Another Day in the Park

     This morning I joined the Tidewater Master Naturalist at First Landing State Park for monthly trail maintenance. We trimmed overhanging branches and trip-hazard vines, plus we also installed signs designating our adopted trails. Other than cleaning up after the clueless and careless, it was a fairly easy day, and I always enjoy a visit to this unique ecosystem.

     During the middle of our duties we paused and headed to the beach to witness something special. A rehabilitated loggerhead turtle was released back into the sea. This particular loggerhead goes by the name of St. Louis, and he was found further west in Ocean View, underweight and with two fishhooks stuck in his flesh. Though the crowd was considerable, it did not seem to deter St. Louis from making his reentry a quick one.

     While we are still on the subject of sea turtles, I want to encourage all of you to tell your friends and family never to release balloons into the air. Even if you live hundreds of miles inland, in one of the landlocked states, balloons can still find their way to the sea. Deflated and floating on the surface of the water, they can look a lot like something a turtle might want to eat, only to have it get stuck in the turtle's digestive tract. That concludes this station's public service announcement.