Friends of Padre

10/07/2026

Great opportunity to help keep our waters clean!

Help us mark the way to cleaner waterways!

Join us Saturday, October 17, for a Storm Drain Inlet Marking Event with Surfrider Foundation Texas Coastal Bend. We’ll be marking storm drains around the Janet Harte Library to help remind our community that what goes down a storm drain can make its way directly into our local waterways.

October 17
8:30–11 a.m.
Janet Harte Library — 2629 Waldron Rd., Corpus Christi

We’ll provide the supplies, snacks and water. Just bring a hat, sunscreen and a refillable water bottle, and come ready to get involved!

Every marked storm drain is a small reminder that only rain belongs in the drain.

10/03/2026

09/21/2026

These kids are awesome! Great job, everyone!

09/21/2026

Great job!

Thank you to all our Adopt-A-Beach volunteers today! Over 100 volunteers picked up over 600 lbs of trash today. And thank you Pizzeria Port "A" for providing pizza for our volunteers.

09/16/2026

A great opportunity to get out and make a difference!

Join us for our Fall Beach Clean-Up! 🌊🧤🍋

Grab your family, friends, coworkers—or come make some new friends—and help us make a difference for our coast!

📍 IMPORTANT LOCATION UPDATE: Our clean-up site has temporarily relocated across the street to accommodate the Conquer the Coast bicyclists. Please follow the signage when you arrive!

📅 Saturday, September 19, 2026
⏰ 9 AM–12 PM
📍 Packery Channel Boat Ramp

Registration is open now! Scan the QR code or register today. https://www.baysfoundation.org/adopt-a-beach/

💙 A HUGE thank-you to CITGO for sponsoring our Adopt-a-Beach Clean-Up! Their generous sponsorship treats our hard-working volunteers to refreshing drinks from Lemon Shakers! 🍋

Your time + their support = a cleaner coast. 🌊

We hope to see you Saturday!

09/14/2026

Come see Friends of Padre and get a free native pollinator plant!

We invite you to join our milestone celebration as we reflect on 85 years of marine science at UTMSI and 20 years of coastal stewardship through the Mission-Aransas NERR! 🌊🔬

📅 Saturday, October 3
⏰ 10 AM–2 PM
📍 UTMSI Patton Center

Explore interactive exhibits, meet scientists and students, tour research facilities, and enjoy hands-on demonstrations and boat excursions while learning more about the incredible marine science happening right here on the Texas coast.

Come celebrate, explore, and discover with us! 🐚🧪🚤

Event Schedule: https://utmsi.utexas.edu/event/island-science-day-port-aransas/

07/23/2026

A Kemp’s ridley sea turtle hatchling release is scheduled for Saturday, July 25, 2026, at 6:45am on Malaquite Beach. Here are a few things to consider!

⚠️ IF THERE IS NO UPDATE TO THIS POST, THAT MEANS THAT THE HATCHLING RELEASE IS HAPPENING AS PLANNED. ⚠️

📞 Call the Hatchling Hotline at (361) 949-7163 before you drive out to the seashore to make sure the release is happening. The hotline is a recorded message you can call anytime day or night.

🌩️ Hatchling releases may be cancelled if the turtles have not hatched on the expected date, due to bad weather (ex. pouring rain, lightning on the beach, high winds), extreme high tides, or flooding over roadways, etc.

💲 Park entrance fees are required to enter the park year-round. To save time, purchase your entrance pass online BEFORE coming to the park.

🎟️ The $10 per vehicle one-day pass expires at midnight on the date of purchase. Do not purchase this pass the night before the hatchling release as it will be expired in the morning. Purchase your $10 per vehicle one-day pass the morning of the hatchling release only AFTER calling the calling the Hatchling Hotline to verify the release is happening.

🪪 Annual and lifetime pass holders do not need to pay the park entrance fee but must present their pass and ID at the entrance station.

🚗 Expect delays of up to 30-minutes entering the park. Hatchling releases take place on Malaquite Beach in front of the Malaquite Visitor Center. The visitor center is located 15-minutes south of the park entrance station. Once you arrive at the release site, you must park in a parking lot, walk across the visitor center deck, down the ramp and out to the beach. Driving on Malaquite Beach to the hatchling release site is not permitted. If you have not been to the park before, take some time to look at a map of the park.

🐕‍🦺 Please leave your pets at home. Trained service animals, authorized under the ADA are allowed.

🛍️ Looking for a souvenir? The park store only accepts credit and debit cards or mobile phone payments.

❓ For more information about how to prepare to attend a release, please visit go.nps.gov/HatchlingRelease

07/16/2026

Our release is next Sunday 7/19/26 not this weekend! Sorry for any confusion!

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!