For Immediate Release, September 3, 2026
Contacts: Joanie Steinhaus, Ocean Program Director, joanie@seaturtles.org
Brittany McWhorter, Gulf of Mexico Environmental Program Coordinator, brittany@seaturtles.org 

What’s Hiding in Galveston’s Sand?

Local Volunteers Join the Microplastic Task Force to Tackle Tiny Plastic Pollution Threatening Marine Life

Galveston, Texas — Microplastics may be nearly invisible to the naked eye, but they’re turning up along Galveston’s beaches and in coastal waters — and local volunteers are helping scientists understand just how much is out there. On September 10 from 6–7 p.m. CT, Turtle Island Restoration Network (TIRN) will host a free virtual information meeting for community members interested in joining its Microplastic Task Force.

The volunteer-powered citizen science program collects and processes sand and water samples from around Galveston Island, identifying the types and quantities of microplastics present. The data is helping build a clearer picture of how this pervasive pollution is affecting the Galveston Bay ecosystem and the marine wildlife that depends on it.

TIRN’s microplastic research began in 2017 and has engaged volunteers, students and interns in collecting and analyzing samples. From 2021–2024, TIRN partnered with the Environmental Institute of Houston at the University of Houston-Clear Lake on a comprehensive study of microplastics throughout the Galveston Bay watershed.

The September 10 meeting will introduce participants to the program, explain how samples are collected and analyzed, share what the research has revealed so far, and explore the impacts of microplastics on marine wildlife and ocean health.

“Our microplastics task force is a diverse group of folks interested in gaining hands-on experience investigating microplastics in sand and shoreline water samples along Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico.” Brittany McWhorter, TIRN’s Environmental Program Coordinator continues, “we’re able to use this data to advocate for stronger macro and micro-plastic  policies at the local, state and federal levels to protect our ocean wildlife and communities alike!” 

The meeting is free and open to anyone interested in learning more or becoming involved in local microplastic research. Zoom information will be provided upon registration.

WHEN: September 10, 2026, 6–7 p.m. CT
WHERE: Online via Zoom
RSVP: Register here

To learn more about Turtle Island Restoration Network, visit https://seaturtles.org.

Turtle Island Restoration Network is a global ocean conservation nonprofit with offices in California and Texas, whose mission is to inspire and mobilize people around the world to protect marine biodiversity, the oceans and watersheds that sustain all life on Earth.

For Immediate Release, September 1, 2026
Contacts: Joanie Steinhaus, Ocean Program Director, joanie@seaturtles.org
Elise Bennett, Florida & Caribbean Director, Center for Biological Diversity, ebennett@biologicaldiversity.org, 727-755-6950
Ella Stern, Communications Specialist, Defenders of Wildlife, estern@defenders.org
Rumela Roy, Senior Attorney, Earthjustice, rroy@earthjustice.org

U.S. Appeals Court Rules to Protect Imperiled Sea Turtles from Drowning in Fishing Nets

Rejects Louisiana Shrimp Association attempt to exempt shrimp boats from using
Turtle Excluder Devices

New Orleans, Louisiana— A federal appeals court has affirmed a district court ruling upholding the National Marine Fisheries Service’s (NMFS) 2019 rule requiring some shrimp trawling vessels to use turtle excluder devices (TEDs). The August 28 unanimous panel decision by the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals rejects a challenge brought by the Louisiana Shrimp Association and several individual shrimpers, who argued the rule was arbitrary and capricious under the Administrative Procedure Act.

The court found that NMFS provided a rational, evidence-backed explanation for the rule’s TED requirements for skimmer trawl shrimp vessels 40 feet and longer, citing federal observer data and post-interaction mortality studies showing that skimmer trawls capture and kill imperiled sea turtles. The court also pointed to evidence demonstrating skimmer trawl vessels’ widespread noncompliance with tow-time restrictions (limits on how long trawlers can tow their nets before having to check for captured turtles) that the rule replaced. In some years, less than 35% of observed tows complied with the limits.

The Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife, and Turtle Island Restoration Network, represented by Earthjustice, filed an amicus brief in the case in support of TED requirements to protect endangered and threatened sea turtles. TEDs have been required, and successfully used, on many fishing vessels for nearly forty years to help sea turtles escape when they get caught in shrimp trawler nets. Conservation groups have long advocated for TEDs to also be required on skimmer trawl vessels, which for decades operated under an exemption that conservation groups say allowed thousands of preventable sea turtle deaths in the Gulf of Mexico and along the southeastern coast. 

“We are delighted by this current ruling that will reduce the number of sea turtles from drowning in large shrimp nets, but we will continue to advocate for TEDs to be required in all skimmer trawls to prevent the continuing cruel and unnecessary drowning of these gentle endangered turtles,” said Joanie Steinhaus, Ocean Director for Turtle Island Restoration Network.

“It’s a relief that the court didn’t take the bait and dismantle protections that are already far weaker than what’s needed to secure a future for our precious sea turtles,” said Elise Bennett, Florida and Caribbean director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “We won’t rest easy until these commonsense, lifesaving protections prevent senseless deaths of turtles in all skimmer trawls.”

“This decision maintains a vital lifeline for Kemp’s ridley sea turtles, the smallest and most endangered sea turtle species worldwide, for which Louisiana’s waters are key foraging habitat,” said Jane Davenport, senior attorney at Defenders of Wildlife. “Tow-time restrictions just don’t work. TEDs are a coexistence win for sea turtles and fishermen alike.”

“As the court recognized, the science has shown for years that tow-time limits simply don’t work and turtle excluder devices do,” said Earthjustice attorney Rumela Roy. “But the agency’s rule covers only a fraction of skimmer trawls. More protections are needed to rescue endangered and threatened sea turtles in the Gulf.”

Background

The 2019 rule was the product of a regulatory process stretching back to 1987, when NMFS first required TEDs on larger offshore shrimp trawlers. Skimmer-trawl vessels — used almost exclusively out of Louisiana, with smaller numbers operating from Mississippi, Alabama, North Carolina, and Florida — were exempted from the TED requirement in 1992 and allowed instead to comply with tow-time restrictions.

After a 2012 spike in sea turtle strandings in the Gulf, NMFS proposed eliminating the tow-time alternative altogether and replacing it with TED requirements, but withdrew that proposal in 2013 after discovering flaws in existing TED designs. Following years of additional testing and a 2016 proposed rule, NMFS finalized a narrower version in 2019, applying the TED requirement only to skimmer-trawl vessels 40 feet and longer. That restriction reduced the number of affected vessels by roughly 82% compared to the original 2016 proposal, while still projecting a conservation benefit of 801 to 1,168 sea turtles annually across the southeastern U.S. shrimp fisheries.

This ruling is the third time a federal court has weighed in on the 2019 rule. The Fifth Circuit previously dismissed a separate challenge from the State of Louisiana for lack of standing, and the D.C. Circuit upheld the rule against a 2024 challenge from environmental groups arguing it was not protective enough.

To learn more about Turtle Island Restoration Network, visit https://seaturtles.org.

Turtle Island Restoration Network is a global ocean conservation nonprofit with offices in California and Texas, whose mission is to inspire and mobilize people around the world to protect marine biodiversity, the oceans and watersheds that sustain all life on Earth.

The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 1.8 million members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.

For nearly 80 years, Defenders of Wildlife has worked to protect and restore America’s wildlife at risk of extinction, advancing a vision of a future in which wildlife thrives, sustained by broad public support and a resilient network of healthy lands and waters. With a network of more than 2 million supporters, Defenders is an advocate for innovative solutions to safeguard wildlife for generations to come. To learn more, please visit https://defenders.org/newsroom or follow us on Instagram @defendersofwildlife.

Earthjustice, the nation’s premier nonprofit environmental law organization, wields the power of law and the strength of partnership to protect people’s health, to preserve magnificent places and wildlife, to advance clean energy, and to combat climate change. Because the earth needs a good lawyer.

