In 1970, the U.S. government listed the Kemp's ridley as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. With nearly the entire population nesting in one spot in Mexico, over a short 40 years, Kemp’s populations plummeted from more than 40,000 nesting females to fewer than 300. In 1974, the National Park Service proposed a program to establish an additional nesting site in Texas at Padre Island National Seashore (PINS) to make the species less vulnerable. Dr. Donna Shaver, Chief of Sea Turtle Science and Recovery at PINS, has led the program for over 40 years. In 2020, Park Service officials released a report arguing that sea turtle recovery costs were unsustainable and recommended reallocating funds. Since then, the new superintendent Eric Brunnermann, has slashed public education efforts, reduced public hatchlings releases, and prevented Shaver from seeking grants. This is not the first time Brunnermann has been responsible for dismanteling endangerd species programs. Both the black footed ferrit and California condor programs have been slashed from National Parks under his management. Additionally, the Trump administration is firing park staff and activly dismantling the Endangered Species Act.