December 29, 2017
The Network for Sea Turtles (N.E.S.T.) information material says: should you find a sea turtle nesting, a sea turtle in distress or if you need to notify someone of a sea turtle sighting to call the 24/7 N.E.S.T. Hotline at 252-441-8622.
You may be a bit surprised that no matter when you call to the N.E.S.T. Hotline it is answered by a live human being. That charming Southern voice you will hear is that of N.E.S.T. volunteer Charlotte and sometimes, not quite (but almost) as sweet and charming husband Jerry.
Charlotte and Jerry are two of the original founding members of the Network for Endangered Sea Turtles and for many years have been handling the N.E.S.T. Hotline phone calls and their only salary is paid in smiles from the N.E.S.T. Hotline callers.
Every call to the N.E.S.T. Hotline will receive its due attention. Sea turtle information will be given to the caller and if necessary the call information will be forwarded to Karen Clark of the NC Wildlife Resources Commission for appropriate action. N.E.S.T. is authorized by permit from the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission to conduct protection and relocation of sea turtle nests, have possession and disposition of stranded sea turtles and have possession and display of salvaged sea turtle carcasses and parts
Charlotte is always at the ready to answer phone calls to the N.E.S.T. Hotline
Charlotte has many interesting stories about some of the N.E.S.T. line phone calls, one of them being when she got a call from Puerto Rico reporting a sea turtle sighting. More than likely a phone call to the N.E.S.T. Hotline will end with Charlotte’s words of thank you Darling or thanks Sweet Pea.
Jerry is also a N.E.S.T. ATV patrol driver and points out one of the many sea turte nests he has found.
Our thanks to Charlotte and Jerry, two of the many dedicated N.E.S.T. sea turtle volunteers for your service to the survival of one of nature’s finest, the threatened and endangered sea turtles.