Written by Isabella Piñón, Gulf of Mexico Program Intern (Summer 2026).

My first week working as an intern at Turtle Island Restoration Network I spoke in front of 40 people, rallied for endangered gulf species, dissected eight lionfish, and picked up more pounds of trash than I can remember. The rest of the summer was just as interesting, confusing, and impactful as that first week. From May to August, I helped pick up 954 pounds of trash, 1,542 nurdles, and 10,061 cigarette butts. I got the opportunity to learn from an organization that has so much wisdom on community, environmental agencies, marine life, and how they all interconnect. I met people from all walks of life. Fishermen on the piers in Galveston, city council members, little kids with dreams of saving the planet, and residents who spend their time volunteering at non-profits like TIRN. Turtle Island Restoration Network is whatever the opposite of boring is and no short of extraordinary.

My role was as the Gulf of Mexico Program Intern on the Oceans team here in Galveston, Texas. This team works to rally the community to fight for a cleaner and healthier planet.  My job varied from day to day. Sometimes I would be on the beach leading cleanups, or in the office writing public comments. July was filled with the team and me calling and meeting with the staff of US representatives. As well as days when I would walk around local businesses and restaurants building relationships with them. One of my biggest tasks, and what I felt was the most important one, was the monofilament line and cigarette butt collection. TIRN collects cigarettes beyond just at beach cleanups. There are a series of cigarette cans all over the island, as well as a series of monofilament line collection tubes. Once a month, I would go to the fishing piers on the island and collect these cigarettes and monofilament lines. While I was there, I would get so many questions about what I was doing. This was such a rare and important opportunity to educate people that normally wouldn’t have much interaction with a conservation network. I would explain to the anglers how, despite common knowledge, cigarettes aren’t just paper and leaves. Modern cigarettes have a plastic filter and are full of chemicals. A single cigarette butt can pollute two gallons of water. I would tell them not to worry, that I wasn’t here to take away their cigarettes, just ask that they put them in the can and not into the water. They would laugh and ask me to tell them more about what I do. I found that these anglers were attentive listeners and were genuinely curious about how they can become more environmentally safe as fishermen. It was a wonderful way to connect and educate my community.

The staff and volunteers here in Galveston are what make this company so beyond special. I worked closely with a volunteer named Niels all summer. Niels retired after owning and running his own moving business for decades and now spends his time volunteering at various non-profits around Galveston Island. I joked all summer that he was a better intern than I was, which I still think might partly be true. He’s the kind of person that TIRN attracts, and the type of person TIRN inspires someone like me to become.

Joanie is what my generation would call a “Girl Boss.” She is empowering and a wonderful example of how to lead and who I want to be in my career. Joanie has created a space here in Galveston that is full of life and love, and it was a privilege to get to be a guest in it. An office where they all chat and laugh at lunch, and Niels drops by when he feels like saying hello, and a nice puppy is always welcome.

I could probably count on one hand the number of times I saw Rena with anything but a smile on her face. When I was brand new and nervous, she would make me laugh, and when I’d been here for months, she always brightened my early mornings.  She is our membership specialist and knows all the ins and outs of TIRN and our members. Without her, the team wouldn’t be able to do all that they do.

Brittany, I worked with the most. She is the Gulf Program Coordinator, and as the Gulf Program Intern, I ran around as her shadow. Brittany isn’t much older than I am, yet is already doing pretty incredible things. For a week in June, she was in Washington DC, talking with representatives from around the country to fight for stricter plastic regulations. Then she flew right back here and rallied the community together for Plastic Free July. She works so endlessly hard at her job, much like everyone I’ve met here, and always strives to prove everyone wrong. Everyone who says that one person can’t make a difference.

