Sea Turtle Inc Annual Report 2021

2021 Annual Report

Sea Turtle, Inc.

Photo Credit: Sandesh Kadur, National Geographic

STI

SEA TURTLE INC

CONTENTS THE DAWN OF A NEW ERA

03 LETTER FROM OUR CEO

Wendy Knight thinks back on the challenging year behind STI and the dawn of an exciting 2022

04 PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS amazing achievements in education, 05 The rehabilitation and conservation in 2021 06 REVENUE AND EXPENSES the aftermath of a challenging year

07

07 COLD STUN

COLD STUN

THE IMPACT OF THE LARGEST COLD STUN IN RECORDED HISTORY 08 VOLUNTEERS backbone of the organization: STI 09 the volunteers lined up to support the mission 10 A NEW ERA: THE NEW HOSPITAL take a look at what the new hospital will do 11 We to support the mission as we make STI one of

12

10 REHABILITATION AND RESEARCH CENTER

WORLDWIDE MEDIA

2022 is the year Sea Turtle Inc. erects a best-in- class hospital and research center on South Padre Island!

National Geographic, Animal Planet, PBS and MORE!

the most recognized conservation organizations in the world

12 MEDIA

2021 was the year STI executed a worldwide media strategy.

6617 PADRE BLVD PO BOX 3987 SOUTH PADRE ISLAND TX 78597 956-761-4511

WWW.SEATURTLEINC.ORG STAFF DIRECTORY BOARD OF DIRECTORS LISTING

A Letter from the Chief Executive Officer The dawn of a new era......

As the sun sets on 2021, many of us are dismayed by the challenges and difficulties we all faced over the last 2 years. As a result of the pandemic, Sea Turtle Inc. had to close its doors for the first time in 44 years, only to reopen and encounter the largest cold stun event in recorded history.

Despite this, Sea Turtle Inc., its staff and volunteers stayed focused.

2021 was a year of growth, perseverance, adaptation and creativity.

As you will read over the following pages, Sea Turtle Inc. celebrated enormous advancements across all tenants of our mission. Education launched new programs that are being taught worldwide. Conservation released the first leatherback hatchlings into the Gulf in more than 100 years, and Rehabilitation rose to the challenge of hosting more than 5559 cold stun turtles. The following pages will show you what perseverance and creativity can do during the darkest of challenges.

Our efforts and most challenging days continued to be supported by our amazing volunteers. The foundation of Sea Turtle Inc., volunteers honored us with more than 4500, hours in addition to the hundreds of hours dedicated during the cold stun. The launch of new recognition programs for our volunteers in 2021 continues to allow us to take time to thank them for being so invested and dedicated to us and our mission.

As the sun now begins to rise on 2022, we usher in a new era of Sea Turtle Inc. The cold stun event pushed us to the breaking point and it became evident that it is now time to build a hospital that is capable of living up to the demands and the legacy of Sea Turtle Inc. A hospital that will support the best-in-class rehabilitation and research center, this is the start of a new era of execution at Sea Turtle Inc.

STI

So as the dark nights of 2021 fade away to sunrise, we are excited and hopeful for the coming year! Thank you for your continued support and stay tuned to the dawn of a new era at Sea Turtle Inc. in 2022!

Wendy Knight Chief Executive Officer 03 | Sea Turtle Inc. 2021 Annual Report

Program Highlights

2021 was a period of growth and expansion for the Education Department.

We look forward to expanding our reach with our redesigned Outreach programming and continuing to spread the message of sea turtle conservation across the globe.

- Hannah, Director of Education

Education 230,000 Visitors came to our facility in 2021

202,500 Social media following for STI. All sea turtle patient and hatchling releases were broadcasted live on Facebook

12,500 Learners of all ages educated virtually and at Sea Turtle, Inc.

7 Interns hosted by the Jeff George Internship Program during nesting season as we continue to invest in the next generation of conservationists

Rehabilitation 56 Sea Turtle patients released from the hospital

59 Sea Turtle patients admitted to hospital

18 Sea Turtle patient surgeries performed onsite

04 | Sea Turtle Inc. 2021 Annual Report

Program Highlights

It's thanks to the dedication of our amazing staff and volunteers that we were able to execute on such a successful 2021 nesting season!

The conservation benefit of the hours of patrol efforts from our staff and volunteers is what allows Sea Turtle Inc. to advance the population of Sea Turtles for generations to come!

