release location: Casey Key, Florida
Brenda the green sea turtle was tagged with a satellite transmitter on June 11, 2021, on Casey Key. This is the first year that Mote scientists have observed Brenda, and we’re excited to learn more about her! After Brenda was tagged, she was observed nesting again on June 21 on Manasota Key with her satellite tag intact. She is being tracked thanks to a donation from Ocean & Company.
Freda2
Release date: June 5, 2021
Release location: Casey Key, Florida
Freda is an adult, female, green sea turtle who was observed nesting and received a satellite tag on Casey Key in the early morning hours of June 5, 2021. Freda was first observed nesting in 2015 on Manasota Key, where she was encountered twice that season. In 2019, Freda returned to nest on Casey Key and received a satellite tag. The satellite tag let us watch her movements as Freda continued to lay nests near Casey Key and when she was finished nesting, began traveling south. Her tag stopped transmitting off the Florida Everglades on Aug. 8, 2019, before she had reached her foraging grounds, so her whereabouts the past few years are a mystery. We are tracking Freda again thanks to a donation from the Longboat Key Turtle Watch, and we hope to learn more about how many nests she lays in a season as well as where she goes (where her foraging grounds are located) when she has completed her nesting season.
Freda was named in honor of Freda Perotta. For 25 years, Freda Perrotta has been the backbone of the Longboat Key Turtle Watch (LBKTW), and over the years, this energetic, classy lady never tired of her turtle duties. She patrolled on the beach, transported walkers, organized LBKTW T-shirt sales and evening nest excavations, ran their Name The Stake program, educated hundreds of children and adults, and recruited many of them as volunteers, all with her enthusiasm for sea turtles. One of her last active roles was that of running LBKTW’s Turtle Motel (permitted program volunteers could take baby turtles to her motel outside her condo on the beach and she would babysit them during the day until they could be released). She is now 94 and living in Skilled Nursing at Freedom Village in West Bradenton; her new title is LBKTW’s Turtle Consultant. This “Energizer Bunny” turtle volunteer was named a Lifetime Member of LBKTW, and though she now must sit in a wheelchair, she always has a turtle shirt on. Mote thanks LBKTW for their donations to the Mote Sea Turtle Tracking project.
Gigi
Release Date: 07/19/2018
Release Location: Casey Key, Florida
Gigi is an adult female green sea turtle who was observed nesting on Casey Key and was satellite tagged in the early hours of the morning of July 19, 2018. Prior to her satellite tag she was also seen nesting on Casey Key in 2010 and 2016. Gigi was one of the few green sea turtles to nest on Casey Key in 2018. Gigi’s track combined with Mote’s Turtle Patrol data indicated that she has nested six times in 2018. Afterwards, she traveled to the western coast of Cuba and on to the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico 70 miles north of Campeche, which appears to be her foraging ground. She is likely to remain in her foraging ground for a year and return to nest on Casey Key every other year. Gigi’s tag stopped transmitting on Jan. 17, 2019. Gigi is a great example of how turtles see no boundaries—she’s a tri-national turtle.
Grasshopper
Release date: July 15, 2021
Release location: Casey Key, Florida
Grasshopper is a green turtle that was first seen nesting on Casey Key in 2017, nested again in 2019, and also this year (2021)! Mote scientists applied a satellite tag to her after she nested on July 15, 2021. A little girl who just happened to see us tagging a green turtle suggested the name to us in 2019 and when we found this very boisterous sea turtle, we thought it was a perfect fit! Grasshopper is being tracked thanks to a donation from Ocean & Company.
Mildred
Release date: July 14, 2021
Release location: Casey Key, Florida
Mildred the green sea turtle was first seen on July 2, 2021, but she did not lay a nest that time so we could not apply a satellite tag. She most likely laid a nest over the next few days but our tagging team did not see her. When we saw Mildred again on July 14, 2021, she was nesting so we applied a satellite tag. Since this is the first year that Mote scientists have observed Mildred and we’re excited to learn more about her! Mildred is name for Christine Mildred, the mother of one of our Mote scientists, and as a mother with initials CM, we just had to give her name to a green sea turtle which share the initials CM because their scientific name is Chelonia mydas, but we are calling her Mildred for short. We are able to track Mildred thanks to a donation from Ocean & Company.
Sweet Pea
Release date: 6/9/2022
Release location: Casey Key, FL
Sweet Pea was the first green turtle satellite tagged by Mote back in 2007 when she was first observed nesting on Casey Key. She was tracked to her foraging grounds in the Marquesas Keys after which her tag stopped transmitting. She has been observed nesting on Casey Key and Manasota Key for the past 15 years (identified by her flipper tags and a microchip). On June 9, 2022 we spotted Sweet Pea starting her sixth nesting season and placed another satellite tag on her to track her movements during and after the nesting season. We are curious whether Sweet Pea will return to forage in the Marquesas Keys and looking forward to finding out what she can tell us about nesting green turtles in the Gulf of Mexico.
Thalia
Release Date: 05/29/2018
Release Location: Casey Key, Florida
Thalia is an adult female green sea turtle who was observed nesting on Casey Key in the early morning hours on May 29, 2019. She was first observed nesting on Manasota Key in 2015 when she received her flipper tags and a microchip for identification. Thalia is one of many turtles observed nesting on Casey Key in 2019, Thalia was named for a Greek muse who is described as joyous and flourishing. Her name also evokes Thalassia, the scientific name for the turtle grass, a seagrass eaten by green turtles. She was tracked for 63 days, during which time she traveled to foraging grounds in Florida Bay. Thaila’s tag stopped transmitting on July 31, 2019.
June
Release Date: 06/16/2019
Release Location: Casey Key, Florida
June is an adult female green sea turtle who was observed nesting and received a satellite tag on Casey Key in the early morning hours of June 16, 2019. This was the first time June has been observed nesting, and she received flipper tags and a microchip so that scientists can identify her after her satellite tag comes off. June continued to lay nests in the vicinity of Casey Key and eventually traveled south to her foraging grounds in Florida Bay, where she will likely remain for one to two years. Her tag stopped transmitting on Oct. 14, 2019, after 120 days.
June is named for Sea Turtle Patrol volunteer June McIntosh, who volunteered on Casey Key from 2012-2018. McIntosh passed away last fall and had requested that donations be sent to Mote’s tagging program in lieu of gifts. We are honored to name a turtle after June, as a tribute to her bright, happy spirit. It was easy to see how much Turtle Patrol meant to June; her dedication and enthusiasm brought joy to other volunteers and the public.
Freda
Release Date: 06/17/2019
Release Location: Casey Key, Florida
Freda is an adult female green sea turtle who was observed nesting and received a satellite tag on Casey Key in the early morning hours of June 17, 2019. Freda was first observed nesting in 2015 on Manasota Key, where she was encountered twice that season. Freda continued to lay nests near Casey Key and began traveling south, however, her tag stopped transmitting off the Florida Everglades on Aug. 8, 2019, before she had reached her foraging grounds.
Freda was named in honor of Freda Perotta. For 25 years, Freda Perrotta has been the backbone of the Longboat Key Turtle Watch (LBKTW), and over the years, this energetic, classy lady never tired of her turtle duties. She patrolled on the beach, transported walkers, organized LBKTW t-shirt sales and evening nest excavations, ran their Name The Stake program, educated hundreds of children and adults, and recruited many of them as volunteers, all with her enthusiasm for sea turtles. One of her last active roles was that of running LBKTW’s Turtle Motel (permitted program volunteers could take baby turtles to her motel outside her condo on the beach and she would babysit them during the day until they could be released). Although she is now 93 and living in Skilled Nursing at Freedom Village in West Bradenton, her new title is LBKTW’s Turtle Consultant. This “Energizer Bunny” turtle volunteer was named a Lifetime Member of LBKTW, and though she now must sit in a wheelchair, she always has a turtle shirt on. Mote thanks LBKTW for their donation to the Mote Sea Turtle Tracking project.
Amelia
Release Date: 06/21/2019
Release Location: Casey Key, Florida
Amelia is an adult female green sea turtle who was observed nesting and received a satellite tag on Casey Key in the early morning hours of June 21, 2019. This was the first time Amelia has been observed nesting, and she received flipper tags and a microchip so that scientists can identify her after her satellite tag come off. Amelia nested on Casey Key but also made a foray many miles north before traveling south to her foraging grounds in the Marquesas Keys, Florida. She was tracked 42 days until Aug. 2, 2019, when her tag stopped transmitting.
Amelia was named after pilot Amelia Earhart, in honor of Mote Sea Turtle Patrol volunteer Will Collins, a former pilot. Will and his wife Sally were longtime friends, volunteers (1985-2006), and supporters of Mote’s Sea Turtle Conservation & Research Program. Their kindness and generosity will be forever remembered and appreciated, whether they were waving as Sea Turtle Patrollers passed by or providing a nighttime shelter to Mote’s tagging team in stormy weather.