That right there just about sums up Turtle Island Restoration, a company that proves everyone wrong and makes a difference in the world. I’ve seen it firsthand, and I’ve heard about all they did before I came along. They have made such an impact in Galveston, and all over the country. From fighting for a blue green planet locally, and nationally, Turtle Island Restoration Network is an inspiring and powerful organization. I can’t think of a better way that I could’ve spent my summer.

August is National Make-A-Will Month, a time dedicated to encouraging individuals and families to take an important step toward securing their future: creating or updating a will. According to a caring.com study, only 24% of American adults report having a living will. 

While it may not be the most exciting item on a to-do list, having a will is one of the most meaningful gifts you can leave for the people and causes you care about. A will provides clear instructions for how your assets should be distributed, helps reduce uncertainty for loved ones, and ensures that your wishes are honored. Yet despite its importance, millions of Americans still do not have a will in place.

Many people assume that estate planning is only necessary for those with significant wealth. In reality, anyone who owns property, has financial accounts, has children, or wishes to support specific people or organizations can benefit from having a will. Without one, state laws determine how assets are distributed, which might not reflect your values or intentions.

A will is also an opportunity to think about those values that you want to pass on to future generations. For many nonprofit supporters, charitable giving is an important part of those values. Including a nonprofit organization like Turtle Island Restoration Network in your estate plans is a powerful way to ensure that the causes you care about continue to thrive long after your lifetime. 

Legacy gifts, often called planned gifts, can be structured in many different ways. Some donors choose to leave a specific dollar amount, while others designate a percentage of their estate. Others name a nonprofit as a beneficiary of a retirement account, life insurance policy, or other financial asset. These gifts can be made by individuals of all financial backgrounds, and even a modest bequest can have a significant impact over time.

For Turtle Island Restoration Network, planned gifts are more than future donations. They represent a donor’s enduring commitment to our mission and provide long-term resources that help sustain our programs, expand our capacity to complete hands-on restoration work, and respond to future challenges to environmental protections.

One of Turtle Island Restoration Network’s donors, after years of making annual contributions to environmental conservation efforts, decided to include Turtle Island Restoration Network in his will. He wanted future generations to enjoy healthy ecosystems and thriving wildlife, just as he had throughout his life. His legacy will serve as a reminder that meaningful philanthropy is not measured by the size of a gift, but by the impact it creates. He says “I support your group because one of your goals is to preserve endangered species, such as the leatherback turtle, which might go completely extinct. Plain and simple.”

If you already have a will, National Make-A-Will Month is also an excellent opportunity to review your plans. Major life changes like marriage, divorce, the birth of children or grandchildren, retirement, relocation, or changes in financial circumstances may warrant updates to your estate documents. Experts generally recommend reviewing your will every few years to ensure it continues to reflect your wishes.

Creating a will can provide peace of mind for you and your loved ones while helping preserve the values that matter most to you. It is a simple but powerful act of stewardship—one that protects your family, honors your intentions, and can create lasting benefits for the causes you have supported throughout your life.

This August, consider taking the time to create or update your will. By planning today, you can leave a legacy of care and generosity that can impact our blue-green planet for generations to come. 

Header photo credit: Ron Wooten.

Our partners, the TERAVARNA Foundation, are turning creativity into conservation through the power of art.

Every brushstroke can tell a story. Every entry can make a difference.

TERAVARNA Foundation invites artists from around the world to participate in the 14th Animal International Juried Art Competition, hosted by TERAVARNA, celebrating the beauty, diversity, and spirit of the animal kingdom through art. Whether your inspiration comes from majestic wildlife, marine life, birds, or beloved companions, this is your opportunity to showcase your creativity on an international stage.

Create art that leaves a lasting impact — both on hearts and on the planet.

As part of the TERAVARNA Foundation’s Art with Impact initiative, 5% of every competition entry fee will be donated to Turtle Island Restoration Network to support its ongoing efforts to protect wildlife and their habitats.

By entering, you’re not only competing for international recognition and cash awards — you are joining a global movement where creativity fuels conservation.

Article written by Communications Intern, Desmond de Jesus. 

Every meaningful movement begins with people deciding that change is possible.

