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July & August 2006
CEA Electronic Communications are in English and Spanish. Para leer este boletín en español, favor de haga clic aquí. |
Sea Turtle Update
by Armando Lorences
Like we do every month, we are pleased to share with you the results obtained so far during this nesting season.
In South Akumal, we’ve only had one attempt at nesting, perhaps due to the intense lights flashed by security guards every 30 or 45 minutes. However, we continue to make our weekly patrols to check for possible nests.
Likewise, on Half Moon Bay, nests are checked during the day, to count shells, dead hatchlings and unhatched eggs. We are carrying out these activities during the day to avoid being confused for poachers. This season we have attempted to leave as many nests as possible in situ, relocating only a few when absolutely necessary.
We’d like to thank all the hotels, condos and security guards who selflessly have helped us out this season. Click here to see a chart of turtle nests and hatchlings.
Integrated Waste Management Program for Akumal
by Juan Antonio Huerta
On World Environment Day, last June 6, CEA restarted the Integrated Waste Management Program for Akumal. The program, like much of CEA’s work, had been interrupted by last year’s busy hurricane season.
Our goal is to "Reduce by 50% the solid waste generated in Akumal within a time period of eight months, through a combination of training and education, and the implementation of a integrated recycling program."
A recycling center has been established on CEA property. Now anyone who wishes to participate can recycle their glass, cardboard & paper, aluminum, and plastic (PET & nylon). Within a few months we again will be receiving organic waste, which we will compost. The resulting fertilizer then will be donated for use in local schools and parks.
The community’s participation has been fundamental in this project, and we’d like to thank everyone who’s helped us out, particularly: Akumal Caribe Villas Maya, Mayan Adventures, Turtle Bay Café and Bakery, Lucy’s Kitchen, Imelda’s Ecocina and Super Chomak. We’d also like to recognize the great work of Leticia Cordova and Carlos Meade, the Akumal Development Council, and the municipal Office for the Environment in moving this project forward. Thank you.
Water Quality Program
by Edith Sosa
Towards the end of June, and with help from volunteers Ahren Ricker and Diane van Beek, CEA’s Water Quality Program surveyed Akumal’s coastline, from Half-Moon Bay to South Akumal, in order to identify freshwater outlets.
We found 12 different places where the fresh water exits; however the biggest and most obvious are located in Akumal South. We also found some traces of exits (via cold currents) in Half Moon Bay, but we were not able to locate the exact places of the outlets. In Akumal South we have recorded only the larger and easily measurable holes, because we thought they were the most useful ones. We have seen more and smaller holes there, but they seemed inadequate compared to the larger ones and measurements could not be taken as easily or accurately.
The results of this prospecting survey will be used to identify potential water quality monitoring sites along the coast, and to determine if the underground rivers that flow beneath Akumal are polluting our bays.
They’re a Bunch of Turtle-Huggers! (not literally)
by Shelly Rodriguez
Recently, the CEA newsletter mentioned a fundraising campaign led by a group of tourists. The campaign focuses on educational efforts for reef and turtle protection and includes contributions to a fund, which supports the printing of magnets, vinyl signs and beach signs. The group also raised money selling turtle T-shirts. We’ve been asked by more than one reader, "Who are those LocoGringos?" To find out, click here.
Locals Enjoy Learning About Turtles
by Mauricio Bautista
For years we have offered visitors the chance to get to know the turtles, by accompanying our staff and volunteers as they patrol the beaches at night. This year we began to offer the same opportunity to families who live and work in Akumal. Saturday nights are reserved for locals who wish to join us. We’d like to remind you that we can accept only 10 people per night. For further details, contact Mauricio Bautista.
Endangered Species of the Month: The Chit Palm
by Alma Boada
The "Chit" palm (Thrinax radiata) has a long, thin trunk, and can grow over 21 feet high. It has fan-shaped leaves that can reach over three feet in diameter. Traditionally, it has been used by the Maya for construction and roofing, and in making brooms. More recently, it has been used in building and decorating restaurants and hotels. Fishermen also use it to build lobster traps. Due to the growth in tourism, the Chit palm has been overharvested.
It grows in jungle, coastal dunes and mangroves. Currently the Chit palm is threatened by both excessive harvesting and loss of habitat. There is a total ban on harvesting Chit, yet it is difficult to enforce, and so its illegal use continues largely unabated.
