Houston PBS television station KUHT-TV will show the new STRP documentary, "The Heartbreak Turtle Today," on November 1 at 11 p.m.  Unless you're a night-owl, just set your DVR to start recording at 11 p.m. Please tell your friends not to miss this important story about the history of the most endangered sea turtle, the small but resilient, Kemp's ridley (Lepidochelys kempi).

KUHT-TV produced a documentary in 1979 that chronicled the decline of the Kemp's ridley which nests only on Gulf of Mexico beaches. Exploitation of the nesting beaches in Mexico and drowning of thousands in American shrimp trawls with no way for sea turtles to escape drowning reduced their numbers to just a few hundred. The first documentary entitled "The Heartbreak Turtle" was seen by thousands of people across the country and led to a massive campaign to save the Kemp's ridleys from extinction.

"The Heartbreak Turtle Today" provides up-to-date information about progress made over the years and uncertainties about the effects of the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf. Many PBS stations across the country downloaded the film on July 25 and have it available for showing. Now, Houston area residents can see this historic film on November 1. The DVD can be purchased online from STRP for only $5.