The 8th Annual Meeting of the Grupo Tortuguero, along with the 2nd Annual Encuentro para Niños y Jovenes, was held January 27-29, 2006 in Loreto, Baja California Sur, Mexico. This meeting fosters collaborative efforts between community members, enforcement officers, researchers, policy makers and regional conservation organizations who are working to protect endangered sea turtles in the Eastern Pacific. Participants share data and ideas, develop regional strategies, learn valuable leadership skills, present research and monitoring results, and attend training workshops. Most importantly, conservation strategies are debated and developed, and critical personal relationships are formed and renewed.

Many of the 300 attendees brought family members and friends, making the grand total just shy of 350 participants coming from all over the Baja California peninsula, mainland Mexico and the U.S. Communities, grassroots and international organizations, government agencies, businesses, museums and cultural societies, universities and research institutions were represented. This unique blend of people is what sets this meeting apart; it is truly a network of individuals bound by their dedication to recovering the world’s sea turtle populations.

Every year a community is chosen to receive the Don Manuel Orantes Conservation Award, named after one of the pioneers of sea turtle conservation on the peninsula, recognizing individuals and communities for their outstanding conservation work. This year the award was presented to the community of Loreto, seven time host of the Annual Meeting of the Grupo Tortuguero. Without their tremendous efforts, the conference would not be what it is today- the region’s premiere grassroots conservation meeting.

This year’s meeting would not have been possible without the support of our sponsors and the tireless efforts of our volunteers- please click here to see who makes this event happen.

Rodrigo Rangel has served as the coordinator of the Grupo Tortuguero for the past two and a half years. While the numerous successes of the Grupo Tortuguero are the result of the hard work of everyone involved in the network, none of it would have been possible without Rodrigo’s leadership and dedication. Rodrigo is now taking his skills and experience to the shark conservation organization IEMANYA. Rodrigo’s skills working with fishermen and building a strong community conservation network will be well utilized at IEMANYA, building their community shark conservation movement. We wish both Rodrigo and IEMANYA the best of luck and we look forward to increased collaboration with IEMANYA through Rodrigo in the future!

Daniel shows off his kayaking skills somewhere off Isla Danzante.

Pro Peninsula welcomes aboard Daniel Durazo as Program Assistant. Daniel was born in Bisbee, Arizona and raised in Tijuana, Mexico, where he worked with the environmental nonprofit Proyecto Fronterizo de Educación Ambiental. Daniel recently earned a B.A. in Peace and Conflict Studies from U.C. Berkeley, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa. Along with lending general project and administrative support to Pro Peninsula, Daniel is charged with coordinating the activities of the binational Environmental Education Council for the Californias. Give Daniel a hello at daniel@propeninsula.org.

Watch out for those cows Chu!

We also welcome Jesús “Chuy” Lucero, who joined the Grupo Tortuguero this year as the new Field Coordinator. Chuy, a native of Baja California Sur, spent his formative years in López Mateos and Punta San Lázaro, where he worked as a fisherman. Several years ago he moved to Cabo Pulmo, where he was introduced to the conservation world through the group Amigos para la Conservación de Cabo Pulmo, AC (Friends for the Conservation of Cabo Pulmo). The night time sea turtle nest protection hikes along the beaches of Cabo Pulmo National Park affected him deeply and positively. When you see him, ask him about his experience with a leatherback turtle who arrived at the park to lay its eggs. You can write him at chuy@grupotortuguero.org

Amigos para la Conservación de Cabo Pulmo (ACCP) has gotten off to a busy start this year! In January ACCP members presented at the 8th Annual Grupo Tortuguero conference in Loreto. ACCP continues its ongoing work with the Grupo Tortuguero to develop handicraft skills based on garbage separation, helping to keep trash off of nesting beaches. They will also be installing an enclosure to protect relocated sea turtle nests within the national park, which is in conjunction with CONANP. In collaboration with CONACYT and UABCS, ACCP Executive Director Eréndira Valle is coordinating a socioeconomic study looking at opportunities within the park based on sustainable use of its resources. In April, COBI returns to Cabo Pulmo for the second coral reef monitoring workshop. The first in-water reef monitoring is scheduled to take place in May. ACCP’s website has recently been updated - check out www.pulmoamigos.org to download pictures and video footage from ACCP projects.

Come to Cabo Pulmo and dive with the rays! Photo - Houssin Kaddachi

Pro Peninsula leads 6th grade students from Southern San Diego on experience-based learning field trips to San Diego Bay to observe ongoing sea turtle research. This is the second year of this exciting program, and Pro Peninsula will reach close to 300 students by the end of the 2005-2006 school year! These students are given the opportunity to observe scientists from the Southwest Fisheries Science Center’s Marine Turtle Research Group in action as they study the green sea turtles that inhabit San Diego Bay near the Duke Energy research site. Using South San Diego Bay and its endangered green sea turtles as a case study, the students are exposed to an international conservation effort and learn why scientific research and community activism go hand-in-hand when protecting natural resources, wildlife and habitats. This unique program is generously sponsored by the Port of San Diego.

Kids, doing a project on sea turtles? Check out this book that features the work of Pro Peninsula, the Grupo Tortuguero, the Marine Turtle Research Group, and more! The Green Sea Turtle: Help Save This Endangered Species! by Marty Fletcher & Glenn Scherer.

Perjudica la salud el que consume tortuga (Turtle Consumption is a Health Hazard) (español) El Debate, Guasave, Sinaloa February 15, 2006 Grad student works to save sea turtles through research and education UC Santa Cruz Currents January 23, 2006 Cabo Pulmo: You'll Love Her Way Baja Life Issue 19

Magdalena Baykeeper needs a boat motor!

Here are just a few of the items we need to complete our conservation projects. In-kind giving is a great way to support conservation on the Baja California peninsula! Pro Peninsula Wish List 75 HP (preferably greater), 4 stroke outboard motor Handheld Global Positioning System (GPS) TV, DVD player Digital Camera(s) and accessories All-terrain Vehicle(s) (ATVs) All-wheel or 4-wheel drive Vehicle(s) Airline miles or tickets In-kind services including legal assistance (esp. immigration law), design work, photography, printing, web design, advertising and promotion, etc. Camping equipment