I am excited to be a contestant on the first Birthday! Birthday! Writing Contest, hosted by Gennie Gorback and Amy Leskowski. Happy Birthday, ladies!

If you want to participate, follow the rules listed on Amy’s website, Motherhood Block Party. Have fun and good luck!

Below is my 100-word entry based on what happens in Puerto Rico to sea turtles during the nesting season. There are seven sea turtles species, and five of them swim thousands of miles to the coasts of Puerto Rico to lay their eggs on our beaches. Vieques, Humacao, and Isla de Mona are among their favorite places.

Even though local and federal laws protect the endangered sea turtles, rings of poachers hunt them for their shells and meat. Evil people use their beautiful carapaces to make jewelry and sell their meat and eggs to others who want to eat something exotic. Also, Puerto Rico is a famous tourist destination. The negative side of that is that tourists many times interfere with the sea turtles’ natural habitat. However, hope is not lost. Puerto Rico has many environmentalist groups and volunteers determined to save the sea turtles.

Abuela and Ricky Save the Sea Turtles

Ricky is nervous. It’s his first time helping Abuela save the sea turtles at the beach.
“What’s our mission?” Ricky asks.
“A tourist is driving a quad near a hawksbill turtle’s nest,” Abuela responds.
Abuela and Ricky walk through the dunes until they reach the nest.
“It’s safe!” Ricky exclaims.
The tourist is not far, standing near the whooshing waves.
“You can’t drive vehicles here,” Abuela says.
“Why?” the tourist asks after slurping pineapple juice.
“You could hurt the sea turtles and their nests,” Ricky says.
The tourist leaves after learning more about the endangered species.
“Mission accomplished!” Ricky exclaims.