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BY BARBARA COWARD
UMCONNECTION CORRESPONDENT

There aren?t that many people who are experts on the endangered Leatherback sea turtles. Few people know that they are the largest turtles in the world, with shell lengths as large as six feet. Or that they swim faster than sharks. Or even that they can dive as deep as a whale, half a mile down.

But Meghan Taschenberger, 8, of Community UMC in Crofton, knows these facts and a whole lot more.

In fact, this third-grader is a leading authority on the subject.

That?s because since the age of five, Meghan has embarked on a mission to save the Leatherback as well as other sea turtles from extinction.

'She came home from kindergarten one day and decided she wanted to save an endangered animal,' said her mother, Tammy Taschenberger. 'We did some research online and she chose the sea turtle.'

With her love and concern for the natural world, Meghan has become a young steward of God?s creation.

'I see other people do it for hurricanes and I thought I could do it for sea turtles,' said Meghan, referring to her efforts to raise money for her cause. 'I love nature and if I always like nature, why not help it? I like helping the environment and helping turtles survive.'

For her first fund-raising event, Meghan wrote and illustrated a seven-page book about sea turtles and set up a lemonade stand in her yard.

She raised $300, but wanted to do much more.

The following year, at age 6, Meghan decided to have another lemonade stand, to raise money for a different sea turtle, the Kemp?s Ridley. She raised another $270 for the Caribbean Conservation Corporation.

Then she came up with an idea for an Earth Day celebration at Community UMC in Crofton.

She approached her pastor, then the Rev. Chris Holmes, at a church mission day and told him that her mission wasn?t represented there and that she wanted the church to support her mission.

The celebration, held a year ago, featured information on earth conservation, water saving tips and crafts for children. It took up the entire church grounds including the fellowship hall, sanctuary and the classrooms. As part of the educational event, 'Meghan did a 20-minute talk on sea turtles in front of 100 people,' said her mother.

Meghan also enlisted the help of local businesses to donate goods and services for a raffle and silent auction, which raised $2,000 for the Leatherback Trust, a nonprofit foundation created to save the Leatherback turtle and other sea turtles from extinction.

'Meghan is a remarkable girl who is a social change agent,' said Holmes, who is now superintendent of the Annapolis District. 'She is not the only young person with a passion to save our world. I hope people who are pessimistic about the future will think about the many Meghans in this generation we are now raising, who will indeed change the world we live in for the better. We have reason to be hopeful.'

In order to gain first-hand knowledge of her cause, Meghan and her family traveled to Costa Rica where the Leatherback Trust has a field station that protects the turtles? nesting beaches in the Pacific Ocean.

'At first we didn?t think we could go,' said her mother, referring to timing and financial considerations. 'But then a family member sent money out of the blue, my husband?s job changed and the project he was working on got cancelled.'

'God wanted us to go,' she said.

The journey provided special blessings for Meghan?s hard work, which she wrote about in her church?s newsletter.

'I knew that God was with us because every night little miracles kept happening,' wrote Meghan. 'Things like two turtles coming up at the same time in the same place, being in the right place at the right time to see Leatherback sea turtles coming out of the surf up to the beach, seeing as many as 28 shooting stars in one night, seeing 63 hatchlings come out of the sand in one nest.'

She was also further inspired to protect God?s creation.

'I also felt God was with us in meeting people from the community that couldn?t speak English but we had a special connection,' she wrote. 'I appreciated God?s world more than ever because I could see other creatures I had never seen before, a different culture and different terrains.'

As Meghan turns to her next project, the Hawkbill turtle, she is keeping her eye on an even bigger calling.

'What I learned about myself is that if I keep working at it and with God?s help I can really become a marine biologist and that is my dream and goal,' she said.

Meghan has become an inspiration for her 5-year-old brother, Justin, their mother said. While he was still four, he planned and executed a yard sale to save his favorite animal, the elephant.

When the Save the Elephant Fund in Kenya received his $220, they asked him for a picture and posted it with his letter and donation to remind everyone that it doesn?t matter how old you are, you can make a difference.

Meghan?s Web site is http://seaturtlesrule.home.comcast.net/.