Stunned by the sudden drop in temperatures, six Kemp’s ridley sea turtles are under the professional care of animal experts at the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher (NCAFF). Upon their arrival Friday, Jan. 26, the team weighed and measured them and observed them swimming in their temporary home behind the scenes at the Aquarium. The Kemp’s ridleys are among 200 cold-stunned sea turtles that have been in the care of the three North Carolina Aquariums in recent weeks.

Cold-stunning causes sea turtles to become very weak and inactive from exposure to cold temperatures. It generally occurs when water temperatures fall below 50 F (10 C).

“Sea turtles are reptiles and are not able to strictly regulate their body temperature like mammals and birds,” said Stephanie Dwyer, assistant husbandry curator, NCAFF. “Cold-stunned sea turtles become lethargic and eventually are unable to swim causing them to float at the surface or wash up on beaches.”

The NC Aquariums at Fort Fisher (NCAFF), Pine Knoll Shores (NCAPKS), and on Roanoke Island (NCARI), also home to the renowned Sea Turtle Assistance and Rehabilitation (STAR) Center, care for weak or injured sea turtles throughout the year.

Locating Cold-Stunned Sea Turtles

Grueling work in frigid temperatures—biologists from Cape Lookout National Seashore and Cape Hatteras National Seashore, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) and volunteers from sea turtle conservation groups like the Network for Endangered Sea Turtles (N.E.S.T.) locate, record, and transport patients to regional facilities.

In the southern part of the state, rescuers take the stranded turtles to the Center for Marine Sciences and Technology (CMAST) in Morehead City for assessment and initial treatment. Once they triage the turtles, the N.C. Aquarium veterinary team and the NCWRC divide the patients among rehabilitation centers along the coast, including the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center (KBSTRRC) in Surf City, NCAPKS and NCAFF. From Ocracoke north, stranded turtles move through a staging site on Hatteras Island for documentation and then directly to the STAR Center at NCRI, whose team, under the supervision of the veterinary team completes Initial assessments and treatments.

“Rehabilitation for a cold-stunned sea turtle can take anywhere from a couple of weeks to several months, depending on the health status of the turtle when they arrive. We work closely with our veterinary team to administer individual care as each turtle is affected differently by cold-stunning,” said Ryan McAlarney, husbandry curator, NCAFF.

Rehabilitating the Cold-stunned Sea Turtles

During rehabilitation, the animal care team slowly warms up the turtles, and ensures they can swim and lift their heads comfortably out of the water to breathe. The team offers them a variety of food and administers fluids, antibiotics, eye drops, and wound care prescribed by the veterinary team. Once the veterinary team clears the turtles for release, they place a small microchip in the front flipper of each turtle. The chip can provide information about where the turtle was last seen and how much they have grown.

Releasing the Rehabilitated Sea Turtles

Winter releases require partnerships with boats that can release the turtles offshore, typically, in warm water near the Gulf Stream, 70 F (21 C) or above. Crews from Duke Marine Laboratory in Beaufort, the U.S. Coast Guard Stations at Cape Hatteras and Fort Macon, and private fishing vessels have helped release rehabilitated turtles.

NCWRC leads the work to rescue and rehabilitate sea turtles and collaborates with several federal, state, and private organizations including the NC Aquariums; CMAST; North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine; Cape Lookout National Seashore; KBSTRRC; N.E.S.T.; Cape Hatteras National Seashore; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; National Marine Fisheries Service; and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

What You Can Do

If you see a turtle in the water or on the beach this time of year that is not moving or sluggish, do not push them back into the water or attempt to transport them yourself. Please call the Sea Turtle Stranding Hotline to report the turtle, and they will give instructions and send someone to retrieve and document the turtle.

• South of Ocracoke Island, call 252-241-7367.
• Ocracoke & Hatteras Island, call Cape Hatteras National Seashore at 252-216-6892.
• Oregon Inlet and north, call N.E.S.T. at 252-441-8622.

Governor Cooper has just issued a new executive order, directing a ‘whole-of-government’ coordination to significantly enhance reentry services for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals across the state of North Carolina.

Executive Order No. 303 specifically collaboration with various state agencies, aims to bolster rehabilitation and streamline the reintegration process.

“Strengthening reentry services for formerly incarcerated people is both the right and smart thing to do,” said Governor Roy Cooper. “Employers are looking for new and skilled workers while many formerly incarcerated people are eager to change their lives, get a job and join their communities. This Executive Order directs a whole-of-government approach to improve reentry services, strengthen our economy, make communities safer and give people the second chance they deserve.”

As part of this initiative, North Carolina joins the national Reentry2030 campaign, committing to ambitious goals by 2030. These include increasing educational achievements for incarcerated individuals by 75%, reducing post-release homelessness by 50%, and expanding reentry assistance across all counties. The state also aims to enhance educational and apprenticeship opportunities within correctional facilities and increase partnerships for second chance employment.

The Executive Order mandates specific actions from each cabinet agency and the Post-Release Supervision and Parole Commission. These include improving access to career services, facilitating eligibility for benefits like SNAP and Medicaid, and providing resources for obtaining driver’s licenses. It also focuses on supporting justice-involved veterans and enhancing education and transition services for youth in the juvenile justice system.

Additionally, the order strengthens prison education programs, integrating them into the Prison Education Consortium to ensure they lead to market-relevant qualifications. A Joint Reentry Council is established to create a strategic plan with measurable goals for improving reentry and to monitor progress towards these objectives.

What do you think about the new executive order?

A North Carolina middle school has just taken the unusual step of removing mirrors from its bathrooms.

This decision was made in response to an observed increase in students taking frequent bathroom breaks to film TikTok videos, according to WTVD.

The administration at Southern Alamance Middle School in Alamance County noted a significant reduction in the number of bathroom visits following the removal of the mirrors.

The school has also implemented a digital hall pass system, enabling students to digitally check in and out when they leave the classroom, providing the school authorities with a more effective way to monitor the whereabouts of students at all times.