Saving leatherbacks in South America's smallest country, Suriname

From an article by Jeremy Hance posted on Mongabay.com:

After a year studying marine biology at Moss Landing Marine Labs, Liz McHuron headed off to the little-known nation of Suriname to monitor leatherback sea turtles. Her responsibilities included implementing a conservation strategy for a particular beach, moving leatherback nests in danger of flooding, and educating volunteer workers on the biology, behavior, and conservation efforts of the world's largest, and most unique, marine turtle.

I visited McHuron during her time at the beach of Galibi in Suriname; she proved to be the sort of scientist who refused to be deterred: breathtaking humidity or downpours, fer-de-lances on the beach or jaguars, Liz was always on the move, always working to aid the critically-endangered leatherbacks while studying them with the thoroughness inherit in a born scientist.

McHuron grew up in the Midwestern state of Minnesota, as she says "probably about as far as you can in US" from the ocean, she spent in Florida coasts, which began her journey to marine biology. While her career path is "competitive" and "requires a lot of work and determination" McHuron wouldn't have it any other way. Despite the large numbers of people drawn to marine biology, McHuron advises that if it's what you want to do than you should do it.

In her interview, McHuron emphasizes the unique qualities of leatherbacks, by pointing out that not only are they the largest marine turtle species in the world, they also travel the furthest: “they migrate thousands of kilometers from foraging grounds to nesting sites”. For example one individual has been clocked traveling from Indonesia to Oregon in a single year.