Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle Conservation Information Design

Aerial view of colorful mineral deposits and water, showing swirling red, orange, and pink patterns with dark patches and a rainbow-colored streak across the water.

How has the Deepwater Horizon oil spill critically endangered the Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle, and what actions are being taken to prevent their extinction?

Sea turtle caught in a fishing net above the water surface.

The Gulf of Mexico is an insanely diverse ecosystem that needs some help protecting its inhabitants from environmental disasters such as oil spills. Oil spills are a big issue in our environment because they not only impact the location where the disaster occurred. Oil that has spilled can impact animals on land, in the sky, and under the sea. The Gulf of Mexico has so many different currents running through it that it is almost impossible to clean up enough oil to make it safe for animals to live again. The Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle is one of the marine species that has been impacted most by the oil in the Gulf. One oil spill in particular, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, has erased years of species preservation efforts, making the Kemp’s Ridley dangerously close to extinction.

My purpose in researching this topic was to inform people about the danger this sea turtle species is in and to provide ways and resources people can use to help prevent their extinction.

There were many different avenues I could have focused on for my research. I chose to focus on the birth rate decline of the Kemp’s Ridley species and highlight ways someone like you and me could help steer this population from extinction.

Flowchart outlining the environmental and economic impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, including effects on the Kemp's Ridley sea turtle and fishing industry.

Data Visualization Poster

Poster about Kemp's Ridley sea turtle conservation efforts titled "Close to Extinction" with a graph showing nesting female populations over decades, illustrations of a Kemp's Ridley sea turtle, and tips for prevention such as picking up trash, donating, reporting turtle sightings, and volunteering.

This 24x18” poster is meant to be displayed in aquariums, sea animal conservatories, and fisheries; especially ones near the Gulf of Mexico.

DRAFT 1

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Kemp’s Ridley Gift Set

This gift set includes a brochure, a tote bag, a bookmark, 4 stickers, and a postcard. This prototype aims to get information about resources that people can use to help prevent the extinction of the Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle in a way that people will be more likely to stop and read the information. The set gives a more tactile way for people to interact with the information rather than just reading a brochure. It also provides small gifts they can use in their everyday life.