It gives them opportunities they might not otherwise have.

They feed them, clean the tanks, prepare the food -- even weigh and measure them. They watch them grow from thumbnail-size to full-size turtles.

Then we bring the tiny hatchlings to the Zoo. We take them to a special nursery, which is almost like a neo-natal intensive care unit.

We want to give them solid grounding in biology, conservation and life skills.

It's the highlight of their work. And they get to see conservation in action.

It's one of the things closest to my heart.