The Caretta Research Project (CRP)says goodbye to one of its founding visionaries, Charlie Milmine.
Charlie was a member of the Parsons family of Wassaw Island and former Director of the Savannah Science Museum (SSM). Charlie, along with the late Jerry Williamson (herpetologist at SSM), recognized the urgent decline of sea turtles in the 1960s and 70s, and launched the CRP in 1973 in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Wassaw Island Trust—setting in motion what is now the longest continuously-running saturation tagging programin the United States.
More than five decades later, that vision has led to significant increases in nesting and hatching success on Wassaw Island and has contributed to decades of research and conservation impact.
Charlie’s legacy lives on in the science, the stewardship, and the generations of students, interns, researchers, and volunteers who found their path through CRP and who carry that passion forward.
On behalf of thousands of “turtlers”— thank you, Charlie. Your vision, dedication, and love for the turtles haveleft an enduring mark on all of us and on the coastline you worked so hard to protect.
You will be deeply missed and always remembered.
