Measuring turtle shells and watching time lapse videos of one of the greatest animal migrations on Earth. These were amongst the highlights for the school children and community members of Lockhart River who recently welcomed Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service rangers and the Foundation to share the story of the Raine Island Recovery Project. 

The visit to Lockhart River on the eastern coast of the Cape York Peninsula highlighted the involvement of the Wuthathi Traditional Owners in the Raine Island Recovery Project. The Traditional Owners joined the visiting rangers to present at their Annual General Meeting about the importance of the project to protect and restore the Raine Island’s critical habitat to ensure the future of key marine species, including green turtles and seabirds.
 
Three primary school classes also heard about Raine Island and its green turtles. As well as marvelling at videos of as many as 20,000 turtles descending on the Island to nest at once, the Lockhart River students were most interested to hear first-hand what working as a ranger is like while having some fun with the Foundation’s ‘Make a green turtle’ craft activity.
 
The Wuthathi and Meriam Nations Traditional Owners are key partners in the five year Raine Island Recovery Project together with BHPB Billiton, the Queensland Government, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation. Traditional Owners participate on every management trip to Raine Island and are integral to the project’s success.