Padre Island National Seashore’s (PAIS) unique sea turtle program has a long and convoluted history. It is filled with riddles, mysterious, and dedicated individuals. Part of its history also includes a story about a successful partnership between Mexico and the U.S. My role at PAIS involves writing some sort of historical narrative about the binational program for the Division of Sea Turtle Science and Recovery. My aim is to add personal narratives to the program’s history. It is a small contribution, but an important one nonetheless.

The southern end of Padre Island National Seashore at Port Mansfield Channel. Mexico is so close from here. Photo by me!

My smaller projects include developing archival processes for photographic slides and documents in the office.

I have spent my weeks getting to know the seashore. This helps me understand the importance of conserving the biodiversity of the Gulf of Mexico, and understand why people invest years to preserving the Kemp’s ridley. It is a truly humbling experience. I hope I am able to document and preserve some the experiences of the dedicated individuals involved the the conservation work.