Cecil
Release Date: 07/06/2019
Release Location: Casey Key, Florida
Cecil is an adult female green sea turtle who was first observed nesting on June 26, 2019 on Casey Key, where she received two new flipper tags and a microchip for identification. By reading her tags, we were able to identify her when she returned to Casey Key to lay another nest on July 6, 2019, after which she received a satellite tag. We were surprised to see that she almost immediately traveled south and around to the Atlantic Ocean and is currently traveling north along the east coast of Florida. We believe Cecil laid several nests near the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge before traveling south to her foraging grounds in the Marquesas Keys, Florida, where she has remained until her tag stopped transmitting on June 18, 2020, nearly one year after she was tagged.
Cecil got her name thanks to Carol Bishop, who won Mote’s sea turtle naming contest in summer 2019. Cecil is named in honor of Carol’s mom.
Irene
Release Date: 06/27/2019
Release Location: Casey Key, Florida
Irene is an adult female green sea turtle who was first observed nesting on Casey Key on June 17, 2019, where she received two new flipper tags and a microchip for identification. By reading her tags, we were able to identify her when she returned to Casey Key to lay another nest on June 27, 2019, after which she received a satellite tag. Irene spent the nesting season around Casey Key and also traveled north near Siesta and Lido Keys. After nesting ended, she traveled south to foraging grounds. It appears she prefers both Florida Bay and the Marquesas Keys. Irene’s tag stopped transmitting after 126 days, on Oct. 31, 2019.
Mote thanks Charles and Melissa Swanson for their support of this tag in memory of Tom and Irene Coulter.
Cheeseball
Release Date: 07/01/2019
Release Location: Casey Key, Florida
Cheeseball is an adult female green sea turtle who was first observed nesting on Casey Key in the early morning hours on July 1, 2019, and she received a satellite tag. She also received two flipper tags and a microchip so that scientists can identify her when her satellite tag comes off. Cheeseball didn’t stick around Casey Key long and might have nested on Anna Maria Island before traveling to Tampa Bay in July and making a loop in the Gulf to head south where she may have made a stop for one last nest on Marco Island. Cheeseball continued south but surprised us as she didn’t stop in Florida Bay but continued on into the Atlantic where she was last tracked off Biscayne National Park. Her tag stopped transmitting after 34 days, on Aug. 4, 2019.
Cheeseball is named in memory of Karen Carlquist, a strong woman who was always smiling even through her battle with breast cancer. Her motto was, “It’s a beautiful day to be alive.” She lived every day to its fullest and was a self-proclaimed “Cheeseball,” savoring every moment with a silly photo, especially with her husband and four children.
Ronnie
Satellite Tag Date: 06/15/2020
Location: Casey Key, Florida
Ronnie is an adult female green sea turtle who was first observed nesting on Casey Key on June 15, 2020, when she received two new flipper tags and a microchip for identification and a satellite tag for tracking her movements. We observed her nesting several times in 2020 before she traveled to her foraging grounds in Florida Bay. Her tag stopped transmitting 58 days later on Aug. 20, 2020.
Ronnie is named in honor of the residents of the beach house in front of which she laid her first nest. Ronnie and John Enander started volunteering in 1974 to help with what is now the Mote’s Sea Turtle Conservation & Research Program (STCRP). They patrolled with Mo Wolverton to find nesting turtles at night and released hatchlings from nest inventories during the following morning. Their favorite part of patrol was seeing a nest full of empty shells from newly hatched turtles and knowing that they had made their way into the Gulf to start new lives! The Enanders are friends of STCRP and continue to help us by providing parking and shelter (for inclimate weather) to our nighttime tagging team.
Connie
Satellite Tag Date: 06/20/2020
Location: Casey Key, Florida
Connie is an adult female green sea turtle who was first observed nesting on June 28, 2019 on Casey Key, where she received two new flipper tags and a microchip for identification. She was unable to receive a satellite tag in 2019 due to a skin condition on her shell called bacterial dermatitis. By reading her tags, we were able to identify her when she returned to Casey Key to nest on June 20, 2020. This time, her shell had healed and she was able to receive a satellite tag. Connie’s tag allowed us to identify two nests prior to losing her satellite tag on Aug. 17, 2020, only 27 days later. The Sarasota County Tagging Team observed Connie nesting on Manasota Key, Florida, where she was identified by her PIT (microchip, or passive integrated transponder) and flipper tags and confirmed that the satellite tag had been lost. Connie had not yet left for her foraging grounds, so their location will remain a mystery.
Goldie
Release Date: 07/04/2020
Release Location: Casey Key, Florida
Goldie is an adult female green sea turtle who was first observed nesting on Casey Key in the early morning hours on July 4, 2020, when she received a satellite tag for tracking her movements. She also received two flipper tags and a microchip so that scientists can identify her when her satellite tag comes off. Goldie was tracked to two additional nests on Manasota Key, Florida, and then traveled to her foraging grounds in Florida Bay and the Marquesas Keys.