Plastic Free July is no different. What started as a grassroots campaign has grown into a global movement, encouraging millions to rethink their relationship with single-use plastics—not because one reusable water bottle or grocery bag will solve the plastic crisis overnight, but because lasting change happens when communities act together.

It can be easy to look at the scale of plastic pollution and wonder if individual actions matter. After all, what difference does one less plastic bottle or one reusable shopping bag make? There’s a saying that puts this into perspective: “It’s just one bottle,” said seven billion people. If billions of small choices helped create today’s plastic problem, then billions of different choices can help create tomorrow’s solution. Jane Fonda reminds us, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” Progress depends on millions moving in a similar direction, streamlining a foundational positive mindset, all while adapting and learning each other’s needs.

Plastic Free July is also an opportunity to look beyond daily habits and ask bigger questions about the systems producing so much plastic, and how those systems shape our scope on individuality. For decades, consumers have been misled to believe recycling alone would solve plastic pollution. Yet despite those promises, only a small fraction of plastic waste in the United States is recycled (About 5%), while plastic production continues to increase.

Many of the same industries producing plastic now promote another supposed solution: “chemical recycling,” sometimes called “advanced” or “molecular” recycling. While the name suggests innovation, many of these processes heat plastics into fuels and petrochemical feedstocks rather than creating new recyclable materials. Often, the process still depends on new fossil fuel-based plastic while generating greenhouse gas emissions, toxic waste, and hazardous pollutants. Rather than reducing plastic dependence, these technologies risk extending it, all while pushing an agenda centered around your individualism being the root of their negative impacts.

Progress against these large corporations who pull the strings behind today’s hyper-individualistic society will be defined by communities collectively reducing plastic consumption at its source. Investing in refill and reuse systems, supporting policies that hold polluters accountable, and demanding honest conversations from our leadership about what sustainability truly looks like before more damage is done is of utmost importance to mitigate consequences of plastic pollution that extend far beyond our own communities.

Every year, marine animals encounter plastic debris in the waters they depend on to survive. Sea turtles mistake floating plastic bags for jellyfish, seabirds feed plastic fragments to their chicks, marine mammals become entangled in discarded fishing gear, and microscopic plastics continue to move through ocean food webs in ways scientists are still working to understand. Protecting marine life begins long before plastic reaches the waterways. Check out our Gulf programs to combat marine debris here!

At Turtle Island Restoration Network, this belief guides our daily work; healthy oceans require more than cleanup efforts after the fact. They require preventing pollution before it begins, and advancing policies that prioritize wildlife, coastal communities, and long-term environmental health over short-term industry profits.

Plastic Free July reminds us that our hope is not passive but empowered through a collective consciousness. It grows when neighbors inspire neighbors, when communities organize around shared values, and when people choose to believe that their voices—and their actions—are part of something much larger than just themselves.

No single person will solve the plastic crisis alone, nor are you expected to. But together, we can use our choices, our advocacy, and our willingness to question false solutions to help ensure marine life is ethically monitored and future generations of humanity will inherit a cleaner and healthier Blue-Green planet.

Plastic Free July campaign graphics by Elsie Barcena.

When most people think about supporting their favorite nonprofit organization, the first thought is to make a donation online or write a check. Those gifts are incredibly important – and at Turtle Island Restoration Network, we are grateful for every single one of them. But many supporters are surprised to learn there are other ways to give that can make an even greater impact for the causes they care about!

Whether you’re passionate about protecting sea turtles, preserving coastal habitats, reducing plastic pollution, or ensuring future generations inherit healthy oceans, there are many non-traditional giving options that can help you support conservation.

Give More Through Appreciated Stocks and Investments

If you’ve owned stocks, mutual funds, or other investments that have grown in value, donating them directly to your favorite nonprofit can be one of the most tax-efficient ways to give.

Rather than selling the asset and donating the proceeds, many donors choose to transfer the asset directly. This approach may help reduce capital gains taxes while allowing you to make a larger charitable gift than you might have made with cash alone.

