Friends of Padre: News

From 29 December 2014 through 5 January 2015, 8 cold stunned green turtles have been found in Texas. Continued cold temperatures are predicted for the next week. Earlier during the 2014-2015 cold stunning season (from 13 November 2014 through 7 December 2014), 240 live and dead cold stunned sea turtles were found in Texas. The numbers of cold stunned turtles found to date during the 2014-2015 cold stunning season are as follows: All were green turtles except for one loggerhead and one Kemp’s ridley turtle. Area Total Galveston Area/ Inshore 5 Lavaca/San Antonio Bay 35 Copano Bay 6 San Jose Island 2 Mustang Island/Aransas Pass 34 Upper Laguna Madre/Corpus Christi Bay 89 Padre Island National Seashore Gulf Beach 0 Lower Laguna Madre 77 Boca Chica Beach 0 TOTAL 248 Condition Total Alive 198 Dead 50 TOTAL 248 Thank you to staff and volunteers from the National Park Service, ARK, Sea Turtle, Inc., Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Sea World San Antonio, NOAA-Fisheries, Texas Sea Life Center, Texas Master Naturalists, Gladys Porter Zoo, University of Texas, Texas State Aquarium, other organizations, and private citizens for their help to find, document, rehabilitate, and release cold stunned turtles on the Texas coast this year. Please watch for and report cold stunned sea turtles on the Texas coast. To report cold stunned turtles (found alive or dead) please call 361-949-8173, ext. 226 (business hours) or 361-876-8462 (after hours) if you are at/near the Upper Laguna Madre and North Padre Island. If you are at/near Corpus Christi Bay and Mustang Island, call the ARK at 361-749-6793 (business hours) or Tony Amos at 361-442-7638. Elsewhere in Texas, call 1-866-TURTLE5 to get the appropriate contact number for your region.

12/04/2014 Friends of Padre took home the award for Conservation Nonprofit Group at the 12th Annual Coastal Bend Bays Foundation Banquet held December 4th at Northshore Country Club in Portland, TX. Friends of Padre President, Captain Billy Sandifer and Vice President Dr.David McKee accepted on behalf of the group. Thanks to CBBF for this prestigious honor and to KRIS Weatherman Maclovio Perez for doing a great job as emcee and videographer! Here is a complete list of this year's honorees from the CBBF The Awards Banquet theme this year is “Restoration in the Coastal Bend.” CONGRATULATIONS TO THE FOLLOWING AWARD WINNERS Coastal Steward – Beth Hoekje Coastal Community – Baffin Bay Volunteers Education K-12 – Yolanda Aviles Higher Education – Dr. Mike Wetz Nonprofit Organization – Friends of Padre Island Industry – Port of Corpus Christi Authority We are especially pleased to announce the President’s Award Mr. Scott Murray For Outstanding Vision and Leadership for Baffin Bay Natural Resource Conservation Assessments Mr. Murray received support from the following: Kleberg County – Funding Partner for Baffin Bay Natural Resource Conservation Assessments Celanese – Bishop Facility – Funding Partner for Baffin Bay Natural Resource Conservation Assessments Friends of Baffin Bay -Supporting Partners for Baffin Bay Natural Resource Conservation Assessments Proceeds from the Banquet benefit the Coastal Bend Bays Foundation, a 501c3 non-profit organization, and help us provide outreach, habitat restoration, and educational opportunities that promote conservation of our precious natural resources.

Via Donna Shaver Additional cold stunned turtles were reported for yesterday (November 19); the revised tally is 46 cold stunned turtles recorded in Texas yesterday. No cold stunned turtles have been reported so far today (November 20). Numbers of cold stunned turtles found in Texas since this event began include: November 18 - 12 November 17 - 8 November 16 – 0 November 15 – 31 November 14 – 85 November 13 - 2. All were green turtles except for one loggerhead and one Kemp’s ridley turtle, both found alive. Area Total Galveston Area/ Inshore 3 Lavaca/San Antonio Bay 28 Copano Bay 2 Mustang Island/Aransas Pass 4 Upper Laguna Madre/Corpus Christi Bay 75 Padre Island National Seashore Gulf Beach 0 Lower Laguna Madre 72 Boca Chica Beach 0 TOTAL 184 Condition Total Alive 179 Dead 5 TOTAL 184 Thank you to staff and volunteers from the National Park Service, ARK, Sea Turtle, Inc., Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Sea World San Antonio, NOAA-Fisheries, Texas Sea Life Center, Texas Master Naturalists, Gladys Porter Zoo, University of Texas, other organizations, and private citizens for their help to find, document, rehabilitate, and release cold stunned turtles on the Texas coast this year.

So far today (Monday November 17), 6 cold stunned turtles have been found in Texas. Numbers of cold stunned turtles found in Texas during each day of this event include: November 16 – 0 November 15 – 31 November 14 – 85 November 13 - 2. All were green turtles except for one loggerhead located alive on the first day of cold stunning. Area Total Galveston Area/ Inshore 3 Lavaca/San Antonio Bay 0 Mustang Island/Aransas Pass 1 Upper Laguna Madre/Corpus Christi Bay 50 Padre Island National Seashore Gulf Beach 0 Lower Laguna Madre 70 Boca Chica Beach 0 TOTAL 124 Condition Total Alive 122 Dead 2 TOTAL 124 Please continue to report strandings to 361-949-8173 ext. 226.

