Award Winning Filmmaker Kicks Off New Film Project About Sea Turtle Conservation On The Florida Coast

    WEST PALM BEACH, FL, December 03, 2017 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Clark DeHart, a former environmental education TV host and filmmaker, embarks on a new wildlife documentary about sea turtles on the southeast coast. A Virginia native, DeHart's experience with sea turtle conservation in Florida began while visiting the Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach.

His new film project returns to the Loggerhead Marinelife Center to highlight the conservation legacy left by founder, Eleanor Fletcher, a late resident of Juno Beach. Fletcher began protecting sea turtles in Juno Beach through the development of educational programs and activities for children. The Loggerhead Marinelife Center is a world-class sea turtle rehabilitation hospital. Dozens of sea turtles, including some of the most endangered species of sea turtle are admitted to the center each year. Specialized medical diagnosis and treatments are performed on site.

Sadly, many of the turtles that pass through the Loggerhead Marinelife Center are there because of human-caused injuries and illnesses. It is not uncommon for a sea turtle to be missing a flipper from net entanglements, or have buoyancy problems due to the ingestion of plastic bags and fishing hooks. The lucky ones are released back to the ocean after weeks or months of intense care.

DeHart's film project focuses on two the women who founded the Loggerhead Marinelife Center, and The Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center in North Carolina. Both these turtle hospitals were founded by women who started grassroots initiatives, and are still saving sea turtles today.

The film will take the viewer on a turtle's journey that includes emergency rescue, medical diagnosis, rehabilitation treatment, and ultimately release back into the wild. It will focus on the incredible care these turtles receive as hospital volunteers conduct daily activities. This film will honor these women as trailblazers, emphasize their conservation initiatives, and acknowledge their public education success. As we look towards the future for sustainability in these programs and the survival of these sea turtle species. DeHart wants to celebrate the vision of these wildlife heroes, and the communities that support them.

DeHart is volunteering his time and expertise for the documentary planned for distribution at conservation film festivals and Amazon's streaming service. Currently, his film project is not fully funded. He's started a Kickstarter crowd funding campaign to bring this project to life. You can learn more about his film project, including how you can participate at bit.ly/TurtleFilm

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