Sea Turtle Inc. at South Padre Island is collecting all the used Christmas trees they can get their hands on.

They're going to use them to build back lost beaches and restore the dunes for sea turtle conservation.

Buried under the sand are the remnants of last year's real Christmas trees. They now help reinforce the sand dunes for next year's turtle nesting season.

Doctors at Sea Turtle Inc. say this initiative of recycling natural Christmas trees is something that helps preserve the habitat.

"So recycling real Christmas tree's is a great way to benefit our dune system here on the island. This past summer we saw a lot of storms that really impacted our dunes," Sea Turtle Inc. Chief Conservation Officer Dr. Amy Bonka said.

Between storm surges and flooding from this summer's tropical storms, the turtle rescue is taking extra steps to help reinforce the protective refuge for the turtles.

"By recycling your real trees, we are able to build our dunes back up which provides that natural protection between the ocean and our egg hatchery and our baby sea turtles," Bonka said.

Sea Turtle Inc. will be collecting all the tree's at their facility until January 4. Trees can be dropped off during normal business hours, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Any tinsel, ornaments or decorations must be removed prior to drop-off and plastic trees will not be accepted.