2026 Sea Turtle Celebration and Fundraiser

Greetings, Turtle Lovers!

Staff and Board of the Caretta Research Project are excited to announce that our annual fundraiser, A Night on the River - Savannah Yacht Club will be held on Thursday, April 30!

The Caretta Research Project (CRP) is a hands-on research, conservation and education program dedicated to studying and protecting loggerhead sea turtles on Wassaw National Wildlife Refuge. In the 1960-70's, Georgia’s loggerheads faced many threats, leading to population declines. Savannah Science Museum, US Fish and Wildlife Service and Wassaw Island Trust recognized this decline and initiated the CRP.

The CRP is the longest continuously-run sea turtle tagging project in the US, and it is the only project in this country that invites the public to work beside biologists to help protect these magnificent animals.

Over the last 53 years, the CRP has celebrated much success due to our conservation efforts on Wassaw. These include:

Significantly increasing the numbers of nests and individual turtles nesting since 1973
Tagging and studying 2,196 individual turtles
Protecting 6,453 nests, releasing over 440,915 hatchlings
Involving more than 3,750 people from all 50 states and 6 countries in hands-on sea turtle research and conservation
Producing 60+ scientific publications and 30 presentations

This year’s celebration will take place at the beautiful Savannah Yacht Club, overlooking the scenic Wilmington River. Guests will enjoy a relaxed, open-air evening filled with live music, refreshing libations, flavorful coastal cuisine, and a one-of-a-kind silent auction—all set against a breathtaking riverside view.

On behalf of the staff and Board of Directors, we hope you will join us in celebrating CRP’s successful conservation efforts!

Hope to see you on the River!

Sincerely yours,

Kris W. Carroll, Executive Director (WassawCRP@aol.com) 912-704-9323

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BUY TICKETS HERE!

Donations are kindly accepted HERE

Information about sponsor levels,benefits and forms can be found here.

If you'd like to donate an auction item, please download this form.

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2026 Fundraiser Sponsors

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‍Arribada Level

$ 1 5 , 0 0 0 +

Provides for one new Kawasaki UTV and maintenance used for beach patrols
Includes: 10 Event Tickets + overnight experience for 2 to Wassaw with CRP biologist

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Coming soon as sponsor registrations continue...

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Leatherback Level

$ 1 0 , 0 0 0

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Provides island accommodations for staff and volunteers for 6 weeks
Includes: 10 Event Tickets + daytrip for 4 to Wassaw, including lunch and island tour by CRP biologist

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Coming soon as sponsor registrations continue...

Loggerhead Level

$ 7 , 5 0 0

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Provides scientific research supplies, publication fees and technology for the year
Includes: 10 Event Tickets + daytrip for 3 to Wassaw, including lunch and island tour by CRP biologist

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Coming soon as sponsor registrations continue...