From Nancy Fahey

These are photos of Wendy helping release a rehabilitated Kemp's ridley turtle named Lil' Bit on Topsail Beach on 14 July.

From Terry Meyer

Here is Wendy in 2001, with long hair and prior to discovering ice cream, when she was an intern at the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center.

From Ann Berry Somers

Every other year I teach a sea turtles course at UNCG.  In recent years, Wendy has been doing a necropsy for the students along with other activities like quizzing them on turtle species, which they have studied prior to the field trip to the coast.  Once we were in a lab, not outdoors as in the picture below, when one of the students became ill as Wendy started cutting into the thawed turtle.  Initially, the student started weaving but then went down like a giant redwood tree being felled.  Nearby formaldehyde-preserved specimens of marine mammal parts in glass containers tumbled to the concrete floor and shattered.   Wendy was calm, cool, and collected as we tried to revive the prone student and calm the standing ones.  She is always fun as well as professional and I was glad that she handled herself and the group with such composure that day.  I look forward to continuing to work with her at the aquarium.  Good luck with your new job Wendy!

Swimming with Wendy

One of my favorite memories of working with Wendy concerns a reported injured turtle just off of Atlantic Beach. It was late summer, and we both arrived at the same time, to see a floating loggerhead just beyond the breakers. Neither of us were dressed for water, so we thought we might ask some of the swimmers if they would possibly go out and see if the turtle needed help. However, not a single person would acknowledge us. So, shrugging our shoulders, we waded in, then swam way out to get the turtle. It was a large juvenile, and although it was lethargic, it was still difficult to pull/push it back to shore. I don't know about Wendy, but I was completely exhausted by the time we reached the beach, after what seemed to be an impossibly long time. Of course, as soon as we pulled the turtle out of the water, people started crowding around, asking questions, etc. Wendy, however, pulled herself up, shook the water from her arms and legs, started answering questions, and directed people to help shade the turtle, while we prepared transport to CMAST for initial veterinary evaluation. Just another example of how nothing can knock her off her game!

Wendy at work

While working for WRC, Wendy was always ready to jump on a new opportunity to get experience and information. Below are some photos of the things she has been involved in over the years.

Wendy transporting an injured turtle to Topsail after dark

Wendy working DMF Marine Patrol in their ghost crab-pot recovery operation

 Wendy training Park Rangers at Hammocks Beach State Park

Wendy using a cone penetrometer to check compaction on a renourished section of Bogue Banks 

 Wendy, with Doug Piatkowski, visiting a hopper dredge working near Morehead City

Wendy applying a satellite tag to Nemo at the Topsail Turtle Hospital, when Jean Beasley looking on

Wendy taking final measurements during a pre-release physical at Topsail Turtle Hospital

Wendy releasing a juvenile loggerhead on Bogue Banks (the turtle came from VA)

Wendy driving a boat in Back Sound, on her way to a reported stranded turtle

Wendy and one of the smallest juvenile loggerheads observed in NC waters

Wendy talking to the press before going out with the Coast Guard to release rehabilitated cold stunned turtles