Join the Ten Club! Pearl Jam's Official Fan Club
The Great Turtle Race Starts Today – Cheer on Pearl Jam’s Turtle, Backspacer!
04.16.09
Illustration by Chris Rooney
Which turtle will reach the finishing line first? Watch the turtles' progress on the official race map - http://www.greatturtlerace.org/ — updated every day—and sign up for daily race updates from Conservation International - http://www.conservation.org/turtlerace.
Pearl Jam Audience Favorite Great Turtle Race Challenge:
Want to do more than just cheer on your favorite turtle? Pearl Jam has a challenge for you. Help us support sea turtle conservation by donating to Conservation International in the name of your favorite competitor. All funds donated in support of the Great Turtle race will be matched by dollar by dollar by Pearl Jam and other race sponsors.
How to take the Pearl Jam Audience Favorite Challenge:
Vote for your favorite turtle when you make a donation – whatever you can afford – to support Conservation International’s sea turtle conservation efforts at https://secure2.convio.net/cintl/site/Donation2?df_id=3800&3800.donation...
The audience favorite winner will be tallied and announced at the end of the race at conservation.org/TurtleRace.
©2009 Pearl Jam. All rights reserved.
Comments
:)
Yeah! =D
:D
Awesome! Go Backspacer!
hahaha, this is pretty cool!
wicked!
How cute. I wish the best for her!
Haha.. go Backspacer!
It looks like Backspacer needs a little more forward action . C'mon little turtle, you can do it! Go, Backspacer, Go! Go, Backspacer, Go!
interesting tidbit about the new album on the national geographic website....
Sponsor: Pearl Jam
Coach: Eric Shanteau
Backspacer has a lot on her mind. She joined the Race for the sake of the journey, to take to the road and to think about where she's been and where she's headed next. She started the Race from the most northerly point of any of her competitors, deep in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Backspacer's sponsors, the legendary rock band Pearl Jam, are hoping that she can win the Race and find her way home in time for the release of their new album in the Fall!
Eric Shanteau photoBackspacer's coach, Olympic swimmer Eric Shanteau, has been helping her to focus on moving ahead and taking deep breaths during her long sojourn south.
So glad to see PJ supporting wildlife conservation.
Thank you!!
just awesome!!
Aww how sweet!
This is awesome. Creative activism!
I want a t-shirt made of this!! What do you think, 10 Club?
Backspacer is adorable!
Slow and steady Backspacer. Lay those eggs.
Vai Backspacer!!!
I have Backspacer to win/place/show so I really only need him to finish in the top three and I'll be happy... I think he ate some bad plankton or something, because he is draggin ass right now, and I don't like his spot in the middle of the pack, he needs to get on the inside rail...
I've never really been much of an activist. I've always supported the idea of wildlife conservation and the like, but Pearl Jam has really opened my eyes that talking isn't enough. Actions are what matters, and things like this are perfect examples. I'll be rooting for Backspacer and supporting her and the other competitors as best I can.
Go Backspacer Go! This is great!!!!! Thanks PJ!
I just checked the map on day three and she's right in the middle of the peleton, a meagre 500 miles behind the leaders. Still eleven days to go, so she may be conserving her energy for a late burst.
Good forward in peace our little green friends...
Considering that they weigh nearly a ton, perhaps 'little' is not exactly the word I might have used there, is it?
You can do it, Backspacer!!! We're all rootin' for ya! Slow and steady will do & you can win it. Keep your eye on the prize; a new album in the Fall (oh, sorry Backspacer...that's for US! YAY!
this is amazing
I'm sure our unknown gal has got the stuff of champions, we really do need a 10C T shirt she should sport a recognizable pj guitar or uke! I'm glad the band picked a female so we hope there will be a clutch of eggs at the end of the run. Will the band usher the new ones safely to the sea? I know its a lot to ask, but maybe if we donate enough!!
"Backspacer is a female turtle of average size that we don't really know anything about. It's pretty much the case for all but about 2 of the 11 turtles. We don't have any previous history on them but being a breeding-size female, we're expecting that - after she got her tag in Canada - that she'll making her way down to the Caribbean just like the other adult female as well as male turtles."
Stats for April 18:
Billy - 1,525 miles to the finish line
Nueva Esperanza - 1,548
Nightswimmer (R.E.M) - 1,604
Cali - 1,679
Backspacer - 1,835
Lindblad - 1,893
"Billy is pointed straight toward the Caribbean now and is very far away from the other turtles. This big adult male leatherback has family ties in the Great Turtle Race — his cousin Billie crossed the finish line first in the 2007 race. Nueva Esperanza seems to be the farthest along after quietly making steady progress. But Seabiscuit, Backspacer, Nightswimmer, and Wawa Bear are gaining on her. After a few more spins, Cali took off like a shot to catch up with the rest of the turtles by the end of the day. Grembo Jones and Searcher, the two smallest turtles in the race, are taking a very wide turn, almost toward the Azores Islands in the eastern Atlantic."
I hope the donation link and enthusiasm stays open into May so budgeting can squeeze out more donations. Backspacer is doing so well closer to the coast like Billy but not that close. She is just a little less close than Nightswimmer the REM competitor right now. Maybe she wil overtake her today, go Backspacer. wonder if "leatherman" can be reworked to "leatherback" or a song of her own!! That would keep the attention on the issue for months!
go go backspacer, go go backspacer, go go backspacer gooooooooo!!!!!!!
nice
Backspacer has the popularity factor. Right now she has 22% of the support votes. REM's turtle, Nightswimmer, has 19% for 2nd place.
looks like she's right behind Billy in the same direction, but maybe she will pass him up, maybe it's their destiny, he will perhaps be the papa to her eggs, super though if she's there on the beach to greet him as he arives, Go baby, go baby, go our baby backspacer!!!(where do the eggs gets fertilized anyway?(I dont not mean where on the turtle), perhaps when is a better question? Backspacers our winner!
Billy is getting close to the finish line in the northern Caribbean—will he finish soon? Nueva Esperanza and Wawa Bear are still nearly tied and heading toward South America, with Estéban and Lindblad the Explorer trying to keep them in their sights. Seabiscuit is not far behind. Grembo and Searcher are still the farthest east of all the turtles—are they trying a backdoor approach to the Caribbean?
MILES TO THE FINISH LINE
Billy - 394 miles
Backspacer - 813 miles
GO, Girl, GO!
she has made some nice moves over the last couple days. these turtles are amazing. she could get it done on earth day, pretty cool. go get 'em girl!
right now Billy and Backspacer look like they are kissing on the map, it's up in air, or should I say out in the water. Use your mind to urge her on, she may well win, and with Billy she's already a winner
Go Backspacer Go!
sweet! :)
its in the can...unless she pulls out the surf board and rides a few waves...
September, Stone says September for the new album. That's so enar and yet so far...
And Backspacer is winning. Good news all round.
Backspacer is in the lead!!!! Only 133 meters to go!!! WooHoo!!!!
I think if BACKSPACER wins PEARL JAM titles the new album BACKSPACER :)
just a thought and I am sticking with it. I mean we can hold out for a new name like Pineapple or peach seed :)
J/K to all....kinda
Scott
61m left! Go backspacer lol!
Backspacer wins
Way to go Backspacer!!!
cool to see again, your behaviour, an example for young generation, you totally rock
We have a Winner!!! Nice work!