The traveling turtles entertaining the community, the governor, and a few other important government representatives

In the month of August, Puerto Adolfo López Mateos held its Fourth Loggerhead Sea Turtle Festival. The event was organized by ProCaguama, a project supported by Pro Peninsula as part of the Grupo Tortuguero, and whose goal is to develop conservation, protection and research strategies for the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta). During the festival, the people of López Mateos were honored with the presence of the Governor of Baja California Sur, Narciso Agúndez Montaño, who demonstrated his support for the work of ProCaguama in this small fishing community.

This groundbreaking event was the first time a governor in Baja California Sur had become directly involved in sea turtle conservation work, as well as this Governor’s first visit to Puerto Adolfo López Mateos. During his stay, the Governor took an ecotour in the waters off the López Mateos coast to look for sea turtles, in addition to paying a visit to the provisional ProCaguama visitor center where the Kguaboys (pronounced Cah-gwa-boyz)–a group of local kids– explained sea turtle biology and ProCaguama’s community work. Finally, he participated in the coronation of the Sea Turtle Festival’s queen Cindy Johaly Silva, in recognition of her efforts motivating her community to reduce waste and care for the environment. Cindy and her supporters gathered 1000kg of plastic in 15 days, which was then recycled at a nearby plant.

Governer Agúndez' visit highlighted the joint efforts between the Grupo Tortuguero and the State of Baja California Sur to promote sea turtle watching as an important economic resource and conservation tool for these endangered species. The Grupo Tortuguero continues its efforts to spread this message, most recently seen through the creation of a “Tortuga Móvil” (Turtlemobile, seen in the picture below), a retrofitted passenger van painted to look like a sea turtle that can carry up to 16 people; Grupo Tortuguero members use this vehicle to carry their conservation message and unite the many communities of Baja California Sur in a common goal: to save their sea turtles by promoting responsible fishing and respect for the environment.

During the fifth annual monitoring meeting the Grupo Tortuguero enjoyed the privilege of welcoming sea turtle protectors from 16 communities and 7 countries to discuss their efforts monitoring the world’s endangered sea turtles. Each year, this meeting provides the chance for members of the Grupo Tortuguero network to come together and celebrate their work to preserve sea turtles, as well as to share data, experiences and lessons learned while working throughout Baja California, the Sea of Cortez and sites around the world.

All the meeting's participants, all in on sea turtle preservation.

In addition to hearing from individuals representing various communities and countries, the Grupo Tortuguero also held the honor of hosting a diverse range of groups, beyond the usual suspects of NGOs and community organizations. Delegates from the Mexican government, including the municipal authorities of Los Cabos and the Secretary of Fisheries for the State of Baja California Sur, and business representatives such as the Hotel Network of Los Cabos, presented on their efforts and commitment to protecting sea turtles.

This year,Grupo Tortuguero members and international sea turtle conservationists took the opportunity to participate in the Grupo Tortuguero’s standard 24-hour sea turtle monitoring in Laguna San Ignacio. New Grupo Tortuguero team members were trained by Ranulfo Mayoral, the GT’s lead team member in the Laguna, on how to carry out the monitoring and the importance of the data collection. This workshop provided an invaluable opportunity to increase the capacities of the peninsula’s fishermen and give them the tools to protect the peninsula’s sea turtles.

We thank Campo Kuyima, Campo Pachico, Ranulfo Mayoral and the community of Laguna San Ignacio for hosting this year’s meeting; National Marine Fisheries Service, The H. Ayuntamiento de los Cabos, the Harte Research Institute, the Ocean Conservancy and the Marine Turtle Specialist Group/IUCN for their sponsorship of the meeting.

This monitoring meeting is a precursor to the Annual Meeting of the Grupo Tortuguero. The 9th Annual Meeting will be held in Loreto, BCS, January 26-28, 2006. We hope to see you there! For more information about the Grupo Tortuguero visit www.grupotortuguero.org.

Individuals from 5 countries and 14 communities come together for the conservation of sea turtles

The Grupo Tortuguero is dedicated to promoting the exchange of knowledge and experiences, as well as strengthening strategic alliances between academia, government and civil society in order to recover endangered sea turtles species and protect their marine habitats. Under this premise, in August the GT brought 15 individuals representing five countries to the Baja California peninsula to participate in a 12-day expedition designed to strengthen the international network of sea turtle conservationists. In a dynamic exchange of experiences, knowledge and capabilities, this program served to establish cultural connections and common perceptions for international conservation with a social, economic and ecological vision. Our list of distinguished guests included Kazunari Kameda from Japan; Dr. Maria Elena Ibarra, Dr. Felix Monca and Ariel Ruiz Urquiola from Cuba; Alejandro Gaos from Costa Rica; Pro Peninsula’s own Kama Dean and Daniel Durazo from the U.S.; and Lyzbeydy Covarrubias (runner up for the Queen of López Mateos contest), Melania López, Pedro Márquez, Jesús "Chuy" Lucero, Johath Laudino and Professor Raquel Briseño were our gracious Mexican hosts.

