I’ve seen most of it and cherish all of it. But periodically, I get a desperately needed, direct, and novel experience on the beach. These moments stoke the fiery passion that swam itself into my story like a gatekeeper that was expecting me – revitalizing my intuition and reminding me that I am exactly where I need to be.
I wasn’t expecting it. I was just doing what I loved on, under, and near the water. I indulged in every opportunity and learned that accomplishments were forthcoming if I really wanted it and enjoyed getting there. Although my end goal was unclear, becoming a scuba instructor and boat captain put me in the right place at the right time for a significant encounter with a sea turtle that touched me – literally, with her flipper. I was alone, still and calm on the ocean floor. And maybe I was subconsciously asking for guidance when she approached to deliver an unmistakable and overwhelming message that I clearly understood.
I was young and “on fire!” This experience inspired me to attend graduate school to earn a master’s degree in marine science, an invaluable tool focused on the “purposefully built” marine environment. It’s been 27 years since my career path became a fiery mission, and these randomly occurring, yet intentional moments have become vital. The impeccable timing of these events coincides with a need for clarity.
At times, my resolute vision is clouded by injuries inflicted from spite, jealousy, ego, and ignorance that stifle my creativity. A sea turtle is a perfect creature that communes only with a higher power. They are determined and loyal to their purpose. If they can try, they will. God knows how hard I strive to achieve my vision – and a sea turtle is often the messenger that ignites my weakened spark.
“Stumpy” is a term that we give to any nesting female loggerhead with an injured flipper. In the database, there are several “stumpies” with documented aborted digs and unique tracks in the sand that reveal injuries. Partial flippers can be compensated for, but absent flippers are a barrier to nesting.
I met my Stumpy in person in 2017. I took a picture of her injury as she crawled back into the ocean after several failed nesting attempts, one of which involved a canopy and beach gear left on the beach overnight, which had nothing to do with her handicap.
This incident resulted in two years of data collection and town meetings to create a municipal ordinance prohibiting unattended personal property left on the beach after sunset. The ordinance was passed in November 2019, just in time for Stumpy’s remigration after her two-year nesting interval.
Amber Kuehn
When I encountered her again on my night patrol in 2020, I did not hesitate to help her excavate the nest chamber that she desperately wanted to complete. I followed her distinct track and saw two aborted digs in the dry sand on her path. I quietly approached her from behind, and watched her right rear flipper clear the loose sand for a third attempt. Once the depression started to form, she scraped the compact sand, curled the end of her right rear flipper to lift the sand from the shallow hole, and then released the sand to the side by uncurling her flipper. She shifted her body to allow the opposite flipper to repeat these motions. However, Stumpy had lost her entire left rear flipper to a shark attack at some point after the 2012 nesting season (DNA tracking revealed a five-year hiatus). She proceeded to make the same motions on the left side, but only her hip moved behind the healed wound.
She continued to ineffectively allow her left hip to “dig.” I acknowledged her patience and the instinctual process that she allowed herself to endure. I had never excavated a nest chamber with a sea turtle before, but I didn’t hesitate to grab my “digger” from the truck. I dug for her missing flipper. I know the shape and size of a loggerhead egg chamber because I’ve seen thousands of them. I took great care to make it perfect.
Stumpy the Loggerhead
I learned her rhythm very quickly as she shifted the weight of her 400-pound body, alternating sides. I promptly removed my hand, digging tool attached, when it was her turn. Stumpy’s intact flipper reached into the hole and as long as she felt progress, she continued. She scraped and shaped the walls for a narrower cylinder in the first 12 inches to provide direction for emerging hatchlings and then widened it at the bottom to ensure that all of the eggs in the clutch would fit. Honestly, I removed most of the sand while she made the fine adjustments. When I knew that the hole was deep enough, I sat back and watched her feel the walls of the egg chamber with her flipper as if she had waited for so long to successfully accomplish it.
It gave me pause to look up at the stars and “hear” the quiet. As she started to drop her leathery, ping pong ball-shaped eggs into the two-foot vertical chamber, I reflected in amazement at what we had accomplished together. It wasn’t a competition, and we both benefitted from the experience.
Sea Turtle Patrol’s Amber Kuehn (MTP566) relocating a nest laid close to the high tide line.
I can’t explain why this encounter means so much to me, but it comforts me with the assurance that I am doing what I was meant to do. As a scientist, I can’t confirm that she realized I was there, but my soul believes that she receives her directives from the universe, powerful beyond comprehension. There must be some level of awareness and appreciation.
She covered her eggs, disguised her nest, and we went our separate ways. She will never return to her nest site, but Sea Turtle Patrol HHI will check on it daily. This perfect collaboration resulted in a 93% hatchling emergence success from the nest. Unfortunately, it was evident that all of her hatchlings had followed the exterior lights on a nearby rental home that were not shielded or directed downward. I had been working with town staff to revise the existing 1990 lighting ordinance, but it would take another year to see it through (March 2021). I was relieved that the revised lighting ordinance was passed before Stumpy returned to nest in 2023.
Stumpy and I have constructed four nests together – two in 2020 and two in 2023. She is due back this year. If we keep meeting up like this, I’ll be ready with my digger and honored to receive this rare blessing.
Since this encounter, I have assisted two other stumpies, but they are distinctly different – one with a “peg leg” and the other with a paralyzed flipper. My Stumpy is coming!
Visit SeaTurtlePatrolHHI.org for more information.