Become A Turtle Hero By Reporting Stranded Sea Turtles To NOAA

Here in Maine, people go to the beach year round.

Have you ever heard anyone refer to New Years Eve or St. Patrick's Day as amateur nights for drinkers? I feel the same way about beaches in Maine. Sure, you can sweat your butt off, laying on a towel, getting sand in all the places sand should never go. But I love beaches year round, with maybe summer the least, actually.

But just the same, there are tons of sun worshippers out there who thrive on the beaches of Maine all summer. Plus, if you go pretty often, you may see all sorts of exciting creatures like hermit crabs, or regular crabs, or even the occasional starfish. It can be a salty wonder world some days.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association hopes you'll keep an eye out.

Since you're already at the beach anyway, there's one critter that NOAA is hoping you'll never run into, and that's sea turtles. Not because they aren't the awesomest creature in the ocean, but because if they're on the beach, they're likely in trouble. So they're hoping you might use your turtle power, and report the stranded turtle to them.

These big shell dwellers will be off our coast for the next few months. Normally they wouldn't come ashore. And if they do, NOAA would love to hear about it so they can go down and assist the turtle in whatever manner it may need. So basically, you'd become the first line of defense for these sea-faring reptiles according to WGME.

Here's how you can help....

Should you see a turtle stranded on a beach somewhere, you can reach out to NOAA directly. You can call NOAA's stranding and entanglement hot line at 866-755-6622. Then, just leave the turtle be. The experts will take care of the rest. And, you'll finally be able to tell people you're a hero for a half-shell...