Day Trips

Sea Turtle Inc. in South Padre Island continues the landmark work of one of Texas' most famous conservationists. Besides protecting and rescuing sea turtles, the organization gives visitors an incredibly close look at these beautiful creatures.

The low-slung building of Sea Turtle Inc. is easy to miss near the northern end of civilization on the island. Beyond most of the T-shirt shops, hotels, and condos, the rescue center looks pretty drab compared to its garish neighbors.

At the center, tanks hold sea turtles the size of large dogs and weighing hundreds of pounds. The walls of the ponds are low enough that children can see eye-to-eye with the giant reptiles when the turtles poke their heads above the water.

The staff presents a Meet the Turtles program throughout the day, beginning at 10am. During the show, everyone gets a chance to learn about the different kinds of sea turtles that nest in the dunes of Padre Island. Most of the residents have suffered life-threatening injuries that prevent them from being released back into the wild.

All of the resident turtles exhibit personalities of their own. One of the stars is M.J., a loggerhead turtle that had all four flippers clipped by a predator. He (they aren't really sure of his sex) seems to be as curious about the visitors peering over the sides of the tank as they are about him. Another resident, Gerry, is a green sea turtle in a tall, round tank with a viewing window. He seems to take delight in peeking around the corners of the window at visitors. Gerry appeared on Johnny Carson's and David Letterman's shows with Sea Turtle Inc.'s founder, Ila Loetscher.

Loetscher, who passed away in 2000, always had a mind of her own. She is credited with being the first woman in Iowa to earn a pilot's license. After her husband died in 1955, she joined her retired parents in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. In 1961, she became one of the few year-round residents of South Padre Island.

It was a time when marine biologists were just beginning to learn about the Atlantic green sea turtles. The turtles' population was dropping because predators, human and wildlife, were eating the eggs they laid on a Mexican beach.

Loetscher worked with several other individuals to introduce sea-turtle nesting sites to Padre Island, where the eggs could be protected. For 35 years, she saved hundreds of injured turtles and educated thousands of humans about the value of sea turtles with her original Meet the Turtles programs. Sea Turtle Inc. continues her life's work.

Sea Turtle Inc. is located at 6617 Padre Blvd. in South Padre Island. The rescue center is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10am to 4pm. For information, call 956/761-4511 or visit www.seaturtleinc.com.

906th in a series. Day Trips, Vol. 2, a book of "Day Trips" 101-200, is available for $8.95, plus $3.05 for shipping, handling, and tax. Mail to: Day Trips, PO Box 33284, South Austin, TX 78704.