Arlington, VA (April 22, 2009) - As the Great Turtle Race www.GreatTurtleRace.org reaches its halfway point on Earth Day, not only is the competition among the turtles heating up, but also among their supporters. Olympic swimmers, pro surfers, and rock musicians are going head-to-head to rally their favorite turtles to victory in this compelling online event designed to engage global audiences in marine conservation.
Organized by Conservation International (CI) and National Geographic, the Great Turtle Race is a virtual two-week “race” between 11 real leatherback sea turtles migrating from Canada to the Caribbean. Each weighing between 600 and 1,300 pounds, the turtles are equipped with state-of-the-art satellite tracking devices that allow audiences to follow their journey online via an interactive map at www.GreatTurtleRace.org. Hosted by NationalGeographic.com in collaboration with CI, the site also features an online game, turtle profiles, and daily updates.
Today is a tough day of competition with several turtles jockeying for the lead. In what could prove a dramatic turning point, Backspacer, the turtle sponsored by Seattle rockers Pearl Jam, has overtaken Billy, the Race’s previous leader, as the turtles swim toward the finish line.
This hasn’t gone unnoticed: Pearl Jam’s fellow rock star brethren, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and indie band RATATAT have decided to get off the sidelines and support other turtles in the Race to give Backspacer and her sponsors a run for their money.
"We decided to get behind Estéban because he''s a turtle who knows how to have a good time, and he looked like he just needed a little boost from the Chili Peppers and our fans," said Chad Smith, the band''s drummer. "We''ve inducted Estéban into our family with his very own band name, "Yertle," after another turtle we know and love. Win or lose, Red Hot Chili Peppers are going to help this guy spice up the Race!"
With four rock groups now swimming neck-and-neck in the competition, a new kind of ‘Battle of the Bands’ has begun. Stone Gossard of Pearl Jam, proud sponsor of Backspacer, has started the ‘Pearl Jam Audience Favorite Challenge’ to rally Race fans behind their favorite turtles. Through the Pearl Jam Challenge, fans will be able to make donations on behalf of their favorite turtles, which Pearl Jam and the other sponsors will match dollar for dollar. Race fans’ favorite turtle will be announced on the last day of the Race, April 29th.
Even professional surfers are feeling the competitive spirit. “I’m personally pulling for my surfing buddy, Grembo Jones, who is holding her pattern, nice and steady,” said pro wave rider Hans Hagen, who is representing the Save the Waves Coalition. “I have faith she is going to pull this one out in the end. Go Grembo! Hope you find that favorable current and make history!”
Apart from the cheers of enthusiastic fans, the turtles are also benefiting from the advice of fellow water lovers, U.S. Olympic swimmers Amanda Beard, Aaron Peirsol, Janet Evans, Jason Lezak, Cullen Jones and Eric Shanteau, who are serving as their ‘coaches.’ Despite the tough competition, these Olympians remain confident in what their turtles can do. “I’m not surprised at all that Backspacer is in the lead,” said Backspacer’s coach, breaststroker Eric Shanteau. “She’s bulked up on jellyfish and put in the training. She’s going to come out on top.”
Jason Lezak, whose amazing come-from-behind finish in the 4x100m relay in Beijing clinched a gold medal for the U.S.A. team, isn’t worried. “This Race is far from over. My turtles - Seabiscuit, Wawa Bear, and Billy - are big, powerful swimmers with their eyes on the prize, just like me.”
Along with world-renowned biologists, deep-sea explorers and writers, this eclectic group of supporters aims to use the engaging fun of the Great Turtle Race to drive home more serious conservation messages with fans.
"I''ve had the extreme privilege of traveling the world in pursuit of the leatherback, and no matter where or how I''ve seen them, each encounter seems like something magical, like contact with the deep past," says Carl Safina, award winning author of the book Voyage of the Turtle and today’s Great Turtle Race guest blogger.
CI Vice President Roderic Mast agrees: “Leatherbacks are spectacular animals that have been swimming Earth’s oceans since dinosaurs roamed the land. They are bellwethers of ocean health, and we need to focus our efforts in the same areas that they are in trouble and on the same issues that threaten their survival, such as fisheries bycatch and plastic pollution. Protecting sea turtles and the seas is something that all of us have the power to do in our everyday lives.”
For more information about the race see: http://www.conservation.org/newsroom/pressreleases/Pages/pearl_jam_rem_us_olympic_swimming_champs_dive.aspx
Photos for use with coverage of the race are available at:
http://bitly.com/NkyZx
Video clips available upon request.
For more information, please contact:
Trevor Fitzgibbon
President, FITZGIBBON/ Media LLC
Email: Trevor@fitzgibbonmedia.com
Office Phone: 202-506-7162
Mobile: 202-406-0646
Blair Fitzgibbon
FITZGIBBON/ Media LLC
Email: Blair@fitzgibbonmedia.com
Office Phone: 202-506-7162
Mobile: 202-503-6141
For Latin American journalists, please contact:
Maria C. Hoyos
International Media Manager, Conservation International
Email: m.c.hoyos@conservation.org
Phone: (703) 341-2684
Conservation International (CI) applies innovations in science, economics, policy and community participation to protect the Earth’s richest regions of plant and animal diversity and demonstrate that human societies can live harmoniously with nature. Founded in 1987, CI works in more than 40 countries on four continents to help people find economic alternatives without harming their natural environments. For more information about CI, visit www.conservation.org.
Nationalgeographic.com is the award-winning Web site of the National Geographic Society, and attracts more than 12 million unique visitors a month. Nationalgeographic.com combines National Geographic’s video, photography and maps with in-depth information and interactive features about animals, nature, destinations and cultures. NationalGeographic.com’s news service, National Geographic News, publishes daily stories about science and discoveries. Information about advertising on Nationalgeographic.com is at nationalgeographic.com/advertising.
