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April 2007
CEA Electronic Communications are in English and Spanish. Para leer este boletín en español, favor de haga clic aquí.
Click on the images to see them larger.
Turtle Adoptions for Mother's Day
It's now Turtle Season in Akumal. Looking for a unique gift for Mother's Day on May 13? How about adopting a turtle family, nest or baby turtle for her? Click here to charge your gift, add your mother's name and address in the Comments Field, and we'll send her a personalized adoption certificate and turtle print. It's a great and easy way to help CEA protect the turtles that are threatened by extinction.
Akumal Bay Management Program
by Paul Sánchez-Navarro and Miguel A. Maldonado
The beach and marine ecosystems, which include coral reefs, as well as the on-going presence of sea turtles in Akumal Bay, are the main characteristics and identity of Akumal and constitute important resources for the biology, ecology, geology and economy of the area.
Since 2003, because of increased tourist activities along the Riviera Maya, Akumal Bay activity has increased. The number of boats, locals and tourists that visit the bay have had unchecked growth, affecting the beautiful appearance of the bay and the tranquility and security of the marine ecosystem balance.
CEA is working to obtain legal support that promotes conservation of Akumal Bay and its correct management, so it may continue to be an attractive place for tourists and a protected area.
The Akumal Bay Management Program includes ideas, agreements and operation rules that have been accepted among the principal actors in Akumal.
To see the map and rules of this program, please click here.
Earth Day – Great Days in Akumal
by Alma Boada
CEA celebrated Earth Day April 20, 21 and 22. We organized different activities on these three days in the pueblo and the bay, in which we joined with Akumal people to raise awareness among locals and visitors about the environment. Children, young people and adults joined us in our mission of keeping Akumal clean. Some of our activities were beach, street and park clean-ups. We also planted around Akumal’s schools, thanks to the donation of plants that Fundación Ecológica Bahía Principe Tulúm A.C gave to us. After that we had cultural events where the children of Akumal participated in drawing and sand sculpture contests. The girls of the Francisco Sarabia school danced flamenco with the help of María Ruiz Alonso, while the dance group of the CECYTE Tulúm participated with a show of dances from the states of Sonora and Quintana Roo. Fundación Ecológica Bahía Principe donated trips to the Sendero de Interpretación de la Naturaleza to involve our visitors directly with the environment. Akumal children participated in snorkel tours and sports activities on the beach. To close our celebration, we presented "An Inconvenient Truth" in the CEA Information Center.
We thank all the people who made this wonderful event happen. We have to emphasize the presence of more people helping and less amount of trash on the beach in contrast with last year! CEA is very happy to know that every day we have more people joining us and having confidence in our work. Thanks to all of you!!!
Waste Management Program in Akumal
by Alma Boada
As part of our Earth Day Celebration we started our Waste Management Program. The containers will be located in South Akumal, Akumal Pueblo, Akumal Bay and North Akumal. Once they are located, we will inform locals about their correct use and position. We thank Solidaridad Government and Environmental Authorities for the facilities to make the donation possible.
Visitors – Spring Street International School
by Megan Dethier
A group of 16 high school students from the Spring Street International School, in Washington state, spent six days at CEA studying marine biology in early March. Half of the group had just spent three weeks in Izamal living with families and working at various jobs in the community. They headed home after their Akumal experience. The other half started their trip in Akumal, and then traveled farther into southern Mexico and Guatemala for another two weeks. The group was led by two teachers from the school, and the marine biology portion at CEA was taught by two faculty members (also the parents of one of the students) from the University of Washington. The students had daily lectures on local marine organisms and their ecology, read and discussed scientific papers, and spent as much time as possible in the water learning about the marine ecosystem.
One day when strong winds made snorkeling impossible, they learned about seaweeds and invertebrates on the rocky shore and then picked up trash along the shoreline to the north of CEA; they came back with nine bulging trash bags and a new appreciation for the extent of the problem of marine litter. They were also disturbed by the amount of hardened oil-tar on the rocks, carried in by the ocean, and noted that nothing grows on it, even though it feels rather like rock. All (including the adults) learned a great deal from their stay at CEA and were very grateful for the opportunity to use this facility and for the wonderful help given by all the staff.
CEA was also pleased that they were here and thank all for their help. Thank you very much for joining us in our work!
Basic Workshop at CEA – Sea Turtle Nesting Season
by Armando Lorences
As part of the preparation for the beginning of the sea turtles' nesting season, which started May 1,
a “Basic Workshop of Handling and Observation of Sea Turtles for Security Staff on Akumal Beaches”
took place in CEA facilities on April 17 and 18.
This workshop had a main goal of making security staff aware of the importance of conserving and protecting the sea turtles nesting on area beaches, as well as using their knowledge, in order to support our program during their nightly patrols. This time we counted the participation of 27 security guards from different hotels, condos and villas of the beaches forming Akumal.
We thank biologist María Ruiz Alonso, biologist José Galian Mejia and translator Minerva Llacer Gomez, all of them CEA volunteers, for their valuable support in the presentation and preparation of this workshop.
Thanks to Buena Vista University
by Alma Boada
In March we had the pleasure of the presence of students from Buena Vista University, Iowa. The team was lead by Deb McConahie. We really thank them for their interest in all of our conservation programs. They got involved and cooperated in giving information to tourists, helped us clean wetlands, created new lobster collectors, and zoned Akumal bays for the upcoming turtle nesting season. Thank you for all your help. We hope you had fun learning and that you enjoyed the experience with us.
Tracing of the Groundwater Flows
Around Tulum and the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve
by Melissa Hendrickson and Dr. Patricia Beddows
The local environmental quality is tightly tied to that of the groundwater resources, near-shore waters and coral reefs, all of which are also cornerstones of the local population health and also the foundation of the local tourism based economy. At risk are increased infant mortality, incidence of waterborne disease (also among the tourists), secure food chains notably with respect to seafood, and the sustainability of the tourism sector in making a long-term contribution to the GDP of México. Click here for the rest of the story.
Coastal Dune Revegetation
by Miguel and Rosario
As part of the activities to certify the property and beach of Akumal Bay, CEA has involved volunteers in the revegetation of the protected coastal dune on our property. One of our first activities has been planting sea grape.
Species of the Month – Spotted Eagle Ray
Commonly seen in tropical and warm temperate waters, spotted eagle rays (Aetobatus narinari) can be observed in bays and over coral reefs, but spend most of their time swimming in schools, "flying" gracefully via the undulation of their pectoral fins.
They have numerous spots and circular white markings over a dark body and a white underside. The head is characterized by a flattened, tapered snout and they have a very long whip-like tail.
They feed mainly on bivalves but also eat shrimp, crabs, octopus, worms and small fishes. While snorkeling in Akumal Bay, you might be lucky enough to come across one. Please do not follow them, and keep at least three meters' distance. Thanks!
Staff Birthdays
April 17 – Don Inocencio Gamboa, Maintenance
April 21 – Luis Roberto, Security guard
Calendar of Events
CEA Presentations at the Lol-Ha Snack Bar – 6:30 p.m.
- Mondays - Living Reefs
- Tuesdays - The CEA Turtle Watch Program
Mark your calendar and plan to attend our Third Annual CEA Festival, Save Our Seas, February 20 and 21, 2008. Contact us for more information.
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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