The Turtle Barn

Our check-in time wasn't until late in the day, but we made an early start so we could meet up with Granny and Gramps.  They were in Galveston so Gramps could participate in the "Featherfest" event and go on field trips to shoot birds with his giant camera setup.  One of the available events involved a tour of the Texas A&M turtle barn where they raise endangered baby Loggerhead sea turtles in an effort to re-establish their once plentiful numbers in the Gulf of Mexico.  The event had a pretty steep pricetag, but Granny and Gramps generously paid our admission.  

 

Heather and I were amused that we were the youngest adults by a good 20 years, while the kids were in a league of their own here.  Everyone was amazed that they would have any interest in such things, but the kids were fascinated.  A former zoo employee from Tulsa gave us a brief lecture, about their turtles and other endangered turtles in the Gulf.  The lecture seemed pretty ad-libbed, stream of consciousness, and wound about all over the board, but her passion for her job was evident.  We learned about modifications to the local fishing gear and methods and were encouraged that things might just be heading in the right direction.  The lecture was a bit dry for kids, but they had a blast orbiting the turtle tanks with Granny as we all hoped they would leave the barn with all their fingers attached.