By Wendy Anders

Nearly all species of sea turtles are endangered, reported Great Big Story, but Tortuguero, a small island on the eastern coast of Costa Rica, offers a safe place for nesting green and leatherback sea turtles.

It was here in 1959 that Dr. Archie Carr opened the world’s first turtle conservancy. To this day, the island is one of the world’s most important breeding grounds for these turtles. Great Big Story videographers and journalists made the arduous journey there to watch the next generation of green and leatherback sea turtles hit the waves.

Archie Fairly Carr, Jr. (June 16, 1909 – May 21, 1987) was an American herpetologist, ecologist and a pioneering conservationist. He was a Professor of Zoology at the University of Florida. In 1987 he was awarded the Eminent Ecologist Award by the Ecological Society of America. He made extraordinary contribution to sea turtle conservation by way of bringing attention to the world’s declining turtle populations due to over-exploitation and loss of safe habitat.