In the end, a mutual respect for the land and a common-sense approach brought this transaction to a successful conclusion. I applaud the Conservancy on this acquisition and wish them the best as they continue on their mission in the Laguna Madre as well as other parts of Texas and the world. Padre Island Wildlife Padre Island, the Laguna Madre and the mainland inshore are a haven for a broad diversity of animals, birds and fish, many of them rare. The island's beaches provide nesting habitat for the Kemp's Ridley sea turtle, the most endangered sea turtle in the world, as well as for loggerhead and green sea turtles. Endangered piping plovers, as well as snowy plovers, reddish egrets, roseate spoonbills, brown pelicans and other birds depend on the island's tidal and mud flats, beaches and dunes.
Padre Island is the world's most important staging area for rare peregrine falcons in migration.
Inshore, the Laguna Madre is the winter home to 80 percent of the Earth's redhead ducks along with many other wintering waterfowl. On the mainland shores of the Laguna, the nearly impenetrable thornbrush provides home for even more shorebirds, songbirds and birds of prey, as well as the elusive, endangered ocelot and jaguarundi. This biological richness and rare beauty are part of what make South Texas a mecca for birders from all over the world, anglers in the know and lovers of wildlife and spectacular scenery - all of whom make a vital contribution to the local economy.