History of the MTSG |
The MTSG was founded in 1966 in response to a growing recognition of the endangered status of marine turtles. Sir Peter Scott asked Archie Carr to chair the group and appoint group members. Archie Carr remained the MTSG chair until 1984, when he stepped down. Karen Bjorndal was then appointed to lead the group, followed by Maria Angela (‘Neca’) Marcovaldi, Alberto Abreu, and the current co-chairs, Roderic Mast and Nicolas Pilcher.
The MTSG was originally a small group with just 15 to 30 members, until 1990, when the membership was expanded to over 150 members. Today, the MTSG maintains a membership that is more than 250 strong and represents approximately 80 countries.
During Archie Carr's chairmanship, the MTSG operated with a minimum of structure. Peter Pritchard served as Coordinator of Marine Turtle Conservation Programs from 1969 to 1973. In 1993, responding to the larger size of the group, an Executive Committee composed of the chair, deputy chair, and seven members was appointed. Marydele Donnelly became Program Officer in 1994, under support provided by an anonymous donor to the MTSG through the efforts of the Center for Marine Conservation (now The Ocean Conservancy, Washington, DC). She was succeeded in August 2003 by Brian Hutchinson, the current Program Officer for the MTSG.
As membership grew in the early nineties, so did the use of electronic communication within the group. The MTSG website was created in 1995, allowing for easy access to information and publications created by the organization. The current MTSG membership directory is now online with the majority of members accessible via email.
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