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CEA Electronic Communications are in English and Spanish. Para leer este boletín en español, favor de
pulsar aquí.
Join the Fun in Akumal!
CEA will hold its first Annual Festival in February—Wednesday the 22nd and Thursday the 23rd—with two days of fun and learning! Join us in our efforts to protect the beautiful Akumal area with environmental education activities, music, cultural events, arts and crafts and a Gala dinner! Please stop by the Center when you are in Akumal for an updated events schedule and to get your Gala Dinner tickets. You can also check our Web site for current CEA Festival information.
Silent Auction to Raise Money for CEA
In addition to our Festival's two days of fun and learning, we will be doing a silent auction to help raise much-needed funds. In order to ensure the success of this fundraiser, we need your help and participation. If you have something you would like to donate, please contact info@ceakumal.org. Currently we have a week at a condo, four nights at Hotel Akumal Caribe (both subject to availability and with certain black-out dates), and art work, to mention just a few. The other way you can help is to place your bids. Winners will be announced during the Gala Dinner at Lol-Ha Restaurant on February 23.
CEA Coloring Book Now Available!
Our Exploring Akumal coloring book is finally available! It is a bilingual tour of Akumal Bay, with a focus on local fauna. The heavy paper is perfect for watercolors, markers or crayons. Proceeds will benefit our Environmental Education Program. Big thanks are due to Fundación Oasis for sponsoring the project. We also thank CyberAkumal, Super Chomak, La Boutique, Ah Cacao, Librería Pequeño Mundo, and Librería Alma Libre for helping us sell the book. Please stop by CEA for your copy.
Meetings in the Process to Protect Local Bays and Reefs
Early last December, Lucy Gallagher-Freymuth facilitated meetings with local business owners, fishermen, dive operators and other interested parties toward establishing guidelines for the legal protection of the bays and reefs of Akumal. The meetings were a success as attendees expressed widespread support for our efforts. Stay tuned for further developments.
CEA Assembly Has Annual Meeting
Our Board of Directors and General Assembly held their annual meeting on January 3. As we reviewed a very difficult year, we were encouraged by just how much we managed to achieve despite the hardships. We are confident that the organization is stronger than ever and thank all those who have helped us over the past year. To read more about our goals for 2006, click here.
Kate Riley off to Bigger and Better Adventures …
Although we are saddened that Kate has chosen to leave us to pursue other projects, we wish her the best and send her our love as she embarks on a new path. For the past three years, Kate was an integral part of our team and helped CEA better understand the importance of alternative waste management systems in protecting the environment. Her grace, wisdom and serenity are sorely missed. Thank you, Kate, for everything!
Environmental Culture Week at CEA
From December 21–27, CEA had its First Environmental Culture Week with an art exhibit of five local artists: Giovanni Avashadur, Angela Gil, Salvador Gutiérrez, Richard Mazzola and Sergio Gamboa.
On the stage next to the Turtle Bay Café and Bakery, we also had a demonstration of two folkloric dancing groups, Ballet Folklórico Tulúm and el Ballet Folklórico Kin, who presented beautiful interpretations of regional dances from Veracruz, Tabasco, Yucatán and Quintana Roo.
CEA thanks local businesses for helping to make the event a success: Lol-Ha Restaurant; Turtle Bay Café and Bakery; Imelda’s; and the Casa de la Cultura de Tulúm and la Caravana Cultural de la H. Alcaldía de Tulúm. We hope to be able to present cultural events such as these several times throughout the year.
Global Coral Reef Conservation
On December 10, 2005, CEA's Marine and Coastal Protection Program Coordinator, Lucy Gallagher-Freymuth, attended the Reef Conservation UK (RCUK) conference in London. The RCUK is an annual meeting intended to raise the awareness of the work of international organizations to the wider UK coral-reef-concerned community. This year the main focus of the presentations was on the impact of the 2005 tsunami event in the Indo-Pacific. Lucy has been invited to talk at the RCUK conference next year to present CEA's work in coral reef conservation.
Sustainable Construction in the Mexican Caribbean Workshop
Given the rapid tourism and urban growth along the Mexican Caribbean coast, and as part of our on-going efforts to promote sustainable development in the region, on Feb. 17 and 18 CEA is hosting a workshop focused on sustainable building. Our hope is to encourage new models of development that will help ensure that our children’s children will enjoy the richness of the jungle, the coolness of cenote water, the beauty of the reef, the brilliance of the sky, and all of the other wonders found in Quintana Roo.
The two-day conference will present the principles, strategies, and techniques primarily for professionals on Friday, and for small scale buildings (homes, condos, and small businesses) on Saturday. The ideas presented during the conference will apply to the Riviera Maya, as well as to any other area of the world where development puts pressure on a coastline.
Friday, February 17 – Sustainable Cities, Developments, and Large Enterprises
Friday’s presentations focus on principles and practices for larger scale developments, such as cities, housing developments, and large resorts and businesses.
Saturday, February 18 – Sustainable Homes and Small Businesses
Saturday’s presentations focus on sustainable principles and practices for individual homes, condo buildings, small businesses, and other smaller enterprises.
Please click here for more details.
Calling for Guest Writers
Do you ever feel like sharing your ideas or experiences related to the natural wonders of the Akumal region? In an effort to make this newsletter more interactive, we invite you to submit your own articles or editorials. Of course, we’ll reserve the right to edit your contributions, but if you have something you’d like to share with us, please send your article to info@ceakumal.org.
Staff Birthdays
January 25 – Rafael Gonzalez, Legal Counsel for Sustainability Program
February 13 – David Nuñez, Institutional Development Coordinator
February Environmental Calendar
World Wetlands Day – February 2
A day to remind us of the importance that these ecosystems have in regulating water cycles, purifying water, providing habitat for countless species, and securing livelihoods for millions of people.
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.
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