Friends of Padre was out in full force 11/10/2014. The organization recently joined the Adopt-a-Highway program by volunteering to maintain the stretch of Park Rd. 22 from Commodores and Whitecap. Next time we plan a cleanup we'll be sure to post on our Facebook page so that everyone can come out and participate! Bring OFF!

Via the Padre Island National Seashore Division of Sea Turtle Science and Recovery Our second Kemp’s ridley sea turtle hatching release for 2014 is scheduled for 6:45 am on Tuesday July 1 at Padre Island National Seashore, on North Padre Island. No fee is charged to watch our public hatchling releases. However, sometimes hatching speeds up or slows down so before you come out to the release MAKE SURE to check this Facebook page or call the Hatchling Hotline at 361-949-7163 to check if the turtles are ready for release on schedule. If the release must be cancelled we will post a cancellation message on this Facebook page and on our Hatchling Hotline. If these cancellation messages have not been done by 2:00 am on Tuesday July 1, then the release will be held as scheduled. RELEASE DIRECTIONS: The release will be held in front of the Malaquite Beach Visitor Center at Padre Island National Seashore. To attend, follow park road 22 out to Padre Island National Seashore. It will take 20-30 minutes to drive from the hotels and residential areas on North Padre Island to the release site. If the National Seashore Entrance Station is open, identify that you are attending the release, and you will not be charged park entrance fees. About two miles after the National Seashore Entrance Station, you will see a hatchling release sign on the right and the large Malaquite Beach Visitor Center parking lot on the left. You should turn left there, park your vehicle in the large lot, and meet on the deck of the Visitor Center. A park ranger will meet you there to deliver a program about the turtles (starting at about 6:20 am) and lead you to the release site (at 6:45 am). For those arriving early, please note that the hatchling release sign will not be present until about 6:15 am. At the release, you should not bring or eat food since it will attract gulls, and you should not wear white colored clothing or white colored footwear or take photos using a flash, since all of these will disorient the hatchlings. OTHER RELEASES LIKELY THIS WEEK: Several clutches of eggs are hatching and we will likely hold more public hatchling releases starting at 6:45 am on some other days this week. Check back to this Facebook page or our Hatchling Hotline by about mid-day tomorrow for the latest information on the next upcoming release. We look forward to seeing you at a release this year!

With Permission from Dr. Donna Shaver Today, 1 loggerhead nest was found in Texas, at Padre Island National Seashore. KEMP'S RIDLEY TURTLE So far this year, 110 nests have been confirmed on the Texas coast including (north to south in state): 1 Bolivar Peninsula 1 Galveston Island 0 Brazoria County, N. of Surfside 1 Surfside Beach 0 Quintana Beach 0 Bryan Beach 0 Brazoria County, N. of Sargent Beach 0 Sargent Beach 1 Matagorda Peninsula 3 Matagorda Island 0 San Jose Island 5 Mustang Island 78 North Padre Island, including 70 at Padre Island National Seashore 19 South Padre Island 1 Boca Chica Beach LOGGERHEAD TURTLE So far this year, 1 nest has been confirmed on the Texas coast including (north to south in state): 1 North Padre Island, including 1 at Padre Island National Seashore Data presented here are preliminary. Do not cite or quote without permission. Contact Donna Shaver for further information. Updates regarding nesting are also posted at the Padre Island National Seashore website: www.nps.gov/pais -- Donna J. Shaver, Ph.D. Chief, Division of Sea Turtle Science and Recovery, National Park Service, Padre Island National Seashore Texas Coordinator, Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage Network Telephone (361)949-8173, ext. 226; fax: (361)949-9134; pager (361)851-4255 E-mail: donna_shaver@nps.gov http://www.nps.gov/pais/ Facebook: Padre Island NS Division of Sea Turtle Science and Recovery

With Permission from Dr. Donna Shaver Yesterday, 1 Kemp’s ridley nest was found in Texas, at Padre Island National Seashore. KEMP'S RIDLEY TURTLE So far this year, 103 nests have been confirmed on the Texas coast including (north to south in state): 1 Bolivar Peninsula 1 Galveston Island 0 Brazoria County, N. of Surfside 1 Surfside Beach 0 Quintana Beach 0 Bryan Beach 0 Brazoria County, N. of Sargent Beach 0 Sargent Beach 1 Matagorda Peninsula 3 Matagorda Island 0 San Jose Island 4 Mustang Island 72 North Padre Island, including 64 at Padre Island National Seashore 19 South Padre Island 1 Boca Chica Beach Data presented here are preliminary. Do not cite or quote without permission. Contact Donna Shaver for further information. Updates regarding nesting are also posted at the Padre Island National Seashore website: www.nps.gov/pais