Volunteer Spotlight: Linda Rutland and Jerry Lemon

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared in the Summer 2023 STPS Turtle Talk newsletter distributed in July 2023.

In 2015, Jerry and his wife Linda became snowbirds, splitting their time between Seattle, Washington and Cocoa Beach to be closer to Linda’s parents living in Merritt Island. Then, in 2018, they moved to Cocoa Beach permanently and started looking for volunteer opportunities which matched their backgrounds. When they joined STPS, they found exactly what they wanted. “STPS is perfect for both of us,” Linda says.

Jerry grew up in a military family and after high school, joined the U.S. Coast Guard. He served as Chief Warrant Officer and his duties included overseeing the ship’s engine room and inspecting commercial vessels, which he did for 14 years. He retired after 26 years and started working part-time at a variety of jobs including auto mechanic and tax preparer. He is also an amateur radio operator.

Linda also grew up in a military family. She served four years in the U.S. Air Force as an air traffic controller before going back to school to become a registered nurse. She worked for 24 years at Harborview Medical Center, a level 1 trauma center which is part of Seattle’s University of Washington. The last fifteen years there, she was an ER nurse. In 2014, she received the Daisy Award^® for Extraordinary Nurses. She retired after 43 years.

Linda and Jerry also volunteered for Washington state’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) which supports professional first responders. In 2012, Jerry received the Governor’s Volunteer Service Award.

After joining STPS, they attended a Turtle Talk 101 class then took Sea Turtle Emergency Response Program (STERP) training and began going on calls to search the beach for post-hatchlings washed ashore during storms. In 2021, Linda observed the Nest Survey team during nest inventories. The following year, Linda and Jerry volunteered for Turtle Night Walks. Also in 2022, Linda trained for the Stranding & Salvage team and is now listed on the Stranding & Salvage permit issued by Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). She conducted 40 stranding events that year. Jerry trained as a transporter and is listed on the STPS Transport permit. They often accompany each other on their respective rescue and transport callouts.

To date, they’ve helped rescue numerous sick or injured sea turtles and participated in salvage operations where a deceased turtle is recovered for scientific study. In both of these circumstances, the Stranding & Salvage team must evaluate the turtle’s condition, document the incident by filling out paperwork and taking pictures, and coordinate with FWC. They also have to manage the scene which can attract a lot of onlookers. But Linda and Jerry see it as an opportunity to educate the public and get them involved. For example, if they need help moving a large turtle off the beach, they will recruit members of the public to assist. First, they instruct them on how to safely lift the turtle onto a support board. Then, the team carries the turtle on the board to the STPS van for transport.

Jerry and Linda have transported sea turtles to rehab facilities all over Florida including Sea World (Orlando), Gumbo Limbo Nature Center (Boca Raton), Marine Science Center (Ponce Inlet), and MOTE Marine Laboratory & Aquarium (Sarasota). In one instance, a rehabbed turtle at Brevard Zoo’s Sea Turtle Healing Center needed to be “dive tested” before it could be released. So, they transported it to Tampa’s The Florida Aquarium, which has a deep-dive foraging pool. After passing the test, they transported it back to the zoo and eventually it was released. Another time, Linda transported sea turtle blood from Brevard Zoo for a turtle in West Palm Beach that needed a transfusion.

One of Linda and Jerry’s most memorable rescues was a juvenile green sea turtle found struggling in the water at Port Canaveral in June of 2022 (see photo below taken by Jerry). Because of the heavy boat traffic at the port, boat strikes are common. As soon as they saw the injured turtle, they realized it was very serious. The boat strike had split its shell and its lung was protruding from the wound.

Despite the massive trauma, however, the young turtle was moving all four of its flippers. To Linda, this indicated that its spinal cord, which runs underneath the center of its shell, might not be damaged. After coordinating with the FWC, they received permission to take the injured turtle to the Brevard Zoo’s Sea Turtle Healing Center for treatment.

When Jerry received approval to transport, he loaded the injured green into the STPS van and they drove to the Healing Center. Once there, they transferred their patient into their care. Now, all Linda and Jerry could do was wait and hope for the best. A few days later, they learned that zoo staff had named the little green “LJ” after Linda and Jerry.

Although not all rescued turtles survive, LJ made a full recovery. When a sea turtle is successfully rescued, rehabbed and released, Linda says, “You feel like you’ve done something worthwhile and that’s very satisfying.”

On December 29, 2022, LJ was released at Lori Wilson Park in Cocoa Beach after several months in rehab. Linda, Jerry, and the Healing Center staff grew very attached to the little green sea turtle. Linda says, “LJ had a sweet personality.” See Jerry’s photo below of Linda at LJ’s release.

To learn more about LJ’s rehabilitation at the Brevard Zoo’s Sea Turtle Healing Center and see a close-up photo of LJ’s healed shell, check out their Behind-the-Scenes Blog about LJ and another rehabilitated green sea turtle named Grindylow. Both turtles were released on December 29th.