ST. KITTS AND NEVIS, St. Kitts, Keys Beach - 2011
Conservation information center at Keys Beach†
One of two islands in the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis, St. Kitts contains 34,930 people in an area of 261 square kilometers. The island's sandy beaches are home to several populations of sea turtles, who use the beaches for nesting. Sea turtles are among the world's most endangered species. Preserving their nesting beaches is vitally important since female turtles typically return to the beach of their birth to lay their own eggs. The Saint Kitts Sea Turtle Monitoring Network (SKSTMN) is a local organization working in conjunction with other national and international organizations and governments to protect sea turtles and their habitats, including these nesting beaches. The organization focuses primarily on critically endangered Leatherback and Hawksbill turtles, as well as the endangered Green turtles.
SKSTMN has several conservation efforts underway, including an annual Turtle Camp for youth, ecotourism programs for visitors to the island, regular beach cleanups, and the "Bottle Beads" program, which trains local entrepreneurs in jewelry making from glass collected on nesting beaches. Seacology has previously partnered with SKSTMN in the Bottle Beads program, the proceeds of which are used to further sea turtle conservation. Now, Seacology is again joining with the organization to establish a conservation information center at Keys Beach. A long-term goal of SKSTMN, the center will provide valuable educational information for both visitors and locals, conveying information about sea turtles, the coastal ecosystem, and the importance of conservation. The center will also be a resource for teachers and school groups, provide shelter for researchers and tour guides, and serve as a showcase for the Bottle Beads merchandise. Seacology is funding the construction of the center, which will use low-impact building materials and methods.
†Support for dagger-marked projects is provided fully or in part by: 
