Grant: 22-027C
Project Title: Sea Turtle Stranding Response Ambulance for Loggerhead Marinelife Center’s Rehabilitation Program
Project Manager: Dr. Justin Perrault
Organization: Loggerhead Marinelife Center (Non-Profit Organization)
Grant Amount: $30,000.00
Completion Date: 2023-05-17
Summary: The Rehabilitation Department at Loggerhead Marinelife Center (LMC) treats over 100 juvenile to adult sea turtle patients and thousands of hatchlings annually. LMC is finalizing a large campus expansion expected to be complete in January 2022, which will double our current capacity to accept patients. In addition, the new facility will be certified to accept patients with fibropapillomatosis. Due to this increased capacity, we expect to respond to more strandings and accept more patients. In any given year, we respond to both live and dead sea turtle strandings across 80 miles of Florida's east coast, perform necropsies, and assist Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission with stranding- and rehabilitation-related activities. LMC's current ambulance is over 10 years old and is nearing the end of its lifespan. In an effort to continue our response efforts to sea turtles in need of rehabilitation, the project will provide partial funding for a new ambulance that will be custom-designed to safely transport our rehabilitation staff and sea turtles of all life-stage classes. 
Results: A large cargo van was purchased in 2022 to assist in turtle stranding response and rehabilitation efforts. Since that time, we have admitted 278 sea turtles to LMC (including DOA stranding calls and hatchlings). The ambulance was custom designed to transport sea turtles safely and effectively with a bed sprayed with Line-X and a Cargoglide tray to assist in loading large patients. Additionally, the van was custom wrapped to showcase LMC's rehabilitation program in addition to acknowledging the STGP with an image of the logo and any additional text as approved by the STGP. The custom wrapping will indirectly bring awareness to our facility, sea turtle rehabilitation and conservation efforts, and the sea turtle license
plate and grant. The Fleming Family Foundation generously donated $20,000 to cover a portion of the ambulance costs. LMC covered the remaining costs of the ambulance and wrap and the Line-X. The Cargoglide was donated by the Decked Company.