South Padre Island is a haven for Kemp's ridley sea turtles as they struggle to survive.

Fortunately, there are many ways which those in this resort town help them not only to survive, but to eventually thrive once again.


Every so often sea turtles make the news for their unusual stories and here we share some of those stories which we believe are worth the read.


Ila's legacy lives on in the work which she began so many years ago on South Padre Island and continues to inspire new generations to make a difference in the world.

From April to August, female Kemp's ridley sea turtles make their way to the beach where they laboriously crawl across the sand to leave their eggs before returning to the sea.

On South Padre Island, this is a time of much activity for the volunteers who patrol the beaches for these nests so as to protect the precious eggs until they are ready to hatch.

Tracks in the Sand

The Turtle Lady Legacy has recently learned of a book which has just been published that celebrates sea turtles while taking a close look at the efforts underway to protect them. In the book, authors Frank Gromling and Mike Cavaliere pay tribute to Ila by pointing out that "it was trailblazers like Loetscher who brought the sea turtle's plight into the public eye..."

For more information about Tracks in the Sand, click here.