The first public Kemp’s ridley sea turtle hatchling release of the season is scheduled for June 14 at Padre Island National Seashore.
Thousands of beachgoers attend hatchling releases each summer at Padre Island National Seashore.
Updates are posted on the Padre Island National Seashore Facebook page and visitors can call the Hatchling Hotline at 361-949-7163 to ensure a release is happening.
The national seashore Facebook account posted on June 5 that hatchling releases are planned for June 14 and June 18.
The releases will take place at 6:45 a.m. on Malaquite Beach.
North Padre Island has historically been the most popular nesting site in Texas for the Kemp’s ridley sea turtle, the result of decades of conservation work and a successful experiment to establish a secondary nesting population in Texas.
Throughout nesting season, staff and volunteers at Padre Island National Seashore patrol the beaches to document Kemp’s ridley nests. The turtle program collects eggs immediately after they’re laid, protecting them in an incubation facility or corral.
Hatchlings emerge 45 to 58 days after being laid and are released to the sea.
The Padre Island National Seashore typically alerts the public of several hatchling releases throughout the year. But the events are based on the turtles’ schedules and can’t be guaranteed. Releases are canceled if turtles haven’t hatched on the expected date or due to bad weather or extreme conditions.
Park entrance fees are required and can be purchased online the morning of the hatchling release. A one-day pass costs $10 per vehicle.
Visitors should expect delays of up to 30 minutes when they enter the park before hatchling releases, according to the Facebook post. Pets are not allowed except for trained service animals authorized under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
For the safety of the hatchlings, the national seashore has several guidelines for visitors.
More information is available from the Padre Island National Seashore at go.nps.gov/HatchlingRelease.
This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Want to see baby sea turtles released on the beach? Here are the first events of 2025
Reporting by Olivia Garrett, Corpus Christi Caller Times / Corpus Christi Caller Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
