Waves of Progress

JUPITER, FL – October 30, 2017 –

The Mission: To promote conservation of ocean ecosystems with a special focus on threatened and endangered sea turtles.

The Vision: To be recognized locally and internationally as the leading authority in sea turtle education, research, and rehabilitation.

As a staple of our seaside community, the Loggerhead Marinelife Center (LMC) is home to the multitudes of sea turtles that inhabit our local beaches. With a long-term undertaking to research, rehabilitate, and conserve various sea turtle species, as well as educate the public on their efforts, the Center has grown near and dear to the hearts of locals. Providing a state-of-the-art facility that is free to the public seven days a week, LMC has big plans for the future.

Over the past year, LMC launched an expansion campaign in January called “Waves of Progress” with the mission to exponentially expand the facility. The quest of the campaign is to build onto the Center to increase the rehabilitation hospital and tanks (which will hold sea turtle patients), research laboratories, exhibits and classrooms, as well as enhance the facility with entertaining educational and scientific experiences for students, guests, and traveling scientists from around the globe. For those who may not know the background of the LMC, it all started with the passion of one woman who had the determination to change the lives of sea turtles forever.

THE FIRST WAVE

Over 30 years ago, LMC was brought to life by long-time Juno Beach resident Eleanor Fletcher, who later became recognized as “The Turtle Lady.” Her love for these sea creatures began from her curious nature while watching them hatch during spring and summer months along the beach. She wondered why the turtles headed landward after hatching, rather than back to the sea, thus beginning some of the earliest research on sea turtles in the Jupiter area. In addition, Eleanor saw the wildlife becoming endangered by man as buildings were steadily constructed closer and closer to the shoreline, therefore eliminating the natural area utilized for sea turtle nesting grounds. Concerned for the turtles’ safety, she knew it was her mission to educate school children on the need for conservation and protection of the marine creatures and our beaches alike.

In 1972, Eleanor began her mission by teaching classes in the comfort of her own home in hopes of gaining traction to the topic. By 1983, her program had grown and become so successful that she decided to open up a museum named the Children’s Museum of Juno Beach. The facility was in an old home in Loggerhead Park where only a few tanks were available for guests to view and learn about the sea turtles. In 1990, due to the popularity of the museum, its name was changed to The Marinelife Center of Juno Beach to reflect the expansion that Eleanor’s mission had gained. Then, in April 2007, the Center moved into the 12,000-square-foot facility that it resides in today and was officially named the Loggerhead Marinelife Center. The success of Eleanor’s efforts to transform Jupiter’s beaches and sea turtles’ lives is seen daily within the Center and will continue to flourish with the substantial expansion that is to come.

THE WAVE TRAIN

As a “green” facility, LMC currently provides a full veterinary hospital, resource center, research lab, gift store, multi-purpose room for summer camp and birthday parties, walk-through exhibit hall, and an outdoor classroom area where patrons can view some of the rescued and rehabilitating sea turtles in tanks. With around 30 full-time staff members and over 300 volunteers on hand, there are many resources and ways to get involved. Yet with the doubling-of-size expansion from the “Waves of Progress” campaign, the Center will further excel in their mission and vision as mentioned before.

Juno Beach is one of the most important and densely populated sea turtle nesting areas in North America that is home to over 16,000 turtle nests as of last year. This reason weighed heavily into the decision that ignited the motive for the major revamp.

“We are one of the most important sea turtle ‘hot spots’ in the world,” affirms Lynne Wells, capital campaign director and board member of LMC. “As we have continued to thrive in our Center, we quickly found that we were developing pioneering treatments that are now being used all over the world. We have grown rapidly within these walls and as we see the future, we see the need for this expansion.”

In addition to visiting the beloved sea turtles at LMC, Jupiter locals excitedly flock to Juno Beach to see these rehabilitated turtles be released back into the ocean

Currently home to 15 tanks, and treating up to 100 turtles and 1,000 hatchlings a year, the new facility will allow the patient capacity to double, resulting in many more lives saved, as well as advanced sea turtle research with the expansion of the hospital. With a waiting list that does not cease to decrease, LMC takes in sea turtles from all over the country year-round. From local waters to northern cities such as Cape Cod, all turtles are welcomed due to the facility’s world-renowned, high-tech hospital.

One of the many reasons why LMC is internationally known, is due to the work of Veterinarian and Director of Research and Rehabilitation, Dr. Charles Manire. He created a medical treatment method of giving total parenteral nutrition (TPN) to sea turtles in a timely manner, resulting in the decrease of mortality rate of the sea creatures when in need of intravenous nutrition. This method is now being used around the globe by exotic veterinarians, even with penguins, saving the lives of marine wildlife that are too weak to feed themselves.  

“There are very few sea turtle hospitals around the world,” explains Jack Lighton, president and CEO of LMC. “There are a lot of care facilities, but those are akin to a clinic. At LMC, we are a hospital. We can do surgeries; we can do advanced care; we can do advanced life support; we can do all of our blood research on site. There is a significant need in the state of Florida to give care to these animals and with this expansion we will be able to do so even more.”

LMC’s own Dr. Manire, D.V.M. created a revolutionary medical treatment to give total parenteral nutrition to sea turtles that has saved many lives

Aside from the increase of sea turtle patients, the “Waves of Progress” expansion will double the size of the campus (by 27,500 square feet), which will consist of increases in the hospital space, educational programs, classrooms, interchangeable exhibits, and the gift store, as well as increase the research laboratory space and department where they plan to invite college students and researchers to come work with them. The program will also bring about new features such as an auditorium that will host presentations and lectures, an amphitheater and an ocean reef tank for interactive experiences with animals, a breezy ocean view café, and a grand hall to entertain children and adult groups of all ages and backgrounds.

“The ‘Waves of Progress’ expansion will allow LMC to be a location destination that will be able to offer symposiums for national and international corporate groups, host large social and fundraising events, and one thing most people don’t know…is that upon many requests, we will be able to host weddings,” excitingly states Lynne. And as any marine life enthusiasts knows, people just love sea turtles, so why not solidify your love on LMC’s property with over a dozen turtles to witness?

BREAKING WAVES

The $14 million campaign is scheduled to break ground between December 2017 and January 2018. With an allotted construction time of 24 months, LMC affirms they will stay open for guests to continue to visit and utilize the Center as per usual. As the community and fans eagerly await the opening, Jack and Lynne confirm there are plans to unveil the new and improved facility with hosting a grand opening event sometime in 2020.

“The summary of our campaign and my hope is that people will recognize the importance of when we say ‘The sea turtle tells us the health of the ocean, and the ocean will tell us the health of the planet’,” says Jack. “And with that, we hope that LMC will amplify and highlight that point for our guests and community, so people will have the ‘Aha!’ moment that we’ve already had.”  

Jack Lighton, president and CEO of LMC, and Lynne Wells, LMC board member, unveil the expansion plans of the “Waves of Progress” campaign, which will double the size of the facility with exciting new features.