The Leatherback Trust Inc.

“James R. Spotila and John Spotila (Board Members) have a family relationship. Margaret Kruesi and James Spotila (Board Members) are married.”

“All voting members of the Governing Board receive a copy of Form 990 before it is filed. The 990 is then reviewed by the President, the Treasurer, and Audit Committee and the administrative assistant.”

“The Organization makes its governing documents and financial statements available to the public upon request during regular business hours.”

“The Organization annually requests information from officers, directors, and key employees concerning interests that could give rise to financial conflicts.”

“Other: The Leatherback Trust IRS Form 990 Statement - Part III, Line 1: The Leatherback Trust (TLT) is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit corporation with offices in Fort Wayne, IN and San Jose, Costa Rica as well as field stations at Playa Grande and Playa Cabuyal, Costa Rica. Its mission is to protect the endangered leatherback turtle, other endangered sea turtles, and freshwater turtles from extinction through a variety of creative means. TLT was instrumental in the establishment and consolidation of Parque Marino Nacional Las Baulas (Las Baulas National Park) on Playa Grande, Playa Ventanas and Playa Langosta, on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. The Park protects the most important nesting beaches for the leatherback turtle in Central America. TLT participates in the acquisition of properties that are within the Park, in defending the integrity of the Park, and in stopping development and other activities that threaten the integrity of the Park and the survival of the leatherback turtle. TLT has developed a close working relationship with the Park Administration and the Natural Areas System (SINAC) of the Ministry of the Environment and Energy (MINAE), in order to protect the turtles and their nests from illegal activities and to enforce Park Regulations. Protection in the national park has improved considerably in the last few years. TLT also works with these other Costa Rican government agencies: Tempisque Conservation Area (ACT), Costa Rica Tourism Board (ICT), Servicio Nacional de Aguas Subterraneas, Riego y Avenamiento (SENARA), and Asociacion del Acueducto de Agua (ASADA). TLT also worked with the following Costa Rican NGOs: Instituto de Monteverde, Centro Cientifico Tropical de Puntarenas, Kuemar, Instituto de Oceanologia. Protecting the endangered leatherback in complicated and time-consuming. It involves carefully patrolling the most critical 3 miles of beach during the nesting season, which lasts from approximately October 15 through March 15. It involves measuring and tagging every nesting turtle, counting every egg laid, and removing to a guarded hatchery eggs from nests that are below the high-water line on the beach. It involves guarding every hatchling from predators, on their way into the Pacific Ocean. It involves measuring the temperature of nests during the 55-65 days it takes the eggs to hatch and making every effort to protect the nests from predators. It involves educating the Guanacaste community about the value of the turtles, their nests, and the life cycle of the East Pacific leatherback turtle, which has existed for over 100 million years. TLT has worked with the citizens of Guanacaste to align their economic interests with the preservation of Las Baulas National Park and the leatherback turtle. Although the number of nesting leatherbacks on Playa Grande has declined precipitously, it remains a primary or index beach for eastern Pacific leatherbacks. Four females nested there in 2024-2025, with an additional two leatherbacks nesting on the nearby secondary beach, Nombre de Jesus. Secondary nesting beaches, including our project further north on Playa Cabuyal, where we have collected data for 14 consecutive years, may be increasing in importance for leatherback nesting. The beach monitoring of The Leatherback Trust and the formation of the national park at Playa Grande during the 1990s stopped the poaching of leatherback eggs there. Over the next 20-25 years, tens of thousands of leatherback hatchlings returned successfully to the ocean, and we are now seeing young leatherback females return to these nesting beaches. Of the four females who nested in 2024-2025, three were new turtles, one was a re-migrant. Our data from temperature monitoring of the beach spans more than 30 years, and we have published scientific papers on the effects of global warming on sea turtle nesting. The past season had the lowest temperatures on record which favored production of males. The past season also brought extreme beach er”