After visiting the Grupo Tortuguero office in La Paz, the international group studied loggerhead turtles off López Mateos with ProCaguama, and took part in the town’s 4th Annual Sea Turtle Festival. The expedition moved on to the estuaries and bays of Punta Abreojos and Laguna San Ignacio where our delegates captured black turtles with the GT’s community monitoring program and participated in the 5th Annual Monitoring Meeting of the Grupo Tortuguero. The trip came to a close in Los Cabos, where during a roundtable meeting the group produced a declaration of the shared responsibilities and promises for the conservation of sea turtles, followed by a visit to the olive ridley nest conservation project on nearby beaches.

While the days were long and packed with work, the group did have a chance to have some fun and share personal and cultural experiences; visiting the homes of local fishermen, traveling the peninsula in the Grupo Tortuguero’s Tortuga Móvil, and sharing Cuban rum while watching traditional Mexican dancers. The trip was a success on many levels and is just the first in a series of international exchanges Pro Peninsula has planned in the upcoming year.

July 29th 2006 was more than just another summer day for Lindsey Peavey, Pro Peninsula’s former Outreach and Education Coordinator. When her face met the ocean breeze that morning, it must have felt different than the many other days that she was greeted by the scent of the pacific ocean upon stepping from her home in Ocean Beach, California. The main reason being that she would be breathing almost nothing but ocean breezes for the next 120 days or so, having embarked on a four month stint at sea with 12 of the world’s brightest marine scientists as part of a the crew manning the NOAA Eastern Pacific Research Cruise, the David STARR Jordan.

Lindsey Peavey, where few sea turtle researchers have gone before

Lindsey isn’t just along for the ride. As the head sea turtle researcher, she has been given the unique opportunity to observe sea turtles in a virtually unstudied stage of their development, between the nesting beach and the feeding ground, when sea turtles are braving the dangers and mysteries of the open ocean. Lindsey will be braving those very same dangers and mysteries with the sea turtles to better understand these millennia-old species. Lindsey will keep us informed with a log of her voyage, posted on the Pro Peninsula website. Click here to read each exciting installment of Lindsey’s ocean exploits. We wish you the best of luck Lindsey, and hope that you return safely to port at the end of your voyage; until then, Pro Peninsula sorely misses you. ¡Buen Viaje!

Chris Pesenti accepts Whale Tails' donation to Magdalena Baykeeper, handed to us by Ric Kraszewski

In September, Pro Peninsula proudly accepted a donation from Whale Tails chips (www.whaletailschips.com) on behalf of Magdalena Baykeeper. As part of the founding vision for their company, Rick Grant and Ric and Terry Kraszewski have established a 10% donations program to support marine conservation. Just ten months after the Whales Tails' start, Magdalena Baykeeper has become the first recipient to benefit from the 10% fund. Rick Grant, put it this way. “We told everyone we wanted to give this first ten percent to someone who has struggled to get their conservation effort off the ground. just like we have had to do with Whale Tails Tortilla Chips. We were able to relate to Julio's request and then make it happen.”

Pro Peninsula invites businesses to step forward and get involved in preserving Baja California's precious natural environment. Whether through employee matching funds, corporate donations and foundation grants, or in-kind contributions, there are many ways to join the ranks of Pro Peninsula's proud corporate supporters. Contact Chris Pesenti at 619.574.6643 to get involved.

Boyd Lyon, a true friend and respected researcher, had a unique passion for the study and preservation of the majestic sea turtle. Since the sudden and tragic death of our friend and colleague we have become keenly aware, more than ever, of the incredible spirit and passion that Boyd carried with him each day. It’s truly amazing how many lives Boyd touched through his sea turtle research! We’d like to announce the formation of a special fund from which the proceeds will be used to support sea turtle student research projects. At the request of Boyd’s family and closest friends, the Ocean Foundation has generously reserved the following URL (www.boydlyonseaturtlefund.org) which tells the story of Boyd Lyon and provides a way to make online donations to the fund. If Boyd touched your life, or even if you simply want to help out budding sea turtle researchers, we encourage you to visit this website and make a donation, no matter how small.

Boyd was an inspiration and shining light to all those doing sea turtle work. He will be sorely missed.

Keep Boyd’s spirit alive by living your lives to the fullest!