Padre Island National Seashore to Celebrate 40 years of Turtle Conservation

By Aaron Baxter

Staff from the National Seashore will host the first Ridley Rendezvous festival.

 

(Corpus Christi, Texas) - Superintendent Mark Spier announced today the staff at Padre Island National Seashore will host the first ever “Ridley Rendezvous” on  July 14, 2018.  The event celebrates the 40th year of successful collaboration of the bi-national, multiagency Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle Restoration & Enhancement Project at Padre Island National Seashore.  Developed in the 1970’s, this pioneering conservation program worked to restore the critically endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtle when it was feared that it would go extinct within a few years unless immediate steps were taken. Four decades of work by both the U.S. and Mexico, helped to increase the Kemp’s ridley population although more work remains to be done. This milestone year celebrates the progress made towards recovery of this species. Dr. Donna Shaver, Chief of the Division of Sea Turtle Science and Recovery states: “I am thrilled to celebrate this anniversary with representatives from the various agencies who have helped with these conservation efforts for decades. This progress could not have been made without all of these agencies working together to help study, protect, and restore the species.”

Friends of Padre and other conservation groups will also be on hand. We will be passing out Friends of Padre Bumper stickers and debuting a memorial display in honor of our late founder, Captain Billy Sandifer.

See you there!



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