LEAPers' Field Assignment # 1 : Pawikan Conservation Center

          On January 30, 2014, LEAP league had a field assignment from our master the urban guru. Our task was to release Sea Turtle or "Pawikan" hatchlings into the ocean! Also the urban guru tasked us to to a coastal clean-up at the Pawikan Conservation Center (PCC). So hear us ROAR! *LOL* As we "Leap-it-in" our blog, the field assignment on PCC!

          Why did we have this field assignment? We believe that we had this so that we can know how to help the sea turtles survive and how much they mean to us. It also thought us how much they mean to the ecosystem. And trust us, they indeed, mean a lot to the ecosystem. 

PCC Welcome Sign

The Pawikan Conservation Center, found in Morong, Bataan, is a non-governmental organization (NGO); which means, even though it is not funded by the government, it continues to do its function of maintaining a hatchery for sea turtles. According to Mr. Manolo Ibias (one of the center's leaders), it was made in 1999. He included, that its mission was to maintain a stable amount of turtles on order for them not to go extinct. Lastly, he explained that Olive Ridley Turtles are the type of sea turtles that they maintain there. 

Contact Information of the PCC:

Email: nida.valdez@pawikancenter.org or manolo.ibias@pawikancenter.org

Phone: (63-928)718-5721 or (63-921)630-2842 or (63-906)615-5546

Nagbalayong, Morong, Bataan, Philippines 2108

Bantay Pawikan Conservation, Inc.

Message from LegoMasterBuilder:

Pawikan "Selfie"

      The Pawikan Conservation Center, which was home to many sea turtle hatchlings, was the first destination for our Field Assignment to Bataan. I joined this field trip in order to learn more about it and have an “encounter with nature” through releasing hatchlings and coastal clean-up activities.

I learned that these species of sea turtles have various predators, such as, crabs, eagles, salamanders, fishes and humans. Moreover, I learned that “pawikan” and “pagong” or tortoise, are different species. It is seen in the physical characteristics, habitat and its body processes. For example, a sea turtle has no claws and webbed feet, while tortoise have claws, as well as, webbed feet. Another example is that sea turtles tend to live in salt water while tortoise live in fresh water. Lastly, I learned that temperature plays a big role in a sea turtle’s development by affecting what the outcome of the gender of the offspring will be. It also means that, if the current temperature/climate is warm, it tends to grow more rapidly. In the contrary, if the climate is cold, its growth rate would slow down.

Overall, of all these things I have learned, I must admit that the message here was that if God’s creation is so majestic, what more would it be to be with him. Because of this, I became excited for what I was going to face in Bataan. 

Message from EnviroLeaper:         

            I joined this field assignment because, first of all, I was required by the urban guru. Also, it was able to release a sea turtle into the wild. I also thought that a cleaner shore will help them reproduce, possible improve their health condition and to improve the environment. So basically, this field assignment is a "save the species" kind of thing and a "make the world a better place" thing.

             I expected a lot of things from PCC. I expected that the beach we were going to clean would look beautiful. I thought that there would be enough turtles for everyone. I even dreamt (actually I knew) that everyone would have so much fun and be able to bring home all those fun memories we had.

       Before the actual field assignment, I felt excited about going to the Pawikan Conservation Center to learn more about sea turtles and to be actually able to release one! I felt (and still feeling) thankful because God has blessed us by giving us this amazing trip to the Pawikan Conservation Center to learn more about one of his many creations. And finally, I felt very safe because I know that God will be watching over us as we journey to be the future heroes of the world He created.

Again I say that I expected a lot from this field assignment. Some of them (in the PCC) were to learn more about the sea turtles. I also wanted to know how important these animals are to the world. But then I asked myself: "What will we do if this species is completely gone?" So this made one of the thing I needed to learn; the different methods used to keep them away from extinction.

Message from AnimatinGirl:

            I joined this field assignment in order to be more knowledgeable of aquatic/marine life and be a help to sea turtles. I did this by helping in the "coastal clean-up" and by releasing a pawikan. Furthermore, I expected that they had more sea turtle breeds, sadly, they only had olive ridleys.

             After the trip, I learned that turtle because there are a few left not only in the Philippines, but also in the whole world. Also, simple things like throwing garbage in proper places would mean a big help to their species.

Message from PlausibleRorchachII:

          I joined this fieldtrip because I wanted to learn more on the importance of the marine turtles are and their significance to their role on the balance of the Ecosystem; moreover, I also want to learn about the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant, how useful it can be for the benefit for the ecosystem and our problem for high price of electricity in the Philippines. I expected that we will go to the Pawikan Conservation Center and release some hatchlings; moreover, I also expected to go inside the power plant and look at the stuff inside and how it works I actually felt excited to release the turtles and nervous because I thought when we go to the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant, we explode and get radioactive.

I learned how important they are in the ecosystem of marine life. Especially since we, ourselves, are making them endangered. For example, littering is a cause of deaths of their kind.

Pawikan on the Run! 

Olive Ridley Quick Facts:

• Taxonomic Classification:

• Kingdom: Animalia
• Phylum: Chordata
• Class: Reptilia
• Order: Testudines
• Family: Cheloniidae
• Genus: Lepidochelys



Pawikan Diagram

• Species: olivacea

• (Scientific Name) Lepidochelys Olivacea 

        Characteristics:

• The Olive Ridley has a distinctive olive or greyish green heart shaped top shell, also known as “carapace”, and has approximately 5-9 pairs of costal “scutes” with 1-2 claws on each flipper. Although it rarely weighs over 110 pounds, it has a unique diet consisting of algae, lobster, crabs, mollusks, shrimp, and fish.

Economic Importance:

• The Olive Ridley has been demoralized and exploited for food, bait, oil, leather, and fertilizer. The meat is not considered a delicacy. Egg collection is illegal in most of the countries where Olive ridley's nest, but these laws are rarely enforced.

Were you able to release a marine turtle hatchling?

• We were able to release a marine turtle hatchling, the Olive Ridley. The experience was thrilling and it felt good because we knew that this act can help the hatchlings.

Ecological Importance:

Food Web (wherein the sea turtle is an apex predator)

• The Olive Ridley Sea Turtle is an apex predator for it is the topmost consumer in a given food web.

• Olive ridley turtles feed on invertebrates and may play important roles in both open ocean and coastal ecosystems.

External Links:

Official Website of PCC:

• http://pawikancenter.org/

Other Sources of Information:

• http://tourism-philippines.com/pawikan-conservation/

• http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/marine_turtles/olive_ridley_turtle/

Video Source:

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrrJDt_nq4o

Photo Sources:

• http://qpanimals.pbworks.com/w/page/5925185/Portuguese%20Man%20O'%20War

• http://wildwhales.org/2011/12/two-sea-turtles-found-in-a-single-week/