Sea Turtle Inc. is preparing for nesting season by using donated Christmas trees to rebuild sand dunes along South Padre Island.

Walking along the beach in February, visitors might notice Christmas trees still standing in the dunes. Each natural tree was donated and placed there to collect sand and restore the dunes over time.

Healthy dunes help reduce erosion and flooding on the island. They also provide protection for sea turtle nests.

Sea Turtle Inc. collected around 250 natural Christmas trees this year. Some were dropped off by residents and others were collected from across the Rio Grande Valley.

The trees were placed in Sea Turtle Inc.'s hatchery area, where wind will naturally blow sand into the branches.

"Over time they will bury themselves, so we don’t want to bury them," Sea Turtle Inc. Conservation Technician Lindsey Czopek said. "It is very windy here on South Padre Island and naturally the wind will blow the sand into the branches and build up on its own, and that's the goal."

Czopek said the dunes created by the trees will protect the hatchery from flooding during high tide, keeping eggs safe until they're ready to hatch.

For now, the trees remain visible, but by summer they'll be mostly covered by sand.

"When our turtles are coming up to nest... trees will be buried and you'll only see a couple of branches here and there," Czopek said.

Nesting season runs between April 1 and August. During that time, Sea Turtle Inc. will collect eggs from the island's shores and place them in the protected hatchery until the sea turtles hatch.

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