Our idea for holiday giving: a green sea turtle
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Aralık 17, 2008 00:00
If you are seeking respite from the somber onslaught of the news in the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review, we have found it. Weary of protests and violence, fast-growing prison populations, "Deep State" suspects with shallow defenses, shoes tossed in Iraq or word of another $50 billion or so evaporating on Wall Street?
Well, then adopt a sea turtle. Yesterday, we adopted two.
Alright, in the scheme of things, even if we just confine ourselves to worrying about the environment, sea turtles in Adana’s district of Karataş might not be the No. 1 priority. The nation’s cities are choking on the fumes of free coal, ignited at the confluence of tough economic times and political shenanigans. The indigenous species lost to a frenzy of dam building might rank higher; disappearing wetlands and lakes in Turkey will soon return to the news agenda once we get beyond the wet winter season. The matter of Istanbul’s scarcely surviving forestland, likely to fall beneath the blade of road and bridge builders, might arguably be more important.
But it is also important to take time out to salute small things done by ordinary people. For they are the ones, ultimately, who we believe will create the solutions to what we describe above.
So we were taken by a story yesterday, which came to us via the Doğan News Agency, of volunteers throughout Turkey who so far this year have adopted some 3,000 sea turtles hatched as part of an initiative by the World Wildlife Fund and the Adana Directorate of Forestry.
Some 40 scientists and as many volunteers from Turkey’s Ministry of Forestry and four universities are among those involved with the project. The project has identified some 556 nesting spots along the shore of a lagoon in the Adana province. Some 24,000 turtles are expected to be hatched there this year. For a YTL 10 donation, you can "adopt" one of the hatchlings and the funds go toward restoring habitat and other fieldwork to learn more about the nesting and migration habits of the sea turtles.
We would note that the green sea turtles in question are the only herbivore turtles of their kind listed as endangered, both in Turkey and internationally.
Of course, we will never get to actually see the Daily News’ new turtles. And if you join as a sponsor neither will you. But, you are entitled to an adoption certificate. You can give your turtle a name, and several candidate monikers are now pending among the staff here at the newspaper.
Most importantly, you will feel empowered. It’s a great antidote to the periodic bouts of hopelessness that strike readers of newspapers and those who work for them. By our count, some 21,000 turtles are awaiting help from their human extended family. Adoption is easy and can be accomplished with a credit card or bank transfer. For details, go to www.wwf.org.tr.
Alright, in the scheme of things, even if we just confine ourselves to worrying about the environment, sea turtles in Adana’s district of Karataş might not be the No. 1 priority. The nation’s cities are choking on the fumes of free coal, ignited at the confluence of tough economic times and political shenanigans. The indigenous species lost to a frenzy of dam building might rank higher; disappearing wetlands and lakes in Turkey will soon return to the news agenda once we get beyond the wet winter season. The matter of Istanbul’s scarcely surviving forestland, likely to fall beneath the blade of road and bridge builders, might arguably be more important.
But it is also important to take time out to salute small things done by ordinary people. For they are the ones, ultimately, who we believe will create the solutions to what we describe above.
So we were taken by a story yesterday, which came to us via the Doğan News Agency, of volunteers throughout Turkey who so far this year have adopted some 3,000 sea turtles hatched as part of an initiative by the World Wildlife Fund and the Adana Directorate of Forestry.
Some 40 scientists and as many volunteers from Turkey’s Ministry of Forestry and four universities are among those involved with the project. The project has identified some 556 nesting spots along the shore of a lagoon in the Adana province. Some 24,000 turtles are expected to be hatched there this year. For a YTL 10 donation, you can "adopt" one of the hatchlings and the funds go toward restoring habitat and other fieldwork to learn more about the nesting and migration habits of the sea turtles.
We would note that the green sea turtles in question are the only herbivore turtles of their kind listed as endangered, both in Turkey and internationally.
Of course, we will never get to actually see the Daily News’ new turtles. And if you join as a sponsor neither will you. But, you are entitled to an adoption certificate. You can give your turtle a name, and several candidate monikers are now pending among the staff here at the newspaper.
Most importantly, you will feel empowered. It’s a great antidote to the periodic bouts of hopelessness that strike readers of newspapers and those who work for them. By our count, some 21,000 turtles are awaiting help from their human extended family. Adoption is easy and can be accomplished with a credit card or bank transfer. For details, go to www.wwf.org.tr.