Community Support Grows for the TSC

by Heather Lowe

We have been welcomed with open arms by the community in the South Carolina low-country since opening the Turtle Survival Center (TSC) in 2013. The generosity of our neighbors, both individual and corporate, has been very much appreciated. Some of the donations received at the TSC just this summer are listed here.

• The Center received a donation of plants from a private individual, including loquats, a very large fern, and a very large crocosmia.

• Hyam's Garden and Accent Store donated plants, including tropical hibiscus, hardy hibiscus, giant papyrus, pineapple sage, crossandra, purslane, and portulaca.

• 30 yards of mulch was received from the Berkeley Electric Cooperative, our electricity provider.

• The Riverbanks Zoo donated five adult pairs and ~50 younger individuals of Madagascar hissing cockroaches to establish a feeder colony for the collection at the Center.

• DMF Bait Company, the world's largest wholesale bait dealer, donated 500 worms that provided a wriggly treat for many animals in the collection. Additionally, we have negotiated a generous deal with DMF in which they will be providing future worms to the Center at a discount.

• Zoo Med Laboratories, Inc., the title sponsor of the 12th Annuam Symposium on the Conservation and Biology of Tortoises and Freshwater Turtles, sent the team home with a large donation of products from the conference in Orlando. Their gift included heat lamps, lamp stands, food and a variety of aquatic turtle supplies.

The TSA offers a sincere THANK YOU to these generous supporters, along with the many volunteers that have come out and offered their time and energy to help propel the Center into a world-class turtle conservation facility. If you or your organization would like to make a donation to the Center, please contact Nathan Haislip or Cris Hagen.