Today marks the final day of the 35th Annual Symposium on Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation. 

The annual, five-day symposium is hosted by the International Sea Turtle Society and draws participants from around the world, across various disciplines and cultures for one common purpose and objective: the conservation of sea turtles and their environments. The symposium encourages discussion and debate, while providing a venue to share knowledge and best practices. Each year the symposium attracts around 1,000 participants. 

This year’s event was hosted in Sarigerme, in the province of Mugla, along the southwestern coast of Turkey. This region is also home to Iztuzo Beach (Turtle Beach), one of the main nesting beaches for loggerhead sea turtles in the Mediterranean. 

This year, Kerri Allen, LMC's Education Manager, and I attended the event. Kerri presented on the Center's Title 1 programming in a presentation titled, "Breaking Down Barriers in Sea Turtle Education: Passport and Passport Ambassador Programs Reach Broader Demographics at Loggerhead Marinelife Center," while I presented the Center's "Responsible Pier Initiative." We both had the opportunity to spread LMC's mission, develop opportunities for future collaborations, and learn about many exciting projects happening around the globe. 

This year’s event was truly one of the best I've attended. Turkey is an absolutely beautiful country and the people were extremely friendly and welcoming. ISTS President, Yakup Kasa, and his planning team truly did an amazing job to put together such a great event. 

I'm already looking forward to next year’s symposium in Peru!