Joining in the Effort to Save the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef CEA has recently joined forces with a number of Mexican organizations in a regional effort to survey the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System (MBRS). In August 2004, CEA representatives joined governmental and academic institutions for a week of coral reef monitoring in the marine protected area of Xcalak, a fishing village located at the southern point of Quintana Roo. In September, they participated in similar monitoring effort in the marine park of Cozumel. These monitoring activities, which take place at various locations along the coasts of México, Belize, Guatemala and Honduras, include regular fish, coral, invertebrate and water quality surveys in order to assess reef health. CEA aims to adopt similar monitoring methods in Akumal in the near future to begin collecting regular data to evaluate the condition of our coral reef ecosystems. A Big Thank You to the Business Community CEA wishes to acknowledge the generous support of several area businesses, without whom much of our work, and play, would not be possible. Thank you to the Ah Cacao! Chocolate Café in Playa del Carmen for the delicious brownies donated in support of our participation in the Second Annual Sea Turtle Festival in Tulum. They were a hit! If you haven’t tried them, stop by Constituyentes and Fifth Ave. in Playa del Carmen, for a great cup of coffee or chocolate, and say hi to Rohan for us while you are there. Many thanks also go out to local haunts, La Cueva del Pescador and Turtle Bay Café and Bakery for their support of our recently concluded REEF Fish Identification Training Course. The course was also a success thanks to the very generous support of Akumal Dive Shop, Akumal Dive Center, and Akumal Dive Adventures. And speaking of haunts, La Buena Vida had a creative and very scary Halloween Haunted House, the proceeds of which will benefit a specific CEA program. And last, but not least, thanks to Xel-Há for helping us celebrate Paul’s birthday. Rumor has it he turned sixty, but really, he just looks that old. (Just kidding.) Reef Environmental Education Foundation Comes to Akumal In the first week of November, CEA hosted the first REEF course in Akumal. This fish identification course taught 10 area divers and 2 snorkelers to recognize over 100 fish species, enabling the Akumal community to start a simple fish monitoring program. The course was taught by Sheryl Shea, an expert based in Cozumel, who kindly donated her services. CEA also thanks Akumal Dive Shop, Akumal Dive Center, Akumal Dive Adventures, La Cueva del Pescador and Turtle Bay Bakery, which have all donated services to allow this course to take place. Turtle Festival CEA helped organize and participated in the 2nd Annual Turtle Festival in Tulum, helping to open the festivities with our puppet show about the life of turtles, from nesting to birth to return to the beaches as adults. We also had a stand at the festival. The Festival ended with the releasing of over 1500 baby turtles at Xcacel beach, managed by Fundacion Flora, Fauna y Cultura. Upcoming Events Mural Inauguration Please join us on Saturday, November 27, at 5 p.m. for the grand unveiling of the new mural at the CEA Center. Lauren Floden, with assistance from Juan Perez, has worked long and hard to complete this beautiful addition to our space. We will celebrate its introduction with wine and cheese, and good company. We look forward to seeing you! ! Jazz for Peace Concert We are pleased to announce that, in recognition of our work, New York based group Jazz for Peace will be holding a concert to benefit CEA on December 29th, as part of its first ever México Tour. The group was founded in 2002 when jazz pianist Rick DellaRatta was asked to conduct a group of musicians from around the world for a concert at United Nations headquarters in New York City. Rick named the band Jazz for Peace, and since then they have dedicated themselves to raising funds for various non-profit organizations through a series of benefit concerts. PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS TODAY by clicking here or for more information contact David Nuñez at david@ceakumal.org or through the CEA office at (984) 875-9095. Check our Web site often to learn more about CEA's programs and upcoming events. There are many ways you, too, can help and become a CEA Friend. A bequest is one of the easiest and most important ways you can help the turtles and reefs of Akumal. You name Centro Ecologico Akumal in your will, revocable living trust, retirement savings plan (e.g., IRA, 401K), or life insurance policy. For more information, contact us. And please, tell your friends about the organization. Many CEA Members joined 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. Thank you for your continued support of CEA. We list our CEA Members and Contributors on our CEA Friends page. Please take a moment and make sure we have you listed. If you have a story or comment you would like to have added, please e-mail it to us. If you would like to subscribe or unsubscribe to this newsletter, or simply need to contact CEA, please click here.