Monday, December 29, 2025

Dear Sea Turtle Friend,

It's been a floriferous year at the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center. With 167 turtles admitted so far, this is our second highest year ever of sea turtle admissions. Furthermore, this month has been our busiest December to date, with 63 cold-stunned turtles brought in for care. Each turtle is a precious bloom and we've loved tending our garden of beautiful turtles. With your help, we are working hard to rehabilitate and release as many of them as possible back to the wild.

As our year of flowers and plants comes to an end, we need YOU to help to choose our 2026 sea turtle naming theme! We had to work hard to come up with categories that have enough choices, and I think you'll enjoy considering the finalists.

Please click on the button below to choose your favorite sea turtle naming theme.

Hurry - Selections close at 11:59 pm on December 31!

Thanks for helping to choose our 2026 Sea Turtle Naming Theme.

Best fishes,

Kathy Zagzebski

Executive Director

The Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center

kzagzebski@seaturtlehospital.org

P.S. Pictured is Amaryllis, a juvenile green turtle suffering from cold stunning. Amaryllis stranded on December 15 at Cape Lookout National Seashore. The turtle was rescued by Cape Lookout Rangers and triaged at the NC State Center for Marine Sciences. On December 16, the turtle was transported to KBSTRRC for ongoing care and named in accordance with the 2025 naming theme that you helped select - flowers and plants. You can help rehabilitate future turtles like Amaryllis by making a tax-deductible year end donation to help us purchase a veterinary intensive care unit that can warm cold-stunned turtles. Thank you!

This conservation work for protected sea turtles at KBSTRRC is authorized by

the NC Wildlife Resources Commission, ES Permit 25ST05.