Steve Enders is the President, Executive Director, and Founder of theTurtleRoom.com, a growing non-profit turtle and tortoise conservation and education organization. The TurtleRoom is headquartered here in Lancaster County, PA and has volunteer staff stationed in more than 10 states and the United Kingdom. The mission of theTurtleRoom is to advance survival of the world’s turtles and tortoises through collaborative education, conservation, and research programs. Steve’s talk will provide an in-depth introduction to theTurtleRoom. He will talk about the organization’s beliefs, strategy, and diverse programs designed to meet their multi-faceted mission including: education, outreach, ex-situ assurance colony development, and in-situ research/conservation. Additionally, he will discuss the current status of turtles and tortoises and their conservation, while maintaining hope for the future, thanks to the tireless efforts of the TurtleRoom and several of their partner organizations.