Olema, CA.  Turtle Island Restoration Network announced this week that Randall Arauz, director of the Costa Rican environmental organization PRETOMA, and Dr. Wallace J. Nichols, of Davenport, CA, have joined the organization’s board of directors.

Turtle Island Restoration Network is a nonprofit environmental organization that sponsors initiatives including the Sea Turtle Restoration Project, the Salmon Protection and Watershed Network and the Got Mercury Campaign.

“I am very happy to welcome Randall Arauz and Dr. Wallace J. Nichols to the Turtle Island board.   They are leaders in the worldwide efforts to study and protect sea turtles and other marine wildlife and their dedication and persistence is inspiring.  Our board and staff are excited to engage J. and Randall in our expanding organization and community,” said Todd Steiner, founder and executive director of Turtle Island and its initiatives.

Biologist and activist Randall Arauz was born in Los Angeles, California.  Raised by the seaside, he developed a passion for the ocean.  At the age of 10, he returned with his parents to their native home in Costa Rica where he developed a deep affinity with the marine natural history of the country.  After receiving a degree in Biology at the University of Costa Rica, he served as the first director of the Las Baulas National Park of Costa Rica, established to protect the region’s endangered leatherback turtles.

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