By Lanah and Hannah
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| Shelldon and friends, Barnstable Park Manager Nina Coleman and Natural Resource Officer Sean Kortis. |
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Have you ever heard of the book called Every Turtle Counts?
It is a fantastic story and the award winning author Sara Hoagland
Hunter came to visit us at Barnstable United Elementary School! Our
school mascot is a turtle named Shelldon and so this was a perfect
match.
While Sara was here, we learned that it took 27 revisions when she wrote Every Turtle Counts. Sara has written several other books, including The Lighthouse Santa, a historical fiction story set in New England and The Unbreakable Code, a historical fiction story about Navaho Codebreakers during World War 2. You can find out more about them at www.sarahunterproductions.com . Sara told us that this new book of hers, Every Turtle Counts is the one she is most proud of. The setting is on Cape Cod and the main character in the story is based on her niece who has autism and went to Riverview School.
While Sara was visiting she shared interesting facts about the Kemp’s Ridley turtles in the story. Did you know that they are the rarest turtle on earth and show up at Craigville and Sandy Neck Beaches ten minutes away from BUES? We were amazed to discover they are born on only one special beach in Mexico. At 2-3 years old, the turtles swim many miles to Cape Cod, following their instinct for good food here. They get trapped in the hook of Cape Cod, and can’t get out when the weather turns cold. This causes them to go into a type of coma and many die or wash up on the beaches. You can help out with saving these precious turtles if you find one on the beach. Call the turtle hotline right away at 508-394-2615. Trained rescuers will come and bring it to a rehabilitation center to come back to health safely. Do not pick up the turtle or bring it in a warm place because warming up too quickly could be dangerous for the turtle!
