A Note from Our Founder
Inspired by a Sea Turtle
While on vacation in South Carolina in 1996, my family and I decided to walk the beach one night at Hunting Island State
Park near Beaufort, S.C. After about a mile trek, we encountered tracks in the sand and followed them up the beach to a large female Loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta)
who was just finishing her nest. It was an
awe-inspiring sight and one that will be forever etched into my memory. There are really no words that can describe the magnitude of the experience. It was at
that moment that I said to myself, “I need
to take people to see this!”
In 2000, I ran my first turtle trip and have not stopped since. In 2010 we created Caretta Nature Tours LLC. Over the years our group has travelled to the Carolinas, Florida, Costa Rica, Belize and St. Croix to help researchers protect sea turtles and ensure they will remain for future generations to experience what I did in 1996.
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In 2020 we became a volunteer-based giving group, moving from an LLC to a nonprofit. A handful of loving, dedicated friends gathered to craft a new name, vision and mission for our organization and Caretta Inspired Journeys was born, with a vision of “Helping wildlife one trip at a time”.
It was not until we completed this work that I realized the significance of this new name. How prophetic that those words, Caretta Inspired Journeys, tie directly back to the event that started it all in 1996 without our conscious realization!
Please join us as we embark on our new mission to assist sea turtle researchers and other wildlife conservation organizations through hands-on travel experiences.
Sincerely,
Andy Brown
Founder
This Guy
Andy Brown is the founder of Caretta Inspired Journeys. He was a Naturalist with Calvert County Natural Resources Division for 35 years and received his degree in Wildlife Biology from Frostburg State University.
With Calvert County Natural Resources Division, Andy conducted research projects
on Barn Owls, Eastern Bluebirds, American Kestrels, Saw-whet owls and amphibians and reptiles. He has held a bird banding license since the age of 16.
Growing up in Forestville, Md. he cut his birding teeth with Prince George’s Audubon Society and
has fond memories of participating in many of the regional bird counts in his teenaged years. Andy’s interests include all forms of wildlife, (particularly birds and sea turtles) hiking and kayaking.
Andy began leading nature tours for groups in
the early 1990’s. Andy’s passion for sharing wildlife experiences with others has led to the creation of Caretta Inspired Journeys.
“The natural world is filled with wondrous phenomena. Many people spend their entire lives never even knowing it exists. It is my mission to share with everyone this beautiful natural world and hope that they too will build a deep emotional connection with the life around us. To guide a baby sea turtle to the ocean to begin its life at sea is an experience everyone should have.”
– Andy Brown
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Leadership
CIJ Board of Directors, 2022
Dr. John Bubser, President
(vacant), Vice President
Karen Anderson, Secretary
Mike Carpenter, Treasurer
Andy Brown, Programs Committee Chair
Barbara S. Mogel, Marketing/Communications Committee Chair