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 Happy Holidays From All of Us at CEA
The entire CEA staff wishes you and yours a very happy holiday season and a healthy and prosperous New Year.
Benefit Concert and Art Show
We would like to remind everyone that Centro Ecológico Akumal will be hosting a day of art, music and dance at our Information Center on December 29. Performances will include jazz pianist Rick DellaRatta and classical Indian dancer Gayathri Arumugham.
Rick DellaRatta, 40-year-old New York-based international jazz pianist, vocalist and composer, has performed in legendary jazz clubs such as Sweet Basil, Ronnie Scotts, The Blue Note, Birdland and The Five Spot. Rick is currently sharing his musical message worldwide through his "Jazz for Peace World Tour." The tour is scheduled to include the United States, the Middle East, the United Kingdom, Asia, Europe, South Africa, and, of course, México. The "Jazz for Peace" tour will be Rick's first-ever "World Tour," however recent performances by Rick outside the U.S. have included Japan, Hong Kong, Bulgaria, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland and Germany.
Recent festival appearances, as a leader, include headlining at The Savannah Jazz Festival, The Kansas City Jazz and Blues Festival, Ottawa International Jazz Festival, The Empire State Jazz Festival, Coleman Hawkins Jazz Festival, The Lake George Jazz Festival, The Sofia Jazz Festival in Bulgaria and The Taketa Jazz Festival in Japan. Other engagements have included The Loft Jazz Festival in New York's world-famous Blue Note for the Panasonic Jazz Festival, DuMarier Jazz Festival in Toronto and Summer Fest in Milwaukee.
A free art show, starting at 2 PM and featuring local artists, will precede the main event. Tickets for the concert are US$30, include entrance to all performances, and can be purchased by clicking here or at CEA. The jazz concert is at 7 PM and the dance performance is at 5 PM. Keep checking our Web site for further exciting updates on this day's events.
We would like to thank the above area restaurants for their generous sponsorship of this event.
 Inauguration of CEA’s New Coral Reef Mural
The main wall of the CEA Center has come alive! On November 27, a wine and cheese inauguration party was held in the CEA Center. More than 50 Akumal residents and visitors came by to meet the artist and view the 6' by 14' mural that depicts a coastal/reef ecosystem bursting with life. Click here to read more.
 Final Report on the 2004 Turtle Season
by Ivan Caballero
During the 2004 sea turtle nesting season, the beaches of Akumal received 105 nesting female turtles resulting in 8,767 hatchlings. These results were far below what was expected. Half Moon Bay, which last year had 59 turtles, only saw 13 this year.
Therefore we must continue and strengthen our efforts to ensure our objective of preserving this ancient species through the positive and selfless collaboration of all who visit Akumal and of those of us who call this slice of paradise home. You can help us achieve our goals for the 2005 nesting season by adopting a turtle or a nest during this holiday season.
Click here for the preliminary report in English.
Click here for the preliminary report in Spanish.
 Paul's Letter Stirs Generous Response
CEA's friends and supporters responded wonderfully to Paul's recent letter and solicitation. If you haven't yet responded to CEA's call for support, you may still make a contribution to help the organization meet its goals and protect the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System online, in person at our CEA Center, or by mail.
A $100 membership gives you a discount at many of Akumal's restaurants, dive centers, and shops. The discounts can easily cover the membership in only a week's stay.
Any contribution to CEA is tax-deductible if you make it through the Yucatan Environmental Foundation, a U.S. tax-exempt organization, so a contribution could help with year-end tax planning.
Likewise, CEA's work will continue for generations to come, so a bequest can help today's children and their children's children. You can simply name Centro Ecológico Akumal through the Yucatan Environmental Foundation in your will, revocable living trust, retirement savings plan (e.g., IRA 401K), or life insurance policy. For more information, contact us.
Again, thanks to everyone for such a great show of support.
Targeted Research Project Recruitment Monitoring Workshop
CEA hosted a fish, lobster and coral recruitment monitoring workshop November 29–December 4, an activity of the new Targeted Research project, funded by the Global Environment Facility. The workshop brought together 24 Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System scientists, from México, Belize, Guatemala and Honduras, to learn how to plan powerful monitoring programs in their areas to measure recruitment to reefs that will be comparable regionally. Click here to read more.
 Experiments in Composting
"All life is an experiment," said Emerson, and so we continue our work to turn garbage into gold. For years we did what humans have done since the beginning of time—throw it out back. But then a boa constrictor took up residence under the compost pile, and we started Cooperativa Orgánica, collecting compost from hotels and houses, and had to think up a new system. We decided on 55-gallon drums and plastic containers, with trays underneath to collect the leachate, so they would be contained and movable. The drawback to this system is that the compost cannot be worked and hence takes time to decompose. The plastic containers have begun to degrade, and the oil drums do not let in enough oxygen. However, they may be useful for special batches, like fish remains. that need to be enclosed and treated at high temperatures. Click here to read more.
 CEA Center Renovation Update
Some time ago, CEA began a campaign to renovate the Center. The mural is an incredible start and we have received some donations and ideas for new exhibits. However we now realize we must get a corporate or other large sponsor to really be able to make the renovations needed, in order to offer quality information about this fantastic coastal zone ecosystem to our visitors and to the Akumal community.
A special thanks to all those who have made donations; these have helped us initiate the renovations. We will continue to inform you of advances, and will appreciate any support or ideas for sponsors you may have. In the meantime, please do stop by the Center when you are in Akumal to enjoy the mural and the current exhibits, and to give us the opportunity to say hello!
 New Post Office Location
The Akumal Post Office has moved to the CEA Center, just inside the door next to Imelda’s. The hours are the same: Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 7:30–9:30 for mail delivery, and 9:30–15:00 in the Post Office. Please come by during those hours for all your mailing needs.
Upcoming Events
Check our Web site often to learn more about CEA's programs and upcoming events.
Special Thanks to Diane & Denny Mahan and the folks at Akumal Villas for their generous donation, and to James and Gail Rowland for their contribution. Carlie Rodriguez and Scott Brandt, congratulations on your wedding; best wishes and thank you for donating to us in each of your guests' names—what a great way to help! When La Buena Vida Restaurant threw its first annual Halloween party, the proceeds from the Haunted House, $1,180 pesos, were donated to CEA to benefit the Reef Conservation Program.
Won't you please tell your friends about the organization? Thanks go to the Stephen Andrew family for thinking of including our membership brochure with their holiday greeting cards. 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.
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.
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