Come see the sea turtles begin to swim home

There remains deep concern about how rare sea turtles fared in the Gulf of Mexico oil leak. But here’s a little good news about the beloved beasts:

About twenty sea turtles trapped in cold waters last winter will be released into the ocean at Cape Cod's Dowses Beach in Osterville on Wednesday, Aug, 18 at 5 p.m.

In a rare treat – and to help celebrate a generation-old partnership among rescue and rehabilitation groups - the public is invited to watch the turtles disappear into the sea for their eventual journey south. (Some scientists expect the oil to be largely gone by the time the turtles arrive in the Gulf while others remain deeply worried about the long-term damage of dispersants used there).

At the end of every summer sea turtles can get trapped off Cape Cod. The animals’ body temperature declines as the water temperature does and they become lethargic.
If the turtles are lucky, they wash up on beaches where more than 100 volunteers affiliated with Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary and staff there comb beaches to find them each winter. The near-death turtles are then brought to designated turtle rehabilitation centers to be treated for hypothermia, pneumonia, dehydration, shell and bone fractures, and infections.

Volunteers who rescued the turtles will be at the release. Parking is free after 4:30 p.m.

Here are directions: Dowses Beach is on East Bay Road off Main s\Street in Osterville. Look for Fancy’s Market: if driving West, take the left right before the Market; if heading East, take your first right after the Market. [Note: there is no street sign so the Market is an important landmark.]

Caption: A recent release of the world's most endangered sea turtle.