Sea Turtle Conservation in Greece

The drive from Thessaloniki to Kefalonia, an island in the Ionion Sea just off  the coast of the Peloponese, started with a slight hiccup! I was supposed to get  a ferry on June 1st from Lefkada to Kefalonia, but due to bad weather in the  morning, all ferry services were canceled for the day–even though when I  arrived it was bright and sunny. So, I managed to break up my  long journey  and enjoy the beautiful scenery and sunny, warm weather of Lefkada.

Arriving in Kefalonia at 10am on June 2nd, I made my may to Kateleios and the environmental center I would be working at. The beaches I passed were beautiful; glittering waves crashed on the shore, the landscape was clear and the people I passed were happy. I immediately felt at home and comfortable with my surroundings, and this feeling was fortified when I met my colleagues.

There are people from all over. The leader of the project is Italian and there are people working here on the project from New Zealand, Canada, Finland, Switzerland, USA, England, Ireland, Scotland and Germany. we have had a few false crawls onto the beaches, where mother turtles come up to nest but get scared away by noise, light or smells or don’t like the spot they’ve exited. We hope to see a nest very soon, within the next few days at least because there has been a lot of turtle activity.

There is a lot of work involved, with a lot of physical exercise but it is definitely rewarding. I should have some pictures up soon, and some more detail on the shifts that we do and what is involved!