Dr. Donna Shaver leads the division of Sea Turtle Science and Recovery at the Padre Island National Seashore and was recently recognized for her lifelong work preserving sea turtles.
Shaver was a recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Sea Turtle Society.
"I'm very humbled and grateful for it because it is the most significant achievement by my peers in the International Sea Turtle Society," Shaver said.
Shaver has dedicated over 30 years of her life to the preservation of sea turtles. She began her journey as a student intern at the Padre Island National Seashore.
"I decided at that time that I wanted to dedicate my career to trying to help save the species," Shaver said.
At the time when extinction seemed inevitable for the species, Shaver led the way for a change.
"The Kemps Ridley population was crashing. It got to a low point of only 702 nests worldwide in 1985. We have 353 located in Texas in 2017," Shaver said.
Shaver hopes her legacy will inspire youth to make a difference -- especially young girls.
"Times have changed. I want to show the girls that you can go into a field like biology or mathematics or engineering and get a job and do well for yourself," Shaver said.
Preserving sea turtles will remain Shaver's lifelong mission.
"There is still work to be done. I'm going to keep doing this as long as I can do it," Shaver said.
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