Amy Tressler

"In the end we will conserve only what we love. We love only what we understand. We will understand only what we are taught."-Baba Dioum

For most of us, 5 a.m. doesn't seem like the ideal time to hit the beach. But that's when you'll find Amy Tressler there. She's not bodysurfing or working on a moon tan. She's looking for tracks in the sand leading to expertly disguised nests filled with a mother's hope for the future of her species.

Visiting Hilton Head Island regularly with her family for 23 years, it was here that Amy fell in love with the loggerhead, working with the sea turtle protection program during summer breaks from college and stoking her passion for nature. "It was through the turtle project that I decided that I wanted to go into some kind of conservation field," she said.

After graduating from Ohio State University with a degree in wildlife management, she immediately moved here to make her mark. "I knew this was it for me," said Amy. "I got involved in this conservation project because I really do love sea turtles. I appreciate their lifecycle," she explained, describing mammoth moms who spend 25 years growing before reaching the age of reproduction and then spend the rest of their lives going through an arduous nesting process.

Along with a team of fellow scientists, Amy is on turtle patrol from May-October, rising before daylight to look for tracks, mark nests, monitor their progress and inventory the results. "My favorite part is either the hatchlings going into the water for the first time or the females returning to the water. I know that I'm playing my part and doing something that is going to benefit sea turtles in the future," she said.

But the future of the loggerhead is not Amy's only concern. "Working with the turtle project, I was doing a lot of educational programs. I knew that I was sort of navigating myself into the field of education," she said. Earning her master's degree in elementary education from USCB, she taught fourth grade at the Hilton Head Island International Baccalaureate School this year. On June 6, she breathed a sigh of relief, citing surviving her first year of teaching as her greatest accomplishment in life to date. "Teaching is one of the most challenging jobs," she said. "I worked very hard to come up with lessons these kids would enjoy and benefit from. It was hard saying goodbye to them on Friday. It was bittersweet."

In addition to managing a classroom, Amy established an after school environmental club with the goal of instilling a sense of environmental stewardship. Among their activities, the group implemented a recycling program and planted a butterfly garden.

Next year, Amy will be the school's science coach, working with teachers and modeling lessons. "I really want to help other teachers teach lessons that inspire students and help them develop a passion for science like I have," she said.

Amy credits her parents for encouraging her sense of wonder. (Her mom works as a docent at the Columbus Zoo and her dad is an emergency room physician.) "My parents were the ones who instilled all these values in me," she said. "I was raised and taught that it's very important that you are not always considering yourself; you are thinking about what you can do for others or what you can do for the environment. I feel like I am doing something that is going to benefit many generations to come."


Up Close

Hometown: Columbus, Ohio Full-time Hilton Head Island resident: since 2004 Working in the turtle program: nine years Lives with: husband, Cory and their two canine kids, 100-pound Mastiff mix, Maxine and "everything mix," Teela Describes herself as: enthusiastic, passionate and dedicated When not teaching or tracking turtles, find her: working at the Coastal Discovery Museum at Honey Horn, swimming, biking, gardening or taking her dogs to the beach.