{"id":159275,"date":"2020-06-07T12:00:50","date_gmt":"2020-06-07T19:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=159275"},"modified":"2021-07-06T12:49:53","modified_gmt":"2021-07-06T19:49:53","slug":"the-sea-turtle-whisperer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/news\/the-sea-turtle-whisperer","title":{"rendered":"The Sea Turtle Whisperer"},"content":{"rendered":"

A version of this story appeared in the summer 2020 issue of\u00a0<\/em>Uncommon Path<\/em><\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Allie Bernstein loves turtles. And for their part, it seems the sea turtles she encounters love her. In her nine-year career at the Marine Science Center<\/a> in Ponce Inlet, Florida, Allie estimates that she\u2019s had a role in rescuing, rehabilitating and returning thousands of them. But though the self-described \u201cturtle lady\u201d has always had a heart for the animals, she\u2019s taken a bit of a circuitous path to get to her current post.<\/p>\n

Allie grew up in the small town of Fishkill, New York. And though she scored a hospital assistant position at a local veterinary clinic at age 16, she didn\u2019t have much exposure to marine life, save for family trips to Daytona Beach, Florida. But those yearly vacations would prove to be the catalyst to her career.<\/p>\n

While her parents and two siblings basked in the sun and frolicked in the sand, the then-teenage Allie would hang out at the Marine Science Center. \u201cI didn\u2019t want to do any of that,\u201d Allie laughs. \u201cSo my parents would drop me off at the Center, and I\u2019d sit and watch the turtles for hours while they did whatever they wanted to do.\u201d Based in Ponce Inlet, about 10 miles south of Daytona Beach, the Marine Science Center specializes in marine education and outreach, along with the unique combination of sea turtle and seabird rehabilitation. Allie was hooked.<\/p>\n

\"Allie

Allie Bernstein at the Marine Science Center in Ponce Inlet, Florida, in 2019<\/p><\/div>\n

She didn\u2019t realize it at the time, but Allie\u2019s hours spent watching the turtles were only the beginning of her experience with the Marine Science Center. After graduating from Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania with a degree in environmental studies, she contacted the Center and asked if there were any post-grad internships.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey told me I could volunteer for the summer and call it an internship,\u201d Allie remembers. So, she did, and after three months learning the ins and outs of the Center, she accepted a part-time position in 2010. \u201cI moved across the country and didn\u2019t even have a full-time job!\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

To start, Allie nabbed various volunteer roles conducting nesting surveys and assisting the Marine Mammal Stranding Team, which rescues and rehabilitates beached or abandoned animals. Throughout the process, Allie realized her passion centered on medicine, so she went back to school to become a certified veterinary technician. \u201cI knew I wasn\u2019t the type of person to be at a microscope all day, but I love medicine,\u201d she says. \u201cI love being able to fix the turtles and nurture and empathize with them as their nurse.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Turtle\"

Weighing a sea turtle<\/p><\/div>\n

She became the full-time assistant manager at the Center in 2017. Two years later, she was promoted to manager of sea turtle rehabilitation. \u201cI\u2019ve never met anyone that has worked so hard to carve out a career path in something she loves,\u201d says Chad Macfie, manager at the Marine Science Center. \u201cYou\u2019d have a hard time finding anyone as dedicated as she is to conserving sea turtles and tortoises.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now one of the top vet techs at the operation, Allie spends most of her days inside the facility, recuperating and rehabbing the turtles. It often isn\u2019t glamorous\u2014she stuffs fish with vitamins and oral medication before feeding the turtles\u2014or easy work. Some days begin whenever the 24-hour stranding phone rings, and others involve lifesaving turtle surgery. But each day is brightened by the ones when she sends a turtle back into the ocean.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce a turtle has recovered, I get to release it into the breeding population, which is the most rewarding experience,\u201d Allie says. \u201cThat\u2019s the ultimate goal.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Allie\u2019s Tools of the Trade<\/strong><\/h2>\n

REI Co-op Rainier Rain Jacket<\/strong><\/a><\/h4>\n

\"REI<\/p>\n

\u201cSummer days in the field are rainy, and I like to protect my clothes from muck when I need to pick up a turtle.\u201d $89.95 <\/em><\/p>\n

KEEN Newport H2 Sandals<\/strong><\/a><\/h4>\n

\"KEEN<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m in and out of water all day, so I need shoes that drain and dry quickly.\u201d $109.95<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI love that I help future generations of sea turtles.\u201d \u2013Allie Bernstein<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Baby Pool<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\u201cBigger turtles don\u2019t fit in the totes, so we use a pool for those guys.\u201d<\/p>\n

Leatherman Wave Plus Multi-Tool<\/strong><\/a><\/h4>\n

\"Leatherman<\/p>\n

\u201cSo versatile. I use this for everything from cutting boxes and ropes to picking barnacles off a turtle.\u201d $99.95<\/em><\/p>\n

Garmin Forerunner 45 Watch<\/strong><\/a><\/h4>\n

\"Garmin<\/p>\n

\u201cThis one\u2019s just for me. I jog to get out and clear my head.\u201d $200<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cIt would break my heart if my niece or future generations didn\u2019t have these guys around. They overcome so much to be that one turtle that makes it, and that is so unique and strong.\u201d \u2013Allie Bernstein<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Tarp<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\u201cIn colder weather, I cover pools to keep the wind chill off the turtles.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tote<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\u201cWe transport and dry-dock turtles in totes until they are ready for water.\u201d<\/p>\n

Scale<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\u201cOur staff monitors patients\u2019 weights to make diet adjustments accordingly. We check them twice per week.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

All photography by Jon Middelstaedt. <\/em>Find more gear recommendations from Uncommon Path<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A version of this story appeared in the summer 2020 issue of\u00a0Uncommon Path.\u00a0   Allie Bernstein loves turtles. And for their part, it seems the sea turtles she encounters love her. In her nine-year career at the Marine Science Center in Ponce Inlet, Florida, Allie estimates that she\u2019s had a role in rescuing, rehabilitating and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12183,"featured_media":160110,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[685],"tags":[724,1491,2006,1934,2024],"internal-tag":[],"class_list":["post-159275","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-gear","tag-gear-list","tag-issue-3","tag-uncommon-path","tag-uncommon-path-issues"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rei.com\/blog\/news\/the-sea-turtle-whisperer","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"The Sea Turtle Whisperer","url":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/news\/the-sea-turtle-whisperer","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/news\/the-sea-turtle-whisperer"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/05\/00-turtle.jpg?resize=150%2C150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/05\/00-turtle.jpg?fit=2000%2C1000"},"articleSection":"News","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Maren Horjus"}],"creator":["Maren Horjus"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Uncommon Path \u2013 An REI Co-op Publication","logo":""},"keywords":["gear","gear list","issue 3","uncommon path","uncommon path issues"],"dateCreated":"2020-06-07T19:00:50Z","datePublished":"2020-06-07T19:00:50Z","dateModified":"2021-07-06T19:49:53Z"},"rendered":"