 |
|
|
Some Fresh Air for the CEA Center
September 2004
By Joe Duclos
For the last few months we’ve been telling you about plans to update the exhibits at the Center to improve the information we offer to visitors. We are working to protect an interesting and beautiful ecosystem and would like to invite all our visitors to understand the ecology of the area, its species and hydrology. Creating new exhibits to demonstrate the relationship between the mangrove and the reef, for example, requires funds. As we research the costs involved we’ve been gratified to discover that they are coming in below our original estimates, which, of course, makes us even more eager to get started. We continue to hope for your support in this effort.
However, there is another part of this upgrade project that we haven’t mentioned—the improvements to the building itself. All of you who have attended an evening event at CEA when the shutters were down will remember that it gets pretty hot in there, and the fans don’t seem to be of much help. So we’ve been looking into ways to make the Center a more inviting venue for after-hours events. Here’s what we’ve come up with:
1. Enlarge the windows at the roof peak to get more light in, and make them operable from inside with a rope and pulley system. We’ll get better cross ventilation, as well as vent the warm air that is captured at the ceiling.
2. Replace the existing ceiling fans with more efficient units.
3. Replace the current “hinged at the top, two-person operation” shutter arrangement. Using the existing shutters, attach them top and bottom in the window frames so that they rotate in the opening, allowing them to be operated by one person. This would make possible a more flexible use of the space.
We think these small changes to the Center will make a world of difference. But without your generosity, none of these improvements will be possible. Please stop by the CEA Center or make your donation on-line. Thank you for your support.
July 2004
The CEA Center has been home to Centro Ecológico Akumal for over 10 years. We have had many, many visitors and volunteers come and go, and have hosted meetings, talks, symposiums, art exhibits and more. It is now time for a few renovations. In order to better meet the goals of our mission, "to monitor the impact of development on the regional ecosystems and culture; to report findings and their significance to the public through education; and, through education, to influence public policy,” we plan to update, upgrade, and renovate the exhibits.
Visitors will soon wander through a gallery full of facts about specific issues, and will come away with a sense of the interactions that influence the ecology of the region. They will also understand what needs to be done to protect the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System and the coastal zone environment of Akumal. CEA will use maps illustrating relationships between land, sea, and the scope of development activity over time. In addition, we hope to provide an interactive computer display, which will provide access to CEA’s Web site, and options to explore specific topics in more depth. Likewise, lighting and ventilation upgrades will help provide a better environment for lectures, seminars, and other programs. With development expanding quickly (see Development story), it is imperative that we provide new ways to better communicate, to both residents and visitors, the information about the threats facing the ecosystem as well as the possible solutions. Using graphic technologies, with striking images and concise text in Spanish and English, we can offer visitors a more dynamic experience.
Ambitious? … yes, and we hope to have this well underway by the end of this year. The plans are in place and we have an excellent team of volunteers working to make this a reality. In order to do this we need your help. We are asking members, contributors and supporters to please make an additional donation to this much-needed and extremely worthwhile project. These improvements will touch, inspire and educate many, helping to make the CEA Center a true center of information and activities for sound ecosystem management. Please stop by the CEA Center and make your donation; or mail it to Yucatan Environmental Foundation (YEF), c/o Ed Blume, P.O. Box 2116, Madison, WI 53701-2116; or go on-line and use your credit card.
The price tag for this is $10,000 US and we need to start construction immediately. We will keep you updated with news on fundraising activities and progress in our newsletters and on-line. We will also show you how much money we have raised and who has helped. If you prefer that your donation be anonymous, please be sure to let us know. In addition, it is important that key people be able to travel during this crucial time and we ask that if you have any frequent flyer miles that you are not able to use for yourself, that you consider donating them to CEA.
Thank you for your support. We look forward to seeing you in our new CEA Center.
Illustration of new displays for CEA Center.
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
