Meet "Ralph Waldo Emerson"

Here's Waldo!

We have adopted a leatherback turtle and named it "Ralph Waldo Emerson" after the notable and influential poet, philosopher, essayist, and Unitarian Universalist. This photo of Waldo was taken soon after she was tagged. We will call our adopted turtle "Waldo" for short, since that was Mr. Emerson's preferred name for himself.

And it gives us an excuse to say "WHERE'S WALDO?" as we track Waldo's travels throughout the year. Waldo's nesting grounds are located on the beaches of Gabon, Africa, a country which borders Equatorial Guinea, Republic of the Congo, and Camaroon. Here's a world map. You can see where Gabon is in relation to us at CUC.

Where is Gabon?

Researchers have attached a radio device to "Waldo's" back and are tracking her course through the sea. This helps researchers understand more about how leatherbacks live and what environmental factors are impacting its survival.

In exchange for adopting Waldo, we receive an adoption kit from seaturtle.org which contains:

• Adoption certificate
• Information sheet on Waldo
• Full-color 8x10 photograph of Waldo
• Sea turtle identification card, not available anywhere else
• Turtle plush toy

Help Us Save Turtles:

Having traveled the seas for over 100 million years, sea turtles have outlived almost all prehistoric animals. Having survived the extinction of the dinosaurs, marine turtles still inhabit the oceans’ open waters and coastal habitats, feeding on jellyfish and other aquatic plants and animals. Critically endangered, the sea turtle is at risk from many factors, including habitat destruction, entanglement in fishing gear, hunting and egg collection, climate change, and pollution.

Please help us support organizations committed to turtle research and marine turtle conservation projects. CUC's religious education classes K-5 will be sponsoring fundraisers this spring; monies collected will be donated to seaturtle.org to help pay for research on our adopted turtle. "Waldo" is a leatherback turtle whose population has dwindled dramatically in recent years.

Other sea turtles which are on the endangered species list include the Hawksbill, Kemp's Ridley, Olive Ridley, Green, and Loggerhead turtles.

Leatherback Turtle:

Photograph © Matthew Witt

The huge leatherback is the largest of the marine turtles (see photo with human), feeds mainly on jellyfish, and is critically endangered.

Hawksbill Turtle:

This beautiful turtle has suffered serious decline because of the trade in tortoiseshell, which is made from its attractive shell.

Kemp's Ridley Turtle:

This is the rarest marine turtle, with only about 5,000 adult female Kemp’s ridley turtles left in the world. They nest only a couple of beaches in Mexico and Texas

Olive Ridley Turtle:

The smallest of the turtles, the olive ridley nests en masse in spectacular events known as arribadas. These turtles face serious threats from fisheries and development

Green Turtle:

Perhaps the prettiest of marine turtles, green turtles are mostly herbivorous. Green turtle meat and eggs are considered delicacies in many countries, so hunting has devastated green turtle populations around the world.

LoggerheadTurtle:

Named for its large head, the loggerhead turtle feeds mostly on shellfish. The loggerhead is the species you are most likely to see in the Mediterranean or Florida, where beachfront development threatens the nesting beaches.