New Name For Riverhead Foundation Plus Sea Turtle Release

RIVERHEAD, NY — The Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research & Preservation has a new name — New York Marine Rescue Center — and a new focus on sea turtles.

A letter to supporters from RFMRP President Charles Bowman explained that, as the sole facility authorized by the state and federal government to rehabilitate sea turtles and seals rescued from local waters — over the past 23 years, the RFMRP has responded to more than 5,000 stranded seals, sea turtles and cetaceans and has successfully rehabilitated and released more than 1,000 marine animals — the group will now focus on the endangered sea turtle population.

In recent years, NY Marine Rescue Center said, there has been a "dramatic increase" in the seal population in the northeast Atlantic; seals currently have a very healthy and strong population, in part due to conservation efforts of the RFMRP, the organization said.

"However, the sea turtles we rescue are all listed as threatened or endangered. This is due to entanglement, coastal development, plastic and other marine debris, global warming, ocean pollution, human consumption, and illegal trade," the group said. "Therefore, as a result of the increasing demands these population dynamics have placed on the RFMRP, as well as in response to ongoing challenges with increasing operating expenses and limited financial resources, we will be redirecting our efforts with an emphasis on conservation of our endangered and threatened sea turtle populations."

There are seven different species of sea turtles, all endangered, with four found in local New York waters, including the Kemp's ridley, loggerhead, leatherback and Atlantic Green Sea Turtle, the group said.

Each year, RFMRP treats cold stunned sea turtles, a hypothermic-like state that occurs because sea turtles cannot regulate their internal temperatures as they are cold-blooded, the organization explained. Sea turtles unable to migrate to warmer waters in the winter become very sluggish and are pushed to the shoreline by strong winds, often appearing to be dead when they are, in fact, in desperate need of medical care, the RFMRP said, adding that the goal of the organization is to increasing the survival rate and population of sea turtles.

With a new name, New York Marine Rescue Center, and logo, the group will embark upon plans to revitalize the rescue center's tanks and equipment and kick off renovations that will allow for greater public viewing of operations.

The group will also still respond to stranded seals, as necessary, and provide emergency care to those in need.

Meanwhile, the newly branded NY Marine Rescue Center hosted another seal release at Tiana Beach in Hampton Bays on Friday.

"There will be two Kemps ridleys named Cardamom and Chai plus two Atlantic greens named Dill and Peppercorn," a Facebook post said before the event. "Cardamom has been in our care for about a year after experiencing some disorientation and buoyancy imbalance from an unknown cause. Chai, Dill, and Peppercorn all came into the hospital because they were cold stunned in our area last November."

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