Riviera News Magazine
We thank our friends at Riviera News Magazine for the interest they’ve shown in the environment. They are helping us educate locals and tourists alike on issues of reef conservation and sea turtle protection by offering us the opportunity to publish several articles in their August/September issue. Pick up a copy of this free magazine for articles of general interest and guides to enjoying this paradise, or click here for a sample edition from last winter.
New CEA Truck
Thanks to generous donations from two foundations, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the Manfred Hermsen Foundation, CEA was able to buy a new pickup truck. Together, both foundations provided two-thirds of the money needed to purchase the truck and CEA put in one-third. While the donations came through grants for our Coastal and Marine Protection Program and our Sea Turtle Conservation and Research Program, we are now able to attend to the needs of all our conservation programs.
Tequila Tortuga: Great Tequila, Great Cause
Supporting CEA has never been easier: a new product allows tourists and locals to help protect the region’s sea turtles and reefs by doing what they do best—enjoying themselves.
Tequila Tortuga is a remarkably smooth, 100% Agave reposado tequila that will donate a percentage of its profits to CEA’s "sea turtle protection and marine conservation efforts."
David Nuñez, CEA’s Development Coordinator, wanted to make fundraising simple and hassle free. "Everybody loves the turtles and the reefs and, of course, everyone wants to see them protected," he says. "But visitors usually don’t want to hear about the problems threatening the beauty they came to enjoy. They don’t want to be lectured and asked for donations. They’d rather sit back, relax, enjoy themselves and have a good time. Now they can help us out by doing just that."
As for the tequila, it is made in the highlands of Jalisco, deep in tequila country, by a small, family-operated distillery that has been making "some of the best tequila around" since 1937. So although the brand is new, it is backed by a tradition of excellence that goes back over three generations.
We are working to make Tequila Tortuga available throughout Akumal, and beyond. You can help us by asking for it by name.
For further information, click here.
Second Annual 2007 CEA Festival
Save the Sea
Mark your calendars for February 21 and 22. This coming event will include CEA's Second Annual Silent Action and Gala Dinner.
Last year we raised $2,700 and we look forward to doubling that this year. We know we can do it by increasing our Silent Auction items and by adding a few new surprises. We expect to have more auction items that appeal to tourists and locals alike, and hope that you will contribute to our Silent Auction. Look for more details in the near future, and if you would like to learn more about helping, please contact us.
Staff Birthdays
September 14 – Edith Sosa, Water Quality Program
September 22 – Mauricio Bautista Vega, Environmental Education Program Coordinator
September EcoCalendar
by David Nuñez
After taking a much-needed summer break, our EcoCalendar is back with several important dates for September:
Clean Up the World Weekend – September 15–17
Clean Up the World is a community-based environmental program that inspires and empowers individuals and communities from every corner of the globe to clean up, fix up and conserve their environment.
International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer – September 16
On this day in 1987 the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer was signed, banning and phasing out many harmful substances, and proving that the nations of the world can come together to solve environmental crises.
Biosphere Day – September 21
Biodiversity, the variety of life on Earth, is disappearing at an unprecedented and, most likely, increasing rate. Science and governance for conserving and sustainably and equitably using biodiversity are key elements to decrease the rate of its loss. Since its early days, UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Programme has initiated programs and activities focusing on the diversity and the resources provided by nature, humans' impacts on biodiversity, as well as how biodiversity affects human activities.
International Day of Peace – September 21
Could we try this? For just one day? We might like it …
International Tourism Day – September 27
Tourism has become one of the world's most important sources of employment. It stimulates enormous investment in infrastructure, most of which also helps to improve the living conditions of local people. It provides governments with substantial tax revenues. Most new tourism jobs and business are created in developing countries, helping to equalize economic opportunities and to keep rural residents from moving to overcrowded cities.
Intercultural awareness and personal friendships fostered through tourism are a powerful force for improving international understanding and contributing to peace among all the nations of the world. However, tourism can have a negative cultural, environmental and social impact if it is not responsibly planned, managed and monitored. This date encourages governments to play a vital role in tourism, in partnership with the private sector, local authorities, and non-governmental organizations. Visit the World Tourism Organization Web site by clicking here.
Please continue to tell your friends about CEA! Many CEA Members join after being referred to CEA by people like you. If you have questions about how you can become more involved, please contact us. The Yucatan Environmental Foundation is the U.S. 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor for CEA. All donations made through YEF for CEA are tax-deductible in the U.S.
If you would like to subscribe or unsubscribe to this newsletter, or simply need to contact CEA, please click here.
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