USFWS, Refuge Staff, interns, and volunteers release young Kemp's ridley sea turtle hatchlings at South Padre Island.

The South Texas Sea Turtle Project, a cooperative conservation project to locate and protect nesting Kemp’s ridley and other sea turtles and their nests on South Padre Island and Boca Chica Beaches in southernmost Texas, continued in July 2007.  Daily patrols were conducted by volunteers, interns, and staff from April through mid-July.  Patrols ended on July 15, 2007.  Only one sea turtle nest was found in July, a loggerhead nest found July 9, 2007.  The nesting turtle was not seen and the nest contained 115 eggs.  A total of 22 sea turtle nests, including 20 Kemp’s ridley (17 on South Padre Island, 3 on Boca Chica) and 2 loggerhead nests (on South Padre Island), have been found through this project in 2007.  All nests found were relocated to a protective corral on South Padre Island, where they are monitored until hatching. 

Ten sea turtle nests hatched in July, resulting in a total of 884 hatchlings successfully released (791 Kemp’s ridley hatchlings, 93 loggerhead hatchlings).  One sea turtle nest found earlier in the season and thought to be that of a Kemp’s ridley was found at hatching to be a loggerhead nest.  Eight sea turtle hatchling releases in July were open to the public and approximately 950 visitors attended.  The South Texas Sea Turtle Project is a cooperative conservation partnership between Sea Turtle, Inc., Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge, and Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge.