By Paige Lambert

Blues and rock n’ roll played over San Marcos Plaza, meeting the ears of locals enjoying the array of seafood. Music filled the whole park, including the silent auction and educational tents. All had gathered for the fourth annual YappoPalooza. 

The festival raises money for the Bi-national Kemp’s Ridley Turtle Recovery project, a joint venture between the U.S. Department of Parks and Wildlife and Mexico. The project began in 1978, when the species’ total population was around 225.

Most turtles nest in big geographical areas, which makes them less susceptible to isolated events, said Scott Boruff, one of the founders of YappoPalooza. 

Once the Kemp’s Ridley turtle’s nesting locations, which consisted of only two stretches of Mexican beach, were found in 1946, the species was heavily poached for the high value of their eggs. 

The species was thought to have been lost, until a film surfaced showing thousands of Kemp’s Ridley turtles near Rancho Nuevo in Tamaulipas, Mexico.

“Once the scientific community knew these animals were nesting there, the two countries just got together and created this bi-national project,” Boruff said.

Scientists would drive four-wheelers up and down 40 miles of beach to find nests, then carry the eggs to a safe corral where they could hatch in safety. Once they hatched, the scientists would make sure they reached the ocean.

These methods allowed the turtles to grow in number and for scientists to research ways to help them flourish. When Boruff worked for the Department of Parks and Wildlife, he took his family to one of these turtle camps.

It was there that his son, Jeffrey “Yappo” Boruff, became fascinated with sea turtles.

“As soon as he walked into a camp, he belonged there,” said Louis Jaime-Pena, curator of conservation projects at the Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville. “He worked and lived right with the scientists on the beach.”

Visiting the camps became an important part of Jeffrey’s life.

“When all of his friends were going to South Padre Island for spring break, and drinking on the beach, he was going down to the turtle camps,” Boruff said. “And every Christmas, he and I drove to the turtle camps.”

Unfortunately the trips were cut short when Jeffrey died four years ago at the age of 26. 

After grieving, Jeffrey’s parents looked for a way to honor him.

“He was one of those good, caring people and we wanted to leave a legacy for him,” Boruff said. “We wanted it to be more than a plaque on a wall or a nice service.”

One of Jeffrey’s friends suggested a blues music festival, since both he and Jeffrey played that genre of music. 

Boruff took it one step further, and YappoPalooza was created.

Since that inaugural day, the festival has helped raise more than $200,000 for the project. With everything from selling food, to t-shirts to Mona Lisa paintings with turtle faces, 100 percent of the money goes to aiding the recovery effort.

With federal funding steadily decreasing, YappoPalooza is becoming one of the main resources for the project.

“The federal money was late last year, and we are relying on YappoPalooza for this year’s funding,” Pena said. 

Boruff said he hopes to continue the festival, whether it is in San Marcos or wherever the project can get more exposure and support.

Either way, Boruff said he wants the festival to embody Jeffrey’s life — a love of Kemp’s Ridley turtles and following a passion.

“Giving back is something important for people to do, but you’ve got to give back in a way that your passionate about, something you care about,” Boruff said. “He just happened to fall in love with the turtle camps.”