Padre Island National Seashore
On one of our seminars in Texas, we took the time to drive down to Padre Island National Seashore.
The landscape changed as we approached the coast. Texas roads gave way to stretches to water and salt air. Padre Island National Seashore protects the longest undeveloped barrier island in the world, nearly seventy miles of shoreline along the Gulf of Mexico.
Established in 1962 by President John F. Kennedy, the seashore was set aside to preserve a rare coastal ecosystem that feels expansive. The pavement disappears and the road becomes sand. The dunes are on both sides, and the wind shapes the shoreline and grasses.
Padre Island protects tidal flats and the hypersaline waters of Laguna Madre, one of the few lagoons of its kind in the world. It is also an essential habitat for migratory birds and marine life. The island is especially known for conservation efforts supporting the endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtle. During nesting season, hatchlings are carefully protected and released into the Gulf.
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