For first time in 10 years, a Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle nest was found on Texas beach

For the first time in 10 years, Texas wildlife officials say they found a Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle nest at Galveston Island State Park.

It is also only the third nest found at the park since Sea Aggie Sea Turtle Patrol began keeping records, according to a news release from Texas Parks and Wildlife.

Staff found the nest in a beachside dune during a routine survey the morning of Thursday, May 19, officials said. Prior to the discovery, the most recent Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle nest was found at the park in 2012.

“The Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle is one of the most endangered sea turtle species in the world so every egg matters,” Dr. Christopher Marshall, professor of Marine Biology at Texas A&M University at Galveston and director for the Gulf Center for Sea Turtle Research, in the news release.

The nest was found with 107 eggs.

After spotting the nest, Turtle Patrol and the Gulf Center for Sea Turtle Research started working to bring the nest to Padre Island National Seashore’s incubation facility, according to the news release.

“A lot of nesting habitat for the Kemp’s Ridley has been lost to storms, high tide and predation, which is why it is important to transport these nests to an environment where they have the best chance for survival into adulthood,” Marshall said.

Experts say that a nest left on the beach would give the eggs about a 45% chance of survival. But, in an incubation facility, they say their chance for survival can be as high as 95%.

Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles nest from April 1 through July 15, officials said. If you find a nest, you are asked to stay at least 60 feet away and call the call the Sea Turtle hotline at 1-866-887-8535.