Organized by Conservation International (CI) and National Geographic, the Great Turtle Race is a virtual two-week “race” between 11 real leatherback sea turtles migrating from Canada to the Caribbean. Each weighing between 600 and 1,300 pounds, the turtles are equipped with state-of-the-art satellite tracking devices that allow audiences to follow their journey online via an interactive map at www.GreatTurtleRace.org. Hosted by NationalGeographic.com in collaboration with CI, the site also features an online game, turtle profiles, and daily updates.
Today is a tough day of competition with several turtles jockeying for the lead. In what could prove a dramatic turning point, Backspacer, the turtle sponsored by Seattle rockers Pearl Jam, has overtaken Billy, the Race’s previous leader, as the turtles swim toward the finish line.
This hasn’t gone unnoticed: Pearl Jam’s fellow rock star brethren, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and indie band RATATAT have decided to get off the sidelines and support other turtles in the Race to give Backspacer and her sponsors a run for their money.
"We decided to get behind Estéban because he''s a turtle who knows how to have a good time, and he looked like he just needed a little boost from the Chili Peppers and our fans," said Chad Smith, the band''s drummer. "We''ve inducted Estéban into our family with his very own band name, "Yertle," after another turtle we know and love. Win or lose, Red Hot Chili Peppers are going to help this guy spice up the Race!"
With four rock groups now swimming neck-and-neck in the competition, a new kind of ‘Battle of the Bands’ has begun. Stone Gossard of Pearl Jam, proud sponsor of Backspacer, has started the ‘Pearl Jam Audience Favorite Challenge’ to rally Race fans behind their favorite turtles. Through the Pearl Jam Challenge, fans will be able to make donations on behalf of their favorite turtles, which Pearl Jam and the other sponsors will match dollar for dollar. Race fans’ favorite turtle will be announced on the last day of the Race, April 29th.
Even professional surfers are feeling the competitive spirit. “I’m personally pulling for my surfing buddy, Grembo Jones, who is holding her pattern, nice and steady,” said pro wave rider Hans Hagen, who is representing the Save the Waves Coalition. “I have faith she is going to pull this one out in the end. Go Grembo! Hope you find that favorable current and make history!”
Apart from the cheers of enthusiastic fans, the turtles are also benefiting from the advice of fellow water lovers, U.S. Olympic swimmers Amanda Beard, Aaron Peirsol, Janet Evans, Jason Lezak, Cullen Jones and Eric Shanteau, who are serving as their ‘coaches.’ Despite the tough competition, these Olympians remain confident in what their turtles can do. “I’m not surprised at all that Backspacer is in the lead,” said Backspacer’s coach, breaststroker Eric Shanteau. “She’s bulked up on jellyfish and put in the training. She’s going to come out on top.”
Jason Lezak, whose amazing come-from-behind finish in the 4x100m relay in Beijing clinched a gold medal for the U.S.A. team, isn’t worried. “This Race is far from over. My turtles - Seabiscuit, Wawa Bear, and Billy - are big, powerful swimmers with their eyes on the prize, just like me.”
Along with world-renowned biologists, deep-sea explorers and writers, this eclectic group of supporters aims to use the engaging fun of the Great Turtle Race to drive home more serious conservation messages with fans.
"I''ve had the extreme privilege of traveling the world in pursuit of the leatherback, and no matter where or how I''ve seen them, each encounter seems like something magical, like contact with the deep past," says Carl Safina, award winning author of the book Voyage of the Turtle and today’s Great Turtle Race guest blogger.
CI Vice President Roderic Mast agrees: “Leatherbacks are spectacular animals that have been swimming Earth’s oceans since dinosaurs roamed the land. They are bellwethers of ocean health, and we need to focus our efforts in the same areas that they are in trouble and on the same issues that threaten their survival, such as fisheries bycatch and plastic pollution. Protecting sea turtles and the seas is something that all of us have the power to do in our everyday lives.”
For more information about the race see: http://www.conservation.org/newsroom/pressreleases/Pages/pearl_jam_rem_us_olympic_swimming_champs_dive.aspx
Photos for use with coverage of the race are available at:
http://bitly.com/NkyZx
Video clips available upon request.
For more information, please contact:
Trevor Fitzgibbon
President, FITZGIBBON/ Media LLC
Email: Trevor@fitzgibbonmedia.com
Office Phone: 202-506-7162
Mobile: 202-406-0646
Blair Fitzgibbon
FITZGIBBON/ Media LLC
Email: Blair@fitzgibbonmedia.com
Office Phone: 202-506-7162
Mobile: 202-503-6141
For Latin American journalists, please contact:
Maria C. Hoyos
International Media Manager, Conservation International
Email: m.c.hoyos@conservation.org
Phone: (703) 341-2684
Conservation International (CI) applies innovations in science, economics, policy and community participation to protect the Earth’s richest regions of plant and animal diversity and demonstrate that human societies can live harmoniously with nature. Founded in 1987, CI works in more than 40 countries on four continents to help people find economic alternatives without harming their natural environments. For more information about CI, visit www.conservation.org.
Nationalgeographic.com is the award-winning Web site of the National Geographic Society, and attracts more than 12 million unique visitors a month. Nationalgeographic.com combines National Geographic’s video, photography and maps with in-depth information and interactive features about animals, nature, destinations and cultures. NationalGeographic.com’s news service, National Geographic News, publishes daily stories about science and discoveries. Information about advertising on Nationalgeographic.com is at nationalgeographic.com/advertising.