Volunteers / Training

N.E.S.T Volunteers

Sea turtles are one of the Earth’s most ancient creatures. The seven species that live today have been around for 110 million years, since the time of the dinosaurs. Five species – Loggerhead, Kemp’s Ridley, Green, Hawksbill, and Leatherback – can be found along the coast of North Carolina. Now the very survival of all sea turtles is either threatened or critically endangered due to among other things, entanglement in fishing gear, poaching and illegal trade, coastal development, marine debris, global warming, and ocean pollution.

In order to combat these threats N.E.S.T. needs your help on the Outer Banks in protecting sea turtle nests and hatchlings, rescuing injured sea turtles and reaching out to the public about the challenges to sea turtle survival. We receive many questions as to what it takes to become a volunteer.

Because sea turtles are protected under the Federal Endangered Species Act (ESA), anyone handling a sea turtle or sea turtle eggs must have an ESA permit. You can get a permit once you attend training classes. When additional volunteers are needed, we provide training during certain times of the year in:

     1. Nest identification and verification
     2. Nest sitting
     3. Turtle stranding and rescue
     4. Turtle rehabilitation **
     5. ATV beach nest patrol

 ** All S.T.A.R. Center volunteers shall be subject to all regulations, procedures and policies as set forth by and applicable to the North Carolina Aquariums and the NC Department of Cultural Resources. N.E.S.T. assumes no responsibility or liability for S.T.A.R. Center volunteers. 

At this time, we have enough volunteers to meet our needs for the rest of this year. We will assess our volunteer requirements for 2025 and open up new volunteer positions based on the need. Please be advised that we have limited volunteer spots available for each season.