Nittaunis Baker is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in marine affairs from the University of Rhode Island. Someday, she hopes to earn a law degree or a master’s in marine affairs to help protect the ocean and secure water access rights for Indigenous communities in the U.S. (including her own). Her passion for marine animal and sea turtle conservation led her to seek a Chrysalis Fund internship at the Mystic Aquarium Animal Rescue Program (ARP) to expand her resume and gain experience in marine biology.

Nittaunis’s internship commenced at the beginning of the cold-stunned turtle season in November 2022. Her first task was to help care for one loggerhead and twelve critically endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtles that failed to swim to warmer waters—ultimately becoming hypothermic in the frigid waters of Cape Cod. Each day, she helped clean and maintain the sea turtle pools and worked alongside ARP staff and veterinarians to feed, medicate, and treat the turtles until they were ready for release back into the wild.

During the second portion of her internship, Nittaunis helped ARP staff care for stranded and injured harbor, harp, and gray seals. She also learned about various medical conditions and veterinary diagnostic equipment, including ultrasound and radiograph machines, while assisting with routine exams and treatments for the seals. Additionally, Nittaunis participated in two ARP education and outreach activities—including a local beach cleanup event and a public awareness video project about the responsible and legal viewing of wild marine mammals on Block Island.