CEA Electronic Communications are in English and Spanish. Para leer este boletín en español, favor de pulsar aquí. Special Thanks to the Disney Wildlife Conservation Fund and The Ocean Foundation CEA would like to thank all the generous donors who have supported our rebuilding efforts following the devastation of Hurricane Emily. Our online donation drive has so far raised over $3,500 dollars towards the reconstruction of our dormitories, and over $2,500 dollars to renovate the primary school in town. These funds have also helped us leverage matching aid from the Disney Wildlife Conservation Fund and The Ocean Foundation. We hope to begin work soon on the first of our dormitory buildings. Turtle Season Winding Down The number of nesting mothers has gone down since the beginning of September, so much so that we’ve only found three in the last four weeks, which indicates the end of the season. However, a few nests are hatching, allowing us to continue our very important tasks in turtle conservation. We would like to thank everyone who participated with us this season and extend our thanks to Akumal Real Estate for sponsoring the volunteer uniforms. Environmental Education by Mauricio Bautista Vega With the start of the new school year, our Environmental Education Program began its activities at the Francisco Sarábia Elementary School and José Vasconcelos Junior High, located in the town of Akumal. At the elementary school, talks will be given on the various local ecosystems. Field trips will reinforce the science lessons learned in class, and hopefully influence these children in a positive way for the rest of their lives. At the junior high, we will continue with our waste-based arts and crafts program in which students learn to reuse their garbage. We are in negotiations with various local waste management companies in hopes that we can work together to ensure the success of our garbage separation program at both schools. Ukana Parking by Armando Sastré Ukana Parking, located in the middle of the Centro Ukana I Akumal, A.C. property, will begin its formal operation this September. Its purpose is to better serve our renters and their clients. In addition, proceeds will help improve local conservation efforts and the management of Akumal's natural resources. We hope this will improve both the appearance and the management of the site. Traveling Exhibit As part of our ongoing environmental education activities, and as part of a national campaign for a cleaner México, CEA hosted a traveling exhibit on waste management entitled, "¡A que le tiras cuando ensucias mexicano!," or, roughly translated, “What are you throwing away when you trash México.” In 29 panels the Ministry of the Environment presented the main issues of waste management in the country, the reuse and recycling processes available as solutions to garbage problems, and simple and practical actions people can take to manage their trash better—everything from household waste to office, industrial and rural waste. Our education coordinator, Mauricio Bautista Vega, with the help of a volunteer, explained the exhibit to more than 100 school children from the Akumal area. The next stop for the exhibition is the Municipal Palace in Playa del Carmen, for the rest of the month of September. CEA will also host a water and forest management exhibition in the near future but we do not have the exact dates yet. Third Annual Marine Turtle Festival As a member of the Regional Marine Turtle Conservation Committee, CEA is participating in the Third Annual Turtle Festival 2005, to be held on October 21 and 22. The festival, to celebrate the end of the 2005 nesting season, takes place in Tulúm and at X'cacel beach, with beach clean-up, presentations, music, sand sculptures, drawing and painting contests, as well as plays, and ends with the liberation of about 2,000 turtle hatchlings in the evening. Staff Birthdays September 15: Kate Riley, Water Quality Program Coordinator September 22: Mauricio Bautista Vega, Environmental Education Program Coordinator October Environmental Calendar World Habitat Day October 3 The United Nations has designated the first Monday in October every year as World Habitat Day to reflect on the state of human settlements and the basic right to adequate shelter for all. It is also intended to remind the world of its collective responsibility for the future of the human habitat. World Food Day October 16 Civilization is founded on agriculture, which remains as important today as 10,000 years ago when it was born. When early hunter-gatherers settled in groups and domesticated wild crops and animals, society began to evolve rapidly. Some community members specialized in producing food, freeing others to invent ways of spinning and weaving, smelting and casting of bronze, baking bricks, shaping clay on the potter’s wheel and writing. Villages grew into towns and eventually into cities. To examine the true worth of agriculture today and to celebrate the ongoing contribution of different cultures to global agriculture, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization has chosen “Agriculture and Intercultural Dialogue” as the theme of World Food Day 2005. World Animal Week October 4-10 World Animal Week is a time to celebrate the animal welfare achievements that have been made around the world, and to remind people that animals really do matter—not only animals in the wild, but pets and livestock too. Again, we want to thank all the people who sent us their good wishes and contributed to the Emily Relief Funds. If you would like to support the CEA Rebuilding Fund or the Pueblo Relief Fund you can do so online, in person or by mail. 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 agent 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.