Friends of Padre

05/31/2026

Always great to see!

The weather and tides have cooperated! Come out and watch the release today. If you are unable to join us, watch the release here. See details below.

05/26/2026

Friends of Padre was happy to make a recent donation of $2,500 to Wings Rescue Center. These folks are doing great work and we truly appreciate it!

05/19/2026

This is so awesome! Great job, everyone!

04/27/2026

04/13/2026

Due to a very generous donation, Friends of Padre was able to award $3,000 in scholarships to children of Texas Game Wardens. We are so happy to help these students continue their education.

In total, Friends of Padre was able to award $14,500 in scholarships this year. If you are interested in helping support our efforts, please consider making a donation at www.friendsofpadre.com

As an all volunteer organization, 100% of donations go towards our programming. Please consider supporting Friends of Padre!

Protecting Padre Island, One Cleanup at a Time Join us each year for the Billy Sandifer Big Shell Beach Cleanup, […]

04/07/2026

Friends of Padre was happy to provide native Texas perennials for the newly installed rain garden at Flour Bluff High School. The construction of the garden was funded through an Outdoor Classroom grant from the Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program.

These hardy, drought tolerant plants evolved to handle our harsh South Texas extremes and should be used more in the landscape to reduce water usage while still maintaining beautiful green spaces!

Thanks to the Science National Honor Society and National Honor Society students that volunteered to unload and get the plants in the ground!

03/18/2026

Want to help make a difference on our barrier islands? This is a great opportunity to come out and help keep our islands beautiful.

11/18/2025

Friends of Padre is excited to announce the Brian McKinsey Coastal Steward Award. This award will be granted annually to an enrolled college/university student that displays exceptional volunteerism in conservation and/or environmental stewardship. Documented costs up to $500 will be reimbursed and may include tuition, textbooks, or other costs associated with the completion of a degree of higher learning.

Friends of Padre will review all award applications and will make all decisions pertaining to the Brian McKinsey Coastal Steward Award. Please fill out the application below to be considered for this award. If you have additional documentation that supports your application, or questions about the award, please email to [email protected]. All applications must be received by December 31, 2025. The application can be found at