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We, Chelonia: Sea Turtle Research and Conservation are a Puerto Rican nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation of sea turtles and their nesting and foraging habitat.
Our efforts include nesting and hatching activity monitoring, research, and outreach: As science and marine science advocates, we bring the message of conservation to schools, colleges, and universities all around Puerto Rico. Our main project, Proyecto Tinglar Dorado, is within the Natural Reserve Playa Grande El Paraíso (PGEP) in the town of Dorado and focuses on the leatherback sea turtle, which is the largest and oldest extant sea turtle species.
Sea turtles are important to the ecosystem as they bring nutrients and modify the beach, control populations, host other species, and are sentinels of the marine ecosystem’s health. PGEP is one of the top nesting beaches for the Atlantic population of the leatherback turtle in Puerto Rico and the United States.
We are forever grateful for your contribution! In this page you will find information on how to donate to continue our mission and where your donations go.
Giving Options

Consider donating to help us continue our efforts to conserve and protect sea turtles and their habitat in Puerto Rico through various projects focused on conservation, research and education.
Chelonia is exempt from taxes under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of the United States of America and under section 1101.01 of the Internal Revenue Code of Puerto Rico. We invite you to support efforts by making your year-end donation tax deductible.
To claim your donation as a deduction, please provide your email address and we will send you a receipt for your records
With Cash
Please call us at (787) 306-0916 or fill out our contact form for cash donations in Puerto Rico.
By Check
Donations by check may be sent to the following address:
Chelonia, Investigacion y Conservacion de Tortugas Marinas
PO Box 360249
San Juan, PR 00936-0249
Give Online
Online donations are accepted through PayPal, Venmo and ATH Movil.
ATH Movil Donar: /CheloniaDorado
About Your Donations, Where & How They Are Used
As a nonprofit organization, we depend heavily on grants and donations to conduct our work. Since 2012, Chelonia has grown in numbers for both volunteers and public outreach. Every year, our team impacts around 10-15 thousand people of diverse backgrounds. Hence, the need for materials to continue our efforts has also grown and we have seen that the need for continued research is crucial to continue implementing conservation measures.
With your help, our team can continue permeating the conservation of sea turtles in Puerto Rico and impacting the diverse community we continue to connect with.
Equipment
To reach our goals, our team is in need of equipment and materials such as PIT Tag scanners, tagging equipment, nest tagging and protection materials, uniforms and more.
Educational Trunks
We are in the process of creating educational material for several Educational Trunks designed for audiences of different ages and school grades.
Each trunk is designed to better fit its target audience instead of relying on a standard educational presentation.
Our goal is for our trunks to include educational material such as replicas, preserved specimens, arts and crafts, costumes, science research example equipment, posters and more.
Thermal Drone
Our goal is to acquire a thermal drone with sufficient batteries to last a night’s patrol (6). This type of drone is ideal for night patrols to help identify nesting females without relying on continuous walks along the beach.
Satellite transmitters
Current efforts include installing satellite transmitters on nesting female leatherback turtles with the help of volunteers and international organizations. Satellite transmitters are installed to research and monitor nesting behavior and migration patterns. So far, we have been able to install three (3) transmitters in 2023 and four (4) transmitters in 2024. With your help, we hope to increase the number of transmitters installed and further gather data.
Get in Touch. Get Involved.
We believe that there are many ways to get involved in sea turtle conservation, from volunteering, donating equipment or services and spreading the message.
If you would like to get involved in other ways, please do not hesitate to contact us and make sure to follow us on social media for news, updates and events.
Contact Form
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