Dr. Amy , Chief Conservation Officer

Conservation 5,559 Sea Turtles rescued in the largest cold stun event in recorded history

66 Nests protected on SPI and Boca Chica Beach. We were excited that the first leatherback nest ever laid on South Padre Island was protected by STI. Additionally, the first set of viable leatherback hatchlings were released into the Gulf of Mexico from Texas in over 100 years

5415 Hatchlings released into the Gulf of Mexico during nesting season as a result of the patrol and protection efforts of Sea Turtle Inc. staff and volunteers

2,905 Hours spent patrolling beaches on ATV's during nesting season in 2021

29,742 Miles of beach covered over entire year of 2021 on both South Padre Island and Boca Chica beaches

$15,000 in grants provided to organizations in Mexico and Venezuela to support baseline data and nesting conservation efforts for green and hawksbill turtles

Revenue & Expenses Breakdown Gross Revenue 2021 Revenue by area

5 year gross revenue trend

Admissions 30%

Gift Shop 28%

$4.79 Million

$5,000,000

Membership 1%

$4,000,000

$3,000,000

$2,000,000

Grants 5%

Capital Campaign 5% $1,000,000

Donations 30%

$0

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

Breakdown of Expenses

Expenses by Program Conservation Education Rehabilitation Total Program Spend

$344,941 $65,989 $1,088,812 $1,499,742

06 | Sea Turtle Inc. 2021 Annual Report

The Largest Cold Stun in recorded history The Impact

Click Here to Watch Video

Winning conservation documentary at the Toronto Film Festival

by Ben Lowly & Marvi Lacar for Sony

5556 sea turtles rescued between Feb 13th to Feb 21st

Hundreds of volunteers joined with Sea Turtle Inc. staff and helped in response, saving thousands of sea turtles City of South Padre Island and Convention and Visitors Bureau provided overflow location Donations of supplies, food and medical needs poured in from all over the world Local captains, boat owners and business owners lined up to aid in the crisis Huge media response brought great visibility to the important work of Sea Turtle Inc.

2252 cold-stunned

sea turtles released

07 | Sea Turtle Inc. 2021 Annual Report

Volunteer Highlights 142 New Volunteers Enrolled

4548 Hours Volunteered

Cold Stun and nesting season were a huge undertaking made possible by the extraordinary efforts of our volunteers! Sea Turtle Inc. volunteers are the core foundation of the organization and are greatly appreciated!

New video training, Monday maintenance, gift shop pricing and virtual volunteer opportunities made a path for everyone to stay involved and engaged!

Being a volunteer at Sea Turtle Inc. is fulfilling a life long passion of working with sea turtles.

The icing on the cake is to work with the most dedicated and intelligent management, staff and volunteers anyone could ask for!!

- John Ambassador/Volunteer

08 | Sea Turtle Inc. 2021 Annual Report

Volunteer Highlights

John Spreen

Our volunteers are such an important part of the organization and our family. We are so grateful for their contribution this year and every year!

-Wendy, CEO

Nicki Graham

Greg Fink

Ambassador Program Launch The Ambassador program launched in 2021 for volunteers that dedicate more than 300 hours to the organization annually. John Spreen, Nicki Graham and Greg Fink were honored with the first Ambassador titles of this new program.

Thank you to the following volunteers for donating more than 100 Hours in 2021 - Kitty Drury Buyck - Greg Fink - Nicki Graham - Mary Grandy - Betsy Hosick - Mike Norris - John Spreen - Citlalli Torres 09 | Sea Turtle Inc. 2021 Annual Report

Sea Turtle Hospital Sea Turtle Inc Rehabilitation and Research Center Planned Start Q2 2022

New Hospital Features Expanded size to increase patient count Dedicated cold stun room State of the art surgical center One of the first fully dedicated sea turtle CT scan machines Food Prep Area

Updated Life Support Systems Research Lab Expanded parking New walkways, restrooms and ramps to accommodate growing attendance Indoor facility to help protect equipment and patients

Capital Campaign Estimated Budget Donations, Sponsors and Grants Additional Fundraising Goal

40% $3.5 Million $1.4 Million $2.1 Million 10 | Sea Turtle Inc. 2021 Annual Report

Sea Turtle Hospital

Remaining Sponsorship Opportunities Ranging from $10,000 to $200,000

Tank Sponsorships Limited remaining

Cold Stun Room MOST VIEWED ROOM

West Clinic Exit

naming rights

Landscaping Food Prep Area

Founding Member Sponsor Limited remaining

Life Support Systems "Our new state-of-the-art hospital will allow us to reach new heights in sea turtle rehabilitation, conservation, and education.

This facility will set the new standard for sea turtle hospitals, and will increase our global impact on the sea turtle community."

Chris, Director of Animal Care

Email info@seaturtleinc.org for a complete sponsorship booklet.

Click Here to Donate to Hospital Campaign Visit us at https://seaturtleinc.org/clinic/ for more details 11 | Sea Turtle Inc. 2021 Annual Report

Sea Turtle Media Click here to watch ABC News Video

Sea Turtles in Texas Cold Stun news reach equaled a $33.5 Million dollar publicity value for South Padre Island.

The media surrounding that event reached over 17 billion viewers.

Click here to watch Today News Video

Click here to watch BBC News Video International Media - China 42:30 PBS - TravelScope

ViewPoint Docuseries hosted by Dennis Quaid

Animal Planet with Ian Shive

2021 was the year where Sea Turtle Inc. maximized its media strategy tenfold and showed the world sea turtles in Texas. We will continue to spread our mission globally through digital content, trending issues and representing South Padre Island.

- Sanjuana , Director of Marketing & Development 12 | Sea Turtle Inc. 2021 Annual Report