January-February 2005
Organization News
2/11/05 - Getting Ready for
Sea Turtle Saturday (STS)!
We are busy, busy, busy getting ready
for STS on April 9, 2005. We have all
the speakers lined up, Dr. Flanagan from the Houston Zoological Gardens, Dr.
Donna Shaver of the Padre Island National Seashore (PINS), Dr. Andre Landry,
Jr., professor of Marine Biology at TAMUG, Ben Higgins, director of the
National Marine Fisheries Endangered Species Program, and Carole Allen,
director of HEART and STRP Gulf Office!
We can use some volunteers getting ready for this, so let us know if you
have some hours to donate making some calls or arranging details for the
conference.
2/11/05 Texas Turtle
Trackers
Bolivar School Gets Ready for Summer
We have added a great group to our numbers this year, they are
called the Texas Turtle Trackers, and they are a 6th grade class
from Bolivar Middle School, who are ready and willing to hit the beaches for
us.
Sea Turtle News
2/11/05 LOCAL:
Snowbirds
Just because they are not nesting, doesnt mean sea
turtles do not need help! Padre Island
National Seashore continues volunteer patrols year round.
2/11/2005 NATIONAL: US Senate
Introduces Ocean Trash Bill
Senators have introduced a bill that would allocate
$50 million for the clean-up of ocean trash left behind by the fishing, oil,
shipping industries. Abandoned nets,
fishing gear, equipment, and lost cargo wash up yearly on our shores by the
thousands of tons!
2/11/2005 WORLD: Costa Rica Passes Sea Turtle Laws With Teeth
After a decade of debate, Costa Rica has passed the
most robust laws favoring protection of endangered species and habitats in
recent history! There is little doubt
that these laws banning shark finning, shrimping without TEDs, and commercial
fishing in threatened waters will have an effect, but only if enforcement takes
place.
Action
2/11/2005 People Who Know
People Are Needed
We always welcome volunteer hours, even in the
off-season. For example, we could use
some people who know people to help set up some of our future projects, like
people with access to golf carts on the West end of Galveston who would be willing
to patrol or allow us to use them to patrol beaches that do not allow
automobiles. Also, anyone with access
to a condo, apartment, workshop, extra room, etc. on the West End that can
provide the access of this space from March through June (or any time period in
between) as a station house for patrollers and HEART workers to use during
patrol season. See the website for more
help requests.
2/14/05 Help to Encourage a Marine Preserve at
Padre Island National Seashore
The Padre Island National Seashore is home to endangered Kemp's ridley sea
turtles after a struggle of 25 years to save them from extinction. Unfortunately, some Texas officials favor
the drilling of gas wells close to the nesting beach for the turtles, but we must protect these
sea turtles in the state waters (out nine nautical miles) adjacent to the Padre
Island National Seashore. Texas
citizens and tourists by the thousands have visited the National Seashore
because of the Kemp's ridley program there. We now need another step to protect
them.
Read more about this.
|
Calendar of Upcoming Events |
|
|
February 24 |
Master
Naturalist Training Course for Galveston Bay Area http://masternaturalist.tamu.edu/ |
|
March 31 |
Galveston
2005 Feather Fest
www.galvestonfeatherfest.com |
|
April 9 |
Sea Turtle Saturday!
Click
here for more information. |