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Friends Of the
River San Bernard has lost a loving soul
to the great beyond. Saturday, May 31,
Maggie Marie Phillips Brigance left this
worldly life for a better one. She will
be missed. A memorial service will be
held Monday, June 2 at 11:00
at the First Presbyterian Church, 310 S.
Virginia, Brazoria, Texas. Please join
Friends Of the River San Bernard in
offering condolences to
her daughter, Mary Ruth Rhodenbaugh
(F.O.R. Member and Co. Commissioner,
Pct. 4) on her loss
Sea
Turtles on the Seashore
By Tracie
Teague
The Texas
coastline, from Bolivar Peninsula all the way to Boca
Chica, is being scoured by hundreds of people all in
search of the same thing. A treasure so precious that
two countries, Mexico and the USA, joined together to
work together to find a solution and, thanks to this
quick action by governments and non-profit
organizations, the impact is being seen in record
numbers. What is all the excitement about? The answer
might surprise you unless you have spent any time on
Texas beaches during the summers over the past several
years.
 The
Kemp’s ridley sea turtle, the world’s most endangered
sea turtle, is making a great comeback against amazing
odds. The Kemp’s ridley, the smallest and lightest of
the five sea turtles found in the Gulf of Mexico, weighs
75-100 pounds with its shell measuring about 2 feet. The
upper shell, or carapace (about as wide as it is long)
resembles a heart-shape. Kemp’s ridley sea turtles live
their whole lives in the water, leaving the Gulf waters
only to nest. Female Kemp’s primarily nest during the
day, this unique characteristic among sea turtle species
has been very beneficial to the recovery project
allowing biologists, researchers, and volunteers to look
for the tale tell tracks of these incredible creatures
increasing the likelihood of locating and protecting
clutches.
Another unique characteristic of this creature has not
been so beneficial. Kemp’s ridley sea turtles have a
very limited nesting range. About 95% of all nests are
located near Rancho Nuevo in Mexico. In a film from
1947, the nesting of an estimated 42,000 nesting sea
turtles was documented in a single day. Yet by 1978, the
estimated number of nesting Kemp’s per year was only
500. What caused this dramatic decrease and the near
extinction of the sea turtles?
Several factors, human harvesting of adult turtles for
meat or leather, eggs taken for food, pollution in the
Gulf of Mexico, coastal development, and the expansion
of the shrimp industry. All of these factors together
plus the very limited range of this species caused their
numbers to plummet. The Mexican and American
governments, along with several non-profit
organizations, acted quickly to come up with a solution.
It was decided that a secondary nesting beach was needed
in case of a natural or political disaster. Padre Island
National Seashore was determined to be the best place
for such a beach. Thousands of eggs from Mexico were
collected by biologists, placed in sand
 from
Padre Island, in hopes that the hatchlings would imprint
and come back to the beach to nest. After hatching, the
tiny turtles were taken to Galveston where they were
tagged and allowed to grow for a few months in hopes
this would help their survival rate. This program became
known as the Head-Start program. The research to
determine if this program was successful is still being
gathered, but these turtles have been documented nesting
all along the Texas coast - and in record numbers.
The implementation of the Turtle Excluder Devices in the
shrimp industry has had a huge impact in decreasing
dead, or stranded, sea turtles along the coast. Turtles
must rise to the surface to breathe air, just like
humans or dolphins, and hundreds were accidentally drown
in trawl nets. Likewise protection by the Mexican
government of the Rancho Nuevo site and the protected
area along the Padre Island National Seashore has also
contributed to the increased number of nesting sea
turtles.
However, these turtles face new threats. Coastal
development has dramatically increased as have the
number of recreational boaters. With the increase of
human activity, comes an increase in the amount of
debris in the water and on the shore. Plastics are
especially damaging, as the turtles mistake floating
plastics for jellyfish and ingest them. The number of
turtles receiving injuries from boat propellers has also
become a concern. So what can you do to help save these
endangered turtles? First if you see a sea turtle on the
shore, dead or alive, or tracks made by a sea turtle,
call 1-866-TURTLE-5 immediately. Be especially watchful
during nesting season April through July. Do not
approach a sea turtle as they are protected by law, and
of course if you drive on the beach slow down and don’t
drive near the dunes. If you are boating, keep an eye
out for sea turtles. While fishing, always pick up your
monofilament line for recycling - this simple act will
save not only sea turtles but many other animals that
are crippled or killed due to entanglement. And finally,
don’t litter.
If you would like more information on how to help the
Kemp’s ridley sea turtle recovery go to Save Texas Sea
Turtles website at
www.savetexasseaturtles.org.
One of
F.O.R.'s primary functions is to educate the
public regarding the issues concerning the
San Bernard River and it's
Communities. Contact Pat Webb
pat@sanbernardriver.com to
schedule a guest speaker for your group or
special event.
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