Loggerhead Marinelife Center, located in Loggerhead Park,

Juno Beach, Florida Juno Beach is a town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. Juno Beach is home to the headquarters of Florida Power & Light, the Loggerhead Marinelife Center and the Seminole Golf Club. It was also the original county seat for the area tha ...

, is a

sea turtle Sea turtles (superfamily Chelonioidea), sometimes called marine turtles, are reptiles of the order Testudines and of the suborder Cryptodira. The seven existing species of sea turtles are the flatback, green, hawksbill, leatherback, loggerh ...

research, rehabilitation, education and conservation center. The center also manages the Juno Beach

fishing pier A pier is a raised structure that rises above a body of water and usually juts out from its shore, typically supported by piles or pillars, and provides above-water access to offshore areas. Frequent pier uses include fishing, boat docking an ...

, across the street from the park. Established in 1983, the Loggerhead Marinelife Center seeks to promote conservation of ocean ecosystems with a special focus on threatened and

endangered sea turtles Worldwide, hundreds of thousands of sea turtles a year are accidentally caught in shrimp trawl nets, on longline hooks and in fishing gill-nets. Sea turtles need to reach the surface to breathe, and therefore many drown once caught. Loggerhead a ...

. Its facilities include a sea turtle hospital, a research laboratory, and exhibit areas including live sea turtles and other coastal creatures.

Conservation initiatives

In 2014, Loggerhead Marinelife Center staff began partnering with other sea turtle organizations to rescue turtles accidentally hooked on fishing piers. After spending time in critical sea turtle habitat around the world, staff realized that many of the issues faced by partners are greater than incidental capture alone. Project SHIELD is a multi-faceted program that provides conservation solutions to fishing piers, recreational boaters, beach-side hotels, snorkel and

SCUBA Scuba, originally SCUBA, often expanded to scuba set, is any self contained underwater breathing apparatus, a source of breathing gas used for underwater diving which is carried by the diver. Scuba may also refer to: * Scuba diving, swimming unde ...

operators, fishing charter operators, and beach access points, as well as pollution prevention projects. Conservation Initiatives under Project SHIELD include promoting environmental sustainability, working to ban balloons on beaches,

monofilament A monofilament may refer to: * Monofilament fishing line, a type of thread * A monofilament as used in a monofilament test in a neurological examination * Monomolecular wire Monomolecular wire is a type of wire consisting of a single strand of s ...

recycling, the Responsible Pier Initiative and working to eliminate trash in oceans. LMC's conservation initiatives have reached Florida, Hawaii, North Carolina, Virginia, Texas, Greece, Turkey and Puerto Rico.

Programs and activities

The center hosts astronomy nights, guided beach walks,

Boy Scout A Scout, Boy Scout, Girl Scout or, in some countries, a Pathfinder is a participant in the Scout Movement, usually aged 10–18 years, who engage in learning scoutcraft and outdoor and other special interest activities. Some Scout organizatio ...

and

Girl Scout A Scout, Boy Scout, Girl Scout or, in some countries, a Pathfinder is a participant in the Scout Movement, usually aged 10–18 years, who engage in learning scoutcraft and outdoor and other special interest activities. Some Scout organization ...

programs, Eco Tours (SWIM), evening turtle walks, hatchling releases, a marine summer camp program, sea turtle releases, water quality monitoring, beach cleanups and many other education programs, activities and events.

Juno Beach Pier

Loggerhead Marinelife Center manages the Juno Beach Pier, a 900-foot fishing pier located in

. The pier participates in the Responsible Pier Initiative which promotes responsible fishing and conservation. In 1999, the town of Juno Beach opened the Juno Beach Pier as a pedestrian pier. Activities on the pier conducted through Loggerhead Marinelife Center include a kid's fishing program, field trips, and private fishing lessons.

In popular culture

Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...

– ''Shell-shocked Florida Refugees'' *

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly ''The National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as ''Nat Geo'') is an American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. The magazine was founded in 1888 as a scholarly journal, nine ...

– ''Florida by Water: See Sea Turtles in the Wild'' *

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

– ''At a South Florida hospital, heroes for the half-shell''

References

External links

*{{official, marinelife.org Marine conservation organizations Buildings and structures in Palm Beach County, Florida Environmental organizations based in Florida Wildlife rehabilitation and conservation centers Sea turtles Tourist attractions in Palm Beach County, Florida 1983 establishments in Florida Nature centers in Florida Turtle conservation Turtle conservation organizations