78 THE COASTAL BEND MAGAZINE • Early Summer 2018 TheCoastalBend.com Driving on the Beach ...with dignity DO: • Stop before entering soft, high sand, and plan your route • Use a low gear • Proceed at a brisk, steady speed • Use flat boards, or even seaweed, under your tires for traction if you get stuck •“Rock” your vehicle out of sand if you get stuck DON’T: • Assume your“all wheel drive”vehicle per- forms like a 4-wheel drive • Stop in high sand like you would in snow • Gun your accelerator in an angry attempt to get unstuck • Cuss/Cry Texas Sealife Center Each year in the Coastal Bend hundreds of sea animals become injured, stranded and otherwise subjected to duress, often due to human behavior. For decades, bands of ecological volunteers have acted to rescue and rehabilitate injured wildlife, but with limited resources and facilities. The Texas Sealife Center was established in 2012 in the Packery Chan- nel Park building on North Padre Island, a facility do- nated by Nueces County. The center provides space for rescued sea turtles, birds, mammals and other creatures, and works hand-in-hand with Tony Amos’ Animal Rehabilitation Keep (ARK) in Port Aransas. Part of its mission is educating the public about the dangers of garbage and human interference with sea animals, a core mission of the Texas Sealife Cen- ter, part of the Padre Island National Seashore. 14225 S. Padre Island Dr. on North Padre Island