Our Mission
"To advocate for and rescue sea turtles, preserve their critical habitats, and educate and inspire the public to drive meaningful change — all while remaining free of political influence to uphold the integrity of conservation efforts."
S.T.O.P. rescues disoriented hatchlings in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Our program has reduced the hatchling mortality rate by over 50% in Broward County. Our FWC certified nighttime survey volunteers monitor sea turtle nests and count the number of hatchlings that emerge. Hatchlings that go east to the ocean are left alone. Hatchlings that disorient to lights are documented and recovered in buckets. Rescued hatchlings are released into the sea or taken to Gumbo Limbo Nature Center in Boca Raton.
We record the data with mobile devices in real-time using an app. Since 2007, S.T.O.P. volunteers have bucketed over 300,000 hatchlings that disoriented to lights on Broward County beaches.
However, S.T.O.P.’s all night, volunteer rescue campaign is not the solution; correct, safe, and night-healthy lighting is. Therefore, the focus of our program is to ensure the turtles do not lose their lives until municipalities adhere to and enforce the existing coastal light ordinances, as required by the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Turtle Protection Act.
We help to educate the public by hosting sea turtle nesting habitat awareness and lighting workshops and offer presentations to schools, organizations, and local businesses to increase sea turtle awareness. With our feet on the sand, we interact with tens of thousands of beach-goers each year during our nightly campaigns, providing them with helpful tips to avoid being a disturbance while on the nesting habitat. We also provide carefully controlled, guided eco-tours to reduce incidental interactions, that could have negative consequences for the animals.
We aim to provide solutions, to balance the scales and give the hatchlings a chance to begin their life.
