Sea turtles at risk after Florida agency limits permits, environmentalists warn
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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Environmental activists with the Sea Turtle Oversight Protection, also known as STOP, said tensions with the state agency that oversees their activities could put the lives of endangered sea turtles at risk.
Richard WhiteCloud, the founder and director of the nonprofit organization, and Eliot Scarpetti, the organization’s zone leader in North Pompano, said saving disoriented sea turtle hatchlings has contributed to the protection of a species.
WhiteCloud said that during the last 14 years he has trained volunteers like Scarpetti to help guide hatchlings away from shoreline lights and toward the water. During the last six years, Scarpetti said he has saved about 5,000 sea turtles. STOP volunteers have saved more than 250,000, WhiteCloud said.