maskormenacelogs | [ open ] operation: baby sea turtle rescue is a go!

WHO: ALL IMPORTS.
WHERE: An Atlantic-facing beach in Eastern Florida.
WHEN: Saturday - Monday
WHAT: Baby leatherback sea-turtles have been stunned by the temperatures of the water at their hatching beach, and must be rounded up in their thousands to be relocated to warmer waters, either to struggle out through the surf on their own, or to be boated out and released directly into the sea!
WARNINGS: ... How can this log have warnings ImPorts rescue baby sea turtles! More information located here.

The long stretch of beach the ImPorts find themselves on is littered with baskets, coolers, styrofoam containers, anything the rescue workers could use to hold the baby sea turtles for transit. Dozens of nests have all emptied of turtles, and gulls roam overhead, looking for opportunities to snatch the stunned baby sea turtles tumbling around in the waves. The shock of the unexpected temperature on their tiny systems renders them incapable of moving, and ImPorts will soon find themselves ushered to the water line to grab tiny, tumbling turtles out of the water.

When enough are collected, a portion of the volunteers and ImPorts are pulled aside to ride with the baby turtles down the coastline to warmer waters, where they'll either be asked to cart the containers down to the waterline to release the baby sea turtles and watch that they don't end up shocked all over again, or instructed to go out to sea on any of the chartered or volunteer-driven boats and release the sea turtles directly into the warmer ocean waters.

Water and lunches will be provided, dinner is haphazard, come as you go. Bright search floodlights are set up on Saturday night so that collection rescue efforts can continue without much interruption. If the same is needed on Sunday night, it will be provided.

For some ImPorts, this will be the first time their arrival isn't treated with great fanfare. People with abilities that assist in the collection and redistribution of the baby sea turtles will get relieved displays of gratitude from attending volunteers and any press drawn to the scene, but much of the fervency seen elsewhere will be largely absent.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

...ohhh boy. [She sighs.] Did you ever get them back, or find them again?

Nooo...?

Well, one of the screwdrivers. I found it in the yard.

Uh-oh.

[Kay slaps her forehead with the base of her hand, then looks at Winry apologetically.]

I'm really sorry about that. I'll tell these crows to tell me where they hid your tools when this is over. I promise.

[Winry raised one hand.] It's okay, they didn't take anything really vital!

[But yes, it would be great to have any tools they took back.]

[Her brow furrows. She bends down to pick up a baby turtle wandering between her feet.]

Are you sure? I can find them.

They mostly took screws and bolts. But if you want to...

[She holds up a bucket for Kay to put the turtle in.]

Oh...well, I'll let you know if I find any around our house. But I'll make sure this doesn't happen again. [Kay gently places the turtle into the bucket.]

That'd be great, Kay.

[Winry spots another baby turtle, away from the rest. And a couple of gulls stalking it.]

Hey!

[Kay runs toward the turtle, waving her arms wildly to ward off the gulls.]

Hey! Break it up, you guys! Go fishing for something else! [While flailing with one hand, she picks up the baby turtle with the other.]

[The baby turtle flaps its flippers. Winry smothers a giggle.]

I wonder how many more there are?

[She gazes out over the rest of the seashore, at everyone else scrambling to pick up the tiny creatures from the sand and surf.]

...A lot. [Kay pops the turtle into the basket.

Or rather, slowly lowers it in.]