NJ to FLA in Summer 2007

Jersey cousins pay a visit

Posted July 27, 2007

Dan, Julie, Christine and Andy flew down from New Jersey in late July for a brief vacation trip and to visit with Nanette and Courtney.

Andy, Christine, Julie, Courtney, Nanette and Dan visit the pier at Juno Beach after sunset.

The travelers had just two full days to enjoy some of the sights and to catch up with the Florida branch of the family, but had a fine time doing so.

The main point of interest, of course, was the new home of the Loggerhead Marinelife Center, where Nanette is executive director.

Andy, Christine and Julie are among the visitors checking out the turtles.

The opening of the new facility has kept Nanette extremely busy for more than a year, but the work has paid off well. The beautiful new center, which combines medical and rehabilitation facilities for sea turtles with education exhibits for the public, is clearly a big success, drawing large numbers of visitors even in the off-season.

Nanette and Courtney played hosts for dinner one night at their lovely home, and the group dined out the second night alongside the Intercoastal Waterway.

Between visits with the cousins and the turtles, Dan, Julie, Christine and Andy took a couple of boat tours to see some of Florida's natural beauty. One was an excursion up the Loxahatchee River in Jonathan Dickinson State Park to the former site where a character known as Trapper Nelson lived off the land and entertained tourists by wrestling alligators, handling snakes and exhibiting local wildlife.

The other trip was on an airboat through a section of the Everglades. The boat glided smoothly and swiftly over water and grass, stop-ing frequently for some good glimpses at alligators and other wildlife. (As seen in the photo above, the passengers wear headphones because of the noise of the airboat propeller.)

The riders saw somewhere between a half-dozen and a dozen gators, plus herons and other birds and a river turtle or two. It was a great way to experience some of the real Florida.

An alligator meanders along a canal in the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge in the Everglades.

The Loggerhead Marinelife Center moved into its new facility in April, and held an official dedication ceremony June 9. Nanette is executive director of the center, a sea turtle rehabilitation and education facility on the oceanfront in Juno Beach.

The center's Web site has a page full of photos of the new facility and the dedication ceremony.

Here is the center's press release on the opening of the new facility:

Juno Beach, Fla. (May 2, 2007) — The Loggerhead Marinelife Center and its patients have successfully moved into their new facility and are preparing to meet guests in their new home. An official dedication ceremony has been set for Saturday, June 9 at 8:30 am.

Palm Beach County Commissioner Karen Marcus, Town of Juno Beach Mayor, city officials and Loggerhead Marinelife Center supporters, board, staff and volunteers will all be on hand to officially open the doors and raise the flags for the first time.

The move to the new 12,000 sq. foot facility took place a few days ago by a group of dedicated volunteers and movers from Two Men and a Truck. Five sea turtles, 20 hawksbill hatchlings, fish and other sea creatures moved in to the new facility just a few hundred yards from their current home.

“We are tremendously grateful for the outpouring of support the LMC has received. We are thrilled to provide more educational and exhibit space for the community. It will take some time to acclimate the turtles to their new homes and work out all of the kinks, so we ask the public to be forgiving if we open and close sporadically these first few weeks as the safety and health of our patients always come first,” said Nanette Lawrenson, Executive Director.

The centerpiece of the new facility is the new interactive exhibition hall. The 1,200 square foot hall is a six-fold increase over the current exhibit space. Visible from all directions, the exhibition hall rises to a second story, greatly complimenting the exterior look of the facility. It is within this hall that visitors from around the world will experience a variety of educational displays and exhibits that will impart informative biological information, the importance of healthy coastal environments, and the historical significance of the Center.

Once through the exhibit hall, patrons will move outdoors to the turtle rehabilitation yard to see the resident sea turtle patients. Six large new turtle tanks with windows for viewing encircle the yard with additional tanks along the back side. The focal point of the turtle yard will be the two 70 ft. X 90 ft. custom murals created by Guy Harvey which will be installed in the coming months.

The new campus, which broke ground in August 2005, cost $4 million to build and another $2 million for exhibits and equipment. Funding for the new campus was made possible through a $1.7 million Palm Beach County Recreation and Cultural Facilities Bond, $500,000 from Seven Kings Holdings, Inc., Florida Power & Light Company and multiple private donors, foundations and businesses.

The new Center will triple the capacity to host school children for field trips, guided educational tours, classes, and camps and other educational programs; will create unique internship opportunities for college and university students from this region and from marine science programs and organizations around the world and provide larger exhibition areas, new classrooms, and comprehensive treatment, surgery and observation areas, for greater public access and education and ultimately greater public awareness.

The new Center hours are 10 am – 5 pm Monday thru Saturday; 12 pm - 4 pm Sunday. The Loggerhead Marinelife Center, a nonprofit organization, is committed to the conservation of marine life through public education, research and rehabilitation with a focus on threatened and endangered sea turtles. In addition to providing educational programs, the Loggerhead Marinelife Center operates a sea turtle rehabilitation program, and features aquariums and other marine exhibits and is located at 14200 US Highway One in Juno Beach. For more information visit www.marinelife.org or call 561-627-8280.