Sea Turtle, Inc.

Sea Turtle, Inc. is a nonprofit organization founded in 1977 on South Padre Island with a three-tiered mission focusing on public education, conservation and rehabilitation of injured and endangered sea turtles.

Each year, Sea Turtle, Inc. patrols 40,000 miles of beaches to protect turtles and their nests from the hazards of human interaction. Beach traffic, trash and fishing equipment can be harmful to turtles’ homes or nesting sites so it’s important to remove anything that could be hazardous to their habitat. In the last 10 years alone, the organization has protected or intervened to aid more than 80,000 sea turtles along 50 miles of the south Texas coast.

The Sea Turtle, Inc. facility sees 250,000 visitors annually, however, the organization’s general awareness and online presence grew to 15 million after garnering national attention following the rescue efforts of thousands of cold stunned sea turtles in the wake of Winter Storm Uri.

Sea Turtle, Inc. will double its impact with a new 15,000 sq. ft. hospital, which will be the largest fully enclosed facility of its kind in the world. When its new facility opens in 2023, it will be able to house twice the number of patients, with a capacity to serve up to 2,000 turtles at a time.

A $144,575 Sun Club grant will complement the hospital expansion by helping the facility meet their new and larger need for on-demand, clean water, using UV sterilization and a silo system to remove toxins that could be harmful to new and existing sea turtle patients.