Jill Baltes

I recently contacted the Brevard Zoo's Development Department for planned giving guidance to the Sea Turtle Healing Center (STHC). Much consideration and inspiration went into this very personal decision. By thoughtfully planning now, I feel my future financial legacy will ensure the sustainability of the STHC and the positive environmental impact it provides to Brevard County.

The magic of sea turtles inspired a circuitous journey that started several hundred miles away in Columbus, Ohio. As a 17-year docent and nine-year seasonal education staff member of The Columbus Zoo & Aquarium, I became fascinated with Buddy, the Hawksbill Sea Turtle who lives in our Manatee Coast exhibit. Buddy is one of only two sea turtles who reside in the state of Ohio (Tink, a green sea turtle from the Turtle Hospital in Marathon, lives at the Toledo Zoo.) Awareness turned into passion then urgency for saving this indicator species from the many dangers it faces in the ocean. I am a planner, so I began researching areas where significant sea turtle populations were found in the U.S. I discovered that Brevard County was home to the largest population of nesting loggerheads in the western hemisphere, as well as a significant number of nesting leatherback and green sea turtles. So, I set my travel compass toward the Space Coast.

As luck would have it, the Columbus Zoo was co-hosting a 2016 Women in Conservation workshop that I attended in Columbus, and one of the scheduled speakers was Amy Reaume, Conservation Coordinator at the Brevard Zoo. After her talk, I approached Amy and asked more about the STHC. She did one better and invited me to visit the center as her special guest next time I was down her way. Promptly I booked airline tickets for early 2017 to make my initial visit to Melbourne.

After touring the Zoo, Amy and I made our way to the STHC and visited the current inhabitants of the six, non-FP tanks (now there are a few more tanks.) I spoke briefly with the enthusiastic volunteers who were assisting with tank cleaning. Quietly I wished to be in their shoes one day helping to heal and save these magnificent creatures.

A zoo doesn't have to be ‘big' to leave a lasting impression. I was pleasantly surprised with the environmental verve created by the Brevard Zoo with its wonderfully lush exhibits and iconic zoo animals often only seen at larger institutions (rhino, giraffe, zebra and cheetah to name a few). Equally impressive were the educational messages and local conservation initiatives headed by the Zoo: I appreciate an organization who walks its talk!

My financial legacy bestowed to the Brevard Zoo is the start of a commitment to marine conservation and education. My ultimate intention is to assist in person down the road. We often hear of the atrocities that impact marine life, human and environmental in origin, and we may feel helpless in making a difference. But our individual gifts collectively grow to make real change happen. We all must dedicate our hands, heads, hearts, and our wealth, to saving this treasured and beloved species.