Winter is a magical time on the Oregon coast. Tendrils of fog lace through the peaks of the coastal mountains and giant waves spray salty mist as they crash against the rocky and rugged shore.

For all its natural beauty, though, the cold months along the coastline of the Pacific Northwest can be a dangerous place for sea turtles.

Oceanic testudines prefer warm water, but shifting currents and storms, common in the winter months, can push them north, out of their comfort zones and into the cold waters off the Oregon coast. As their internal temperature drops, they lose the ability to swim and eat.

Two of the most common turtles that wind up in trouble along the Oregon coast, Pacific green sea turtles and olive ridley sea turtles, are protected by the Endangered Species Act.

Turtles who find themselves in such a predicament can end up stranded on beaches. The outlook for these wayward and helpless creatures is often bleak.

But it needn't be so, said Jim Burke, Director of Animal Husbandry at the Oregon Coast Aquarium. The aquarium is one of only two facilities in the Pacific Northwest, along with the Seattle Aquarium, authorized by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to rehabilitate ailing sea turtles.

"The Aquarium plays an active role in helping sea turtles that are victims of rough seas and cold water. As soon as we find a stranded turtle, it is our goal to stabilize the animal so that we can get it back to warmer waters," Burke said in a statement.

There's a precedent for success, too.

Solstice and Lightning — both olive ridley turtles rescued off the northwest coast in 2014 and 2015, respectively — faced long odds of survival.

"Solstice was pretty sick," said Laura Todd, a supervisor with the Fish and Wildlife Service. "She had buoyancy problems and we almost didn't consider her releasable. Lightning was pretty beaten up. Her pelvic girdle, pectoral girdle, the base of her skull and one of her fins were broken."

After a lengthy rehab, both Solstice and Lightning, along with another turtle, were recently released off the coast of San Diego, into waters much more conducive to their survival.

The turtles were fitted with trackers so experts, and the general public, could track their progress.

"The successful release of stranded sea turtles, as represented by Lightning and Solstice, supports that the Aquarium's efforts make a positive difference in conserving threatened and endangered marine species," Burke said.

If you find a distressed turtle on the beach, call the Oregon State Police Tipline at 800-452-7888 or the Marine Mammal Stranding Network at 1-866-767-6114.

-- Kale Williams

kwilliams@oregonian.com

503-294-4048