Centro Ecologico: Akumal, Mexico, Ocean Research, Environmental Education, Sea Turtle Protection, Marine Research

Fundraising

Dear Supporters -

Dear CEA Members and Supporters:

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself as the new director here at Centro Ecológico Akumal (CEA) and thank you for your continued support of the important work that CEA is doing. Thanks to people like you, we have been able to spend the last 10 years monitoring the impact development is having on the regional ecosystems and culture; reporting our findings and their significance to the public through education; and, through education, influencing policy-making, which ultimately will help us save the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System. This would not be possible without the help of all our members and contributors.

I have worked in environmental conservation for the past 10 years, in both México and globally, and am proud to have joined the dedicated team at CEA. In addition to striving to achieve the organization’s mission, we have wonderful programs that we will work to strengthen this year. They include our Turtle Protection Program, which is a year-round program, but with its busiest time coming up as the turtle nesting season begins. During turtle season we educate the public, take visitors on turtle walks, patrol the beaches at night looking for turtles nesting and hatching, and protect them by marking the nests and overseeing the releases when the babies hatch. We also tag the mothers to monitor their behavior and share these data with turtle programs around the world. When the female turtles are not at the area’s beaches, we are studying the green turtles that live year-round in the area, working on research and trying to raise awareness about marine turtles.

Our Environmental Education Program works directly with the local schools, educating local young people about the environment and ways to recycle. Mauricio and Nadia have come up with some amazingly creative ways to teach and encourage young people. We are excited about the new puppet show they have put together, highlighting the links between waste management and a healthy reef, with a special focus on turtles.

Along with the Environmental Education Program, our Waste Management Program seeks to actively promote the use of two highly successful waste treatment techniques―EcoBaños (composting toilets) and Constructed Wetlands. This program is currently looking at the relationship between waste management and the health of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System, which is right off our shore. We continue to encourage scientists to do research in the area to understand this relationship. The program includes our Cooperativa Orgánica Program, which is striving to get all the residents in Akumal composting and recycling. We are hoping to expand this program to include the town across the highway. CEA will then use its experience from the waste management efforts to influence how the local governments and hotels deal with their waste.

Finally, as part of our awareness-raising efforts, this year, we will use our experience to provide information on sustainable tourism development to both government officials and tourism developers.

These are just a few of the ways in which CEA is striving to complete its mission and we can not do it without your help. We need your support in the struggle to keep Akumal contamination-free. Want to know how you can help? We encourage you to support a program or project that you feel strongly about by making a donation directly to that program. For example, a great way to support the Turtle Protection Program is to Adopt a Turtle; you can do this on-line using your credit card. Also if you are a Frequent Flier and you have extra miles, you can donate them to CEA. And please, tell a friend about the organization. Most CEA Members join thanks to other members telling them about CEA. If you have questions about how you can become more involved, please contact us.

Thank you for your cooperation in helping us build upon CEA’s successful first decade by making this year stronger than ever.

Sincerely,

Paul Sánchez-Navarro
Director
Centro Ecológico Akumal
paulsn@ceakumal.org

CEA Center Renovations

The CEA Center has been home to Centro Ecológico Akumal for over 10 years. We have had many, many visitors and volunteers come and go, and have hosted meetings, talks, symposiums, art exhibits and more. It is now time for a few renovations. In order to better meet the goals of our mission, "to monitor the impact of development on the regional ecosystems and culture; to report findings and their significance to the public through education; and, through education, to influence public policy,” we plan to update, upgrade, and renovate the exhibits. Visitors will soon wander through a gallery full of facts about specific issues, and will come away with a sense of the interactions that influence the ecology of the region. They will also understand what needs to be done to protect the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System and the coastal zone environment of Akumal. CEA will use maps illustrating relationships between land, sea, and the scope of development activity over time. In addition, we hope to provide an interactive computer display, which will provide access to CEA’s Web site, and options to explore specific topics in more depth. Likewise, lighting and ventilation upgrades will help provide a better environment for lectures, seminars, and other programs. With development expanding quickly (see Development story), it is imperative that we provide new ways to better communicate, to both residents and visitors, the information about the threats facing the ecosystem as well as the possible solutions. Using graphic technologies, with striking images and concise text in Spanish and English, we can offer visitors a more dynamic experience. Click here to read more.

2004 Turtle Season

The turtles are here!! Please help us get their beaches ready by keeping plastics out of the water and off the beach; pulling your lounge chair up off the beach at night; turning off bright lights around the beach; keeping quiet and distant from a mother turtle coming ashore to build a nest and lay her eggs; and keeping your dogs off the beach. If your hotel or condo does not participate in any of these activities please let them know how important it is for you, the visitor, that the turtles are treated well.

For other ways to help make this a successful season, with lots of baby turtles crawling into the waters after about 60 days of gestation, please contact us. Contributions to our turtle fund help make sure we are able to keep the project going this year.

Another great way to help is our Adopt-A-Turtle Program. You can adopt a baby turtle for $25.00, a mother turtle for $50.00 or an entire nest for $100.00. We now list Turtle Adoptions in our CEA Friends section and throughout the Turtle Season we will add pictures of the nests, mothers and babies. You can adopt a turtle by dropping by The CEA Center or through our on-line store.

Check our home page regularly throughout turtle season, May-October, for updates and to learn what is happening. Thank you for your support.