Meghan McGuire, a military spouse who headed the fundraiser, reached out to the Sea Grant program in April to donate the proceeds from the fundraiser.

McGuire, who has graphic design experience, created a unique turtle design incorporating the legend of the Sirena and names of various beaches and hiking trails on Guam. She created the design for the Military Wild quarantine art competition in August 2020.

“Another NAVFAC Marianas spouse Chrissy Sowell asked me to be a part of her team, and our team needed a logo or team flag, so I decided to give it a shot and dust off my drawing and design skills from college. When Chrissy and I would go out snorkeling, we would always see sea turtles, and it's just such a relaxing and amazing experience to watch them. So, I thought telling a story on the back of a turtle shell would be a cool concept,” she said.

McGuire partnered with Sarah Hyde, an Air Force spouse and owner of HLD Custom Creations, and Erin and Dan Holmes of Southern Mountain Gear to produce the t-shirt and stickers to jumpstart the campaign.

"After she (Hyde) printed them, I asked her if she would jump on board with me to run a campaign to raise money for Sea Grant's Turtle conservation program. She agreed, and I reached out to my husband to see who I might be able to get in touch with to make this happen," McGuire said.

Her husband, Lt. Cmdr. Jonathan McGuire, the NAVFAC Marianas Facilities, Environment, Acquisitions Division (FEAD) Director at 36 CES on Andersen Air Force Base at that time, recommended the University's Sea Grant program. The NAVFAC Marianas environmental team at Andersen and Sea Grant often work together on various turtle conservation and environmental initiatives.

For her part, McGuire chose Sea Grant's program because of its contribution to wildlife conservation on Guam.

McGuire said, "The role the sea turtles play in keeping a healthy ecosystem is important, and without them, the coral reefs and seagrass beds would be greatly impacted. It is great to support programs like Sea Grant so we can all help keep these beautiful creatures continue to be around for many generations as well as enjoy the oceans they call home."

McGuire's husband transferred to another duty station in California after the campaign. Meanwhile, her fundraising partner, Hyde, remains on the island and has committed to continuing the fundraising venture.

"So, anything she sells with this turtle design on it, she will donate to UOG Sea Grant. I really hope this will continue to be popular because we all enjoyed the island, even for a short amount of time. We really need to help preserve it," McGuire said.

About the turtle monitoring program:

UOG Sea Grant started overseeing the turtle monitoring and survey program on Andersen Air Force Base in 2018. Sea Grant's sea turtle biologists currently monitor activity of the endangered green sea turtle or Haggan betde (Chelonia mydas) and the critically endangered hawksbill sea turtle or Haggan karai (Eretmochelys imbricata).