Dr Kellie Pendoley Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Sea Turtle Society

Congratulations Dr Kellie Pendoley for receiving the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Sea Turtle Society, presented at the 42^nd International Sea Turtle Symposium, (Pattaya, Thailand, March 2024).

Dr Kellie Pendoley is the eldest daughter of the late Mr John Lorking of Norfolk Island and is on the Board of Directors of the International Sea Turtle (ISTS), an international group which encourages and supports sea turtle conservation and research (International Sea Turtle Society). Each year since 1981 the International Sea Turtle Society hosts an annual Sea Turtle Symposium. The Symposium is a global community gathering of sea turtle biologists, environmental practitioners, conservationists, Indigenous groups, researchers, educators, academics, and advocates, bringing together around 600 people from all over the world to share knowledge, build capacity, network and collaborate and ultimately, to promote the protection and conservation of sea turtles.

A feature of the annual symposium is the presentation of the ISTS Lifetime Achievement Award, an award honouring an individual(s) who have had a significant impact on sea turtle biology and conservation through the course of their career. In March 2024 the International Sea Turtle Society Lifetime Achievement Award was awarded to Dr Kellie Pendoley at the 42^nd International Sea Turtle Symposium ISTS42 (ISTS42 Thailand). This award was in recognition of Kellie’s dedication to 40 years as an environmental practitioner and sea turtle biologist, sharing knowledge, collecting data, reporting and publishing on ea turtles and their habitats, and leading programs to conserve and protect turtle populations over the years. She could not do this alone and acknowledges the support of dozens of staff and hundreds of volunteers who have spent tens of thousands of hours monitoring sea turtles and their habitats over this time.

Dr Kellie Pendoley is based in Perth, Western Australia, and is the Director and Principal Scientist of Pendoley Environment PL (established in 1997, (www.penv.com.au). Pendoley Environmental is a leading marine conservation biology and dark sky conservation consultancy, focusing on marine turtle conservation in addition to pioneering the field of dark sky conservation in Australia. Over the past 20 years the company has led the world in developing innovative techniques for monitoring and modeling artificial light on a landscape scale, integrating this information with biological monitoring results and developing new approaches to impact assessment. Norfolk’s very own Rob Ryan worked closely with Pendoley Environmental staff to develop the early version of the camera-based monitoring equipment. Building on Robs original equipment design the company has employed a mechatronics engineer, computer programmers and astrophysicists to further refine and develop the equipment.

Dr Kellie Pendoley is an inspiration with her conservation work with Sea Turtles and protecting our Dark Skies. Kellie has supported and encouraged myself and others to protect our Norfolk Island Magical Dark Skies and she is always there to share her knowledge regarding light pollution, and she has also taught me about the sea turtles in our Kingston lagoon and around the Norfolk Island coastal area.

Congratulations Dr Kellie Pendoley

Betty Matthews

12 April 2024