Greater East End coverage is funded in part by The Watershed Kitchen & Inn — a warm, stylish North Fork destination in S. Jamesport featuring elevated comfort food, craft cocktails and beautiful boutique accommodations.
It’s a time to shell-abrate.
A day of local craft beer, turtle trivia and friendly competition will return to Riverhead next month as the New York Marine Rescue Center hosts its fifth annual Turtle Crawl.
The 21-and-over fundraiser will take place Saturday, Sept. 26, from 1 to 6 p.m., bringing participants to breweries throughout Riverhead while raising money to support the rescue and rehabilitation of sea turtles and other marine animals across New York. Click here for tickets.
“It’s a fundraiser that directly supports the New York Marine Rescue Center,” said Maxine Montello, the organization’s executive director. “It’s a way to give back to the community while supporting our sea turtle work.”
The crawl has grown significantly since its first year, when about 80 people participated. It now draws a much larger crowd, including members of the local scientific community, Stony Brook University professors and graduate students, and longtime supporters of the rescue center.
This year, participants will check in at Twin Fork Beer Co. before making their way to übergeek Brewing Co. and North Fork Brewing Company, spending roughly an hour to an hour and a half at each stop.
“Everybody gets a great T-shirt with a turtle and a beer on it,” Montello said, adding that some participants have begun collecting the shirts from year to year.
Participants will also receive discounted beer prices at the breweries, typically between $1 and $2 off each pint, along with opportunities to purchase raffle tickets and win prizes donated by participating businesses and other supporters.
The Turtle Crawl has expanded over the years to include activities at each stop, with the rescue center team organizing games, sea turtle trivia and prizes throughout the afternoon.
There will also be a friendly game of flip cup and a costume competition, with participants encouraged to show up wearing sea turtle-themed accessories or costumes. A Turtle Crawl king and queen will also be crowned.
“It’s been a great event,” Montello said. “We love doing it.”
Why they need help
When sea turtles come ashore to nest, the distinctive tracks they leave behind in the sand are known as a crawl, with each turtle leaving its own unique pattern.
For the New York Marine Rescue Center, the fundraiser also arrives ahead of one of the busiest times of year for sea turtle rescues on Long Island.
The Riverhead-based organization operates the only facility in New York State permitted to rehabilitate both marine mammals and sea turtles and responds to stranded animals throughout the state.
One of its biggest challenges is responding to cold-stunned sea turtles. From November through January, turtles that remain in New York waters can become vulnerable when temperatures suddenly plunge.
“Fall used to be their cue to move on, but now it’s staying too warm, and that can be confusing to a reptile,” Montello said.
Because sea turtles are cold-blooded, a rapid drop in water temperature can cause their bodies to slow significantly. Their heart and breathing rates decrease, and some eventually become lethargic and float at the surface.
During an eight-week period from roughly November through January, the center can respond to between 100 and 160 cold-stunned turtles, Montello said.
The organization has a patrol team that searches for turtles along Long Island’s coastline, particularly from Riverhead east toward Montauk, as well as along the Long Island Sound.
The number of turtles the center responds to has increased over the years, according to Montello. She said the New York Marine Rescue Center is among the busiest organizations on the East Coast for sea turtle response, behind the Cape Cod area.
Other threats in the water
Human interaction is another major cause of sea turtle injuries. Turtles can become entangled in marine debris or struck by vessels. While some animals injured by boat propellers can survive, Montello said injuries that penetrate the body cavity can be far more serious.
Funds raised through the Turtle Crawl primarily support the center’s sea turtle operations, though the organization also responds to and rehabilitates seals and assists in the field with whales, dolphins and other marine mammals.
The public will also have a chance to see some of that work firsthand before the Turtle Crawl.
The New York Marine Rescue Center is scheduled to release six rehabilitated sea turtles back into the Atlantic Ocean at Tiana Beach in Hampton Bays on Wednesday, Aug. 26, at 6 p.m.
Tickets for the Turtle Crawl are available through the New York Marine Rescue Center’s event page and Eventbrite. The event will be held rain or shine.
Top: Photo from a previous Turtle Crawl courtesy of Maxine Montello
Your Long Island news, delivered.
Subscribe to the GLI Newsletter — its free
