​Save-A-Turtle in the Florida Keys is a  100% volunteer non-profit organization formed in 1985 under the sponsorship of the Florida Park Service, the Florida Game and Freshwater Fish Commission (now the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission or FWCC), and St. James the Fisherman Church.  We continue partnering with other like-minded organizations throughout the world.

MISSION STATEMENT

​Our mission is to enhance and protect, through preservation and conservation, endangered and threatened sea turtle species and their habitat in the Florida Keys.  We do this by patrolling and monitoring beaches during the nesting season, along with education, outreach, beach clean-ups, rescue and advocacy all year long.

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What we do...

Save-A-Turtle (SAT) is a volunteer run organization working throughout the Florida Keys to protect nesting sea turtles and their hatchlings.
Each day during nesting season, our permitted volunteers walk the beaches at sunrise to locate, mark, and monitor nests through hatching—typically about 60 days. After hatchings, we conduct nest excavations to collect vital data, which is reported to the State of Florida to aid conservation efforts.
SAT also engages the community through school programs, public events, and education on threats to sea turtles, including lighting and habitat loss.
Many of our members volunteer with the Florida Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage Network and assist FWCC throughout the Keys.

DOWNLOAD SAT INFO BROCHURE

Watch the video above to see us in action!

​Often, live babies are found stuck within the nest, and our permitted volunteers will gently free and assess the little ones.  If they are in need of a little extra care, they are taken to the Turtle Hospital in Marathon, where they are tended to until they are able to be released back to Mother Ocean. If they are "swim ready" they are released that same day into their ocean home!