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, began April 10, 2007.  Daily patrols are conducted by volunteers, interns, and staff from April through mid-July each year.  Four Kemp’s ridley nests were found through this project in April.  The first Kemp’s ridley sea turtle nest found in Texas this year was located by Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge intern Jill Anderson on April 24, 2007 on South Padre Island.  The nesting turtle, which was still present, was examined and tagged by project biologists.  The nest contained 84 eggs.  A second nest was found by a visitor on Boca Chica beach on April 27, 2007 and contained 93 eggs.  The third nest of the project, containing 114 eggs, was found April 29, 2007 on South Padre Island by Sea Turtle, Inc. volunteer David Wilson.  A fourth nest was found April 30, 2007 on South Padre Island by Sea Turtle, Inc. intern Adrienne McCracken.  The nest, which contained 132 eggs, is the largest Kemp’s ridley nest found so far this year in Texas.  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.