The Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center

What The Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center does

The Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center (KBSTRRC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1995 and headquartered at 302 Tortuga Lane, Surf City, North Carolina, on Topsail Island. Its mission is to conserve marine turtles through rescue, rehabilitation, and release of sick and injured sea turtles; beach monitoring and nest protection on Topsail Island; and public and student education about sea turtle biology and conservation. The physical facility functions as a working sea turtle hospital with tanks, therapy pools, and medical care capabilities for marine turtles, and the organization is authorized under North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission ES Permit 26ST05 to handle protected species. Operations are powered entirely by volunteers; no paid headcount is publicly disclosed. Cumulative impact through December 8, 2025 includes 1,701 turtles cared for, 1,301 turtles released, 3,027 nests protected, and 245,952 hatchlings emerged.

Core offerings span guided hospital tours ($5-$7 per person, capped at 15 tickets per time slot, with weekend/weekday operating hours), Turtle Talks (free public presentations during nesting season), a Tiered internship pipeline (Junior for high schoolers age 15+; standard College; Lead Intern; and School-Specific cohorts with UNCW and Cape Fear Community College), K-12 school and community outreach programs (in-person within 45 miles, classroom add-ons at $75, virtual tours at $75-$125, and a speaker bureau at $100 plus mileage), free downloadable teacher resources, and donor programs including Adopt a Turtle, Adopt a Nest 2026, a memorial Jean Beasley Fund for an Education Center expansion, an endowment, and a physical gift shop. Third-party platforms — Ticket Tailor (ticketing), Square.site (shop and adoptions), LGLForms (donations), and Galaxy Digital (volunteer portal) — handle transactional operations; no proprietary software, API, or AI capability is offered.

Revenue mechanics mix per-ticket tour admissions (one-time, unit pricing, 6.75% sales tax plus $0.31 processing), per-student and per-event education fees (one-time), donation streams routed through LGL Forms (one-time gifts, memorial contributions, endowment), and gift shop retail sales. Marketing is primarily earned media and word-of-mouth — coverage in StarNews, WECT, WRAL, WWAY, CoastalReview, and MongaBay, plus a website (seaturtlehospital.org), e-newsletter, social media, and free Turtle Talks. The brand holds a Charity Navigator Three-Star rating and has received the Animal Planet Hero of the Year award (2007), Oceana Ocean Hero Award (2013), International Sea Turtle Society Lifetime Achievement Award (2017), NC Wildlife Federation Governor's Award Conservationist of the Year (2014), NC Order of the Long Leaf Pine (2021), and Thomas L. Quay Wildlife Diversity Award (2022). Founder Jean Beasley passed away on December 2, 2025, at age 90, and the organization continues to operate under Board governance.

Name

The Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center

Legal name

The Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center

Website

https://seaturtlehospital.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center is a Surf City, NC-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that rescues, rehabilitates, and releases injured sea turtles, protects Topsail Island nests, and educates K-12 students, college interns, and visitors via hospital tours, school programs, and donor-funded adoptions, supported entirely by volunteers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wildlife Conservation Services

NAICS

Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Wildlife Rescue, Rehabilitation & Release (BPAGAIAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sea Turtle Nesting & Hatchling Tours (regulated night walks) (THAAAIAI), Animal Shelters & Rescue Operations (AFAEALAB)

Keywords

• Sea turtle rescue
• Wildlife rehabilitation
• Marine conservation
• Environmental education
• Nest protection programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Morehead City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Guided Tour Admissions: Revenue from paid guided tours of the sea turtle hospital facility. Admission fees range from $5-$7 per person plus tax and processing fees. Tours sell out daily indicating strong demand.
2. Donations and Contributions: General donations, memorial donations (Jean Beasley Fund for Education Center expansion), and endowment contributions support operations and specific programs.
3. Turtle Adoption Programs: Virtual adoption programs for turtles and nests available through their Square site, providing symbolic adoptions in exchange for donations.
4. Gift Shop Sales: The gift shop operates during tour hours with proceeds benefiting the turtles. All proceeds support turtle care and conservation programs.
5. Educational Program Fees: School programs charge $5 per student, $7 per adult. Classroom add-on programs $75. Virtual programs $75-$125. Speaker bureau requests $100 plus mileage.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center rescues, rehabilitates, and releases sick and injured sea turtles through a dedicated hospital facility in Surf City, NC, and protects sea turtle nests on Topsail Island through the Topsail Turtle Project. It complements its conservation work with paid guided hospital tours, school and community education programs, virtual programs, internships, and donor engagement via turtle/nest adoptions, a gift shop, and contributions. All operations are powered by volunteers and supported through donations, program fees, and merchandise sales.

Product overview

The Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center is a nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of conservation and education services rather than a unified software product. Core offerings include guided hospital tours, school and community education programs (group tours, virtual tours, speakers bureau, classroom programs, outreach), and structured internship opportunities (Junior, standard, Lead, and School-Specific internships with UNCW and CFCC). The organization also operates donor programs including Adopt a Turtle and Adopt a Nest, a gift shop, and provides free teacher resources. No AI, API, or technology product integrations exist.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Topsail Turtle Project: Beach monitoring and nest protection program focused on Topsail Island sea turtle nesting.

Products and services

• Guided Tours of Sea Turtle Hospital Paid guided tours of the working sea turtle hospital at 302 Tortuga Lane, Surf City, NC. Visitors view turtle patients in rehabilitation and learn about sea turtle conservation. Tours are reservation-only, offered Monday-Friday 12 PM-4 PM and Saturday-Sunday 11 AM-3 PM (as of July 2026), with capacity capped at 15 tickets per time slot. Priced at $7 general admission, $6 for military/seniors, $5 for children ages 3-12, free for ages 0-2 (reservation still required), plus 6.75% sales tax and a $0.31 processing fee.
• School Programs Educational programs for K-12 school groups including group tours, classroom add-on programs ($75), in-person outreach visits within 45 miles of Surf City ($5/student, $7/adult chaperone, 1 adult free per 15 students, $50 non-refundable deposit), and virtual programs ($75 virtual tour, $125 virtual tour plus lesson) aligned with NC state and national science standards for Pre-K through 12.
• Community Outreach Programs Educational services for community organizations including group tours ($7 per adult, $5 per student, 15-person minimum, 45-60 minutes), virtual tours, and speaker bureau presentations ($100 suggested donation plus mileage for in-person; virtual presentations available) about sea turtle conservation and the rehabilitation center's work.
• Sea Turtle Internship Program Hands-on internship opportunities for college students and recent graduates in sea turtle husbandry, rehabilitation, conservation, and education, including the Lead Intern track and School-Specific tracks through partnerships with the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) and Cape Fear Community College (CFCC) Work Based Learning program.
• Junior Sea Turtle Internship Two-week introductory internship program for high school students aged 15 and older offering hands-on experience with sea turtle husbandry and public communication skills.
• Adopt a Turtle Program Virtual adoption program allowing supporters to symbolically adopt a sea turtle patient through the organization's Square site, with proceeds supporting turtle care and rehabilitation.
• Adopt a Nest 2026 Symbolic adoption program for the 2026 nesting season allowing supporters to adopt a sea turtle nest on Topsail Island to support nest protection efforts, processed via the organization's Square site.
• Gift Shop On-site retail shop at the Surf City facility open during tour hours (no ticket required) and online store via the organization's Square site, selling merchandise with all proceeds supporting the center's turtle care and conservation programs.
• Turtle Talks Free public educational presentations held at 9 AM on Mondays and Tuesdays from June 1 through August 31 at rotating Topsail Island locations (behind the Assembly Building in Topsail Beach, Soundside Park in Surf City, Town Hall in North Topsail Beach), covering sea turtles that nest on Topsail Island.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3,027 sea turtle nests protected on Topsail Island
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• University of North Carolina at Wilmington (UNCW)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with UNCW to offer part-time internships to their students during the regular school year. Students gain hands-on sea turtle rehabilitation and conservation experience.
• Cape Fear Community College (CFCC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with CFCC to offer part-time internships to their students during the regular school year through their Work Based Learning program.
• North Carolina Wildlife Resources CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment regulatory partner authorizing sea turtle rehabilitation and beach monitoring activities. Organization operates under ES Permit 26ST05 issued by the Commission.
• Charity NavigatorminorOthersIndependent charity evaluator that has awarded the organization a Three-Star Rating based on financial health, accountability, and transparency.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Oceana: International ocean conservation advocacy organization; not a direct operator but awarded the center an Ocean Hero Award and operates in the same marine conservation donor and policy ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• The Marine Mammal Center: Nonprofit veterinary hospital in Sausalito, CA rescuing and rehabilitating marine mammals with public tours and education — comparable nonprofit hospital-and-education model applied to a different species.
• National Aquarium: Large nonprofit aquarium in Baltimore, MD with animal rescue, conservation education, and rehabilitation programs — a much larger incumbent with overlapping conservation and education functions.
• Texas State Aquarium: Nonprofit aquarium and wildlife rescue program in Corpus Christi, TX including sea turtle and shorebird rehabilitation — broader institution with overlapping rehabilitation and education missions.
• Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium: Larger marine research institution with sea turtle conservation programs, public aquarium, and education outreach in Sarasota, FL — broader portfolio but overlapping rehabilitation and education mission.

Direct peers

• Loggerhead Marinelife Center: Nonprofit sea turtle hospital in Juno Beach, FL offering rehabilitation, public tours, education, and beach monitoring — the closest direct peer in scale, model, and programmatic mix.
• South Carolina Aquarium Sea Turtle Care Center: Aquarium-affiliated sea turtle hospital in Charleston, SC providing rehabilitation, release, and education programs — comparable in mission and a partner in regional stranding response networks.
• Clearwater Marine Aquarium: Nonprofit marine hospital and aquarium in Clearwater, FL specializing in sea turtle and marine mammal rehabilitation with paid visitor experiences and education — a larger but structurally analogous nonprofit hospital model.
• Georgia Sea Turtle Center: A nonprofit sea turtle rehabilitation, education, and research center on Jekyll Island, GA, operating a hospital with public tours and education programs — directly comparable in mission, facility model, and visitor engagement.

Emerging players

• Sea Turtle Conservancy: Florida-based nonprofit focused on sea turtle research and conservation through nesting beach protection and advocacy — adjacent mission with overlapping beach-monitoring and public engagement but no hospital.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/seaturtlehospital
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/karen-beasley-sea-turtle-rescue-and-rehabilitation-center

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center