Imagine turning the growth of an investment portfolio into support for sea turtle rescue efforts, community beach cleanups, environmental education programs, or advocacy campaigns that protect marine wildlife and coastal ecosystems. It’s a powerful way to transform financial growth into lasting environmental impact. Check out our webpage about donating stocks, for more information.

Leave a Legacy for the Oceans

Many of our supporters tell us they care deeply about the world they will leave behind for their children and grandchildren. Planned giving offers a meaningful way to turn that vision into action.

A legacy gift can be as simple as including a nonprofit in your will or naming an organization as a beneficiary of a retirement account or life insurance policy. These gifts don’t require extraordinary wealth. In fact, many planned gifts come from ordinary people who simply want their values to live on.

For marine conservation organizations, legacy gifts help ensure that future generations can experience thriving coastlines, healthy oceans, and abundant wildlife. Long after we’re gone, these gifts continue protecting the places and species we love.

Check out our online tools, to help you take the first steps to plan an estate gift or donate through your retirement account.

Make the Most of Workplace Giving

You may already have an opportunity to increase your impact – through your employer!

Many companies offer matching gift programs, meaning they will match charitable donations made by employees. Others provide payroll giving programs that allow you to make regular contributions directly from your paycheck.

If your employer offers a match, a gift that supports sea turtle conservation today could effectively double in value with just a few minutes of paperwork. Just ask your Human Resources or Management Departments if they have a matching gift program, and double your donation’s impact!

Consider a Donor-Advised Fund

Donor-advised funds (DAFs) have become an increasingly popular way for individuals and families to organize their charitable giving.

A DAF allows you to contribute assets, receive an immediate tax benefit, and recommend grants to the nonprofits you care about over time. Many conservation organizations, including Turtle Island Restoration Network, receive critical support through donor-advised fund grants each year.

For donors who want flexibility while maintaining a long-term commitment to ocean conservation, DAFs can be an excellent option. Check out this page for more information about DAFs.

Every Gift Helps Create a Healthier Future

At the end of the day, there is no single way to make a difference. Whether you give through a monthly donation, a gift of stock, a donor-advised fund, an employer match, or a legacy commitment, your generosity helps power meaningful conservation work.

Every rescued sea turtle, every pound of trash removed from a beach, every student inspired through environmental education, and every native plant propagated for habitat restoration work is possible because people choose to invest in a healthier future for our planet.

If you’re interested in exploring any of these giving options, please feel free to reach out to me, TIRN’s Development Manager, Eleni Riccio at ericcio@seaturtles.org. Together, we can find a giving strategy that works for you – and helps ensure that our oceans and marine wildlife continue to thrive for generations to come!

Join the “Oceans Three” – Elizabeth Purcell (Environmental Policy Coordinator), Joanie Steinhaus (Ocean Program Director) and Brittany McWhorter (Gulf of Mexico Program Coordinator) – for an in-depth look at the policies and news that is shaping our blue planet this World Ocean Month on Tuesday, June 30th at 12pm PST / 3pm EST!

Join Turtle Island Restoration Network for our Ocean Month Wrap-Up Webinar, where we’ll review the biggest ocean conservation developments, victories and challenges from the past month. Our team of experts will provide updates on critical federal legislation, recent executive actions affecting marine protected areas and endangered species, as well as ongoing advocacy efforts to defend ocean wildlife. We’ll also share the latest news from our litigation, policy and Washington, D.C. programs, highlighting how supporters helped drive action throughout Ocean Month! Finally, we’ll celebrate the impact of our community – from actions taken to pounds of trash removed from beaches – and preview upcoming opportunities to stay engaged. Don’t miss this chance to catch up on the issues shaping the future of our oceans and learn how you can continue making a difference. We hope to sea you there!

Become a TIRN member today to access exclusive content, like this live webinar, here.

Already a TIRN member? Access your membership portal to sign up for the webinar here.

Click here to purchase your FLOAT X TIRN gear.