In this edition...

• Proyecto ¡CAREY! – Saving a Species and Making History
• Support Proyecto ¡CAREY! – ADOPT the first ever, tracked hawksbill in the Eastern Pacific!
• You can be a part of the Grupo Tortuguero’s Annual Monitoring Meeting
• 2nd Annual Summer Lunada…Over $36,000 Donated to Pro Peninsula!
• Ocean Connectors reaches the East Coast!

In late 2007 the Proyecto ¡CAREY! team drove 1,500 miles over two and a half months around the Gulf of California, visiting numerous fishing communities to gather information on the presence of hawksbill turtles and to raise awareness of their plight. After identifying “hotspots” where hawksbills might still occur, the team returned in June 2008 to get a better look at the turtles. As project staff (Alexander Gaos, Ingrid Yañez and their son Joaquinn) get ready to return from the field, it is clear that they have achieved far more than anticipated.

Within the first two weeks they caught three hawksbills, two of which were successfully equipped with satellite transmitters to track their movements, a historic first for the species in this region of the world. See an article on the tagging event and maps of where the tagged hawksbills are currently located.

On the heels of these exciting captures and tagging, Pro Peninsula scientist and Proyecto ¡CAREY! founder, Alexander Gaos, was chosen to lead a newly created, region-wide coalition for the species’ recovery called the “Eastern Pacific Hawksbill Initiative.” At a region-wide meeting held in El Salvador, Proyecto ¡CAREY! also helped bring together more than 20 prominent sea turtle experts working in the Eastern Pacific in order to share information on hawksbills in this region of the world. Click here to learn more.

Upon returning from El Salvador, Proyecto ¡CAREY! staff continued their in-water monitoring for hawksbills and were rewarded immediately with the capture of four additional hawksbills over a three day span. As luck would have it, on their very last day of the monitoring season they caught their final hawksbill. Proyecto ¡CAREY!’s efforts have not only proved extremely successful, they have given new hope to the recovery of the hawksbill turtle in the Eastern Pacific.

According to Ingrid, these successful captures “not only validate our efforts, but the implications for the future of hawksbills are very encouraging. Hawksbills may have a better chance than we thought.”

For more information or to make a donation to Proyecto ¡CAREY!, contact Alexander at gaos@propeninsula.org and/or visit Pro Peninsula’s Proyecto ¡CAREY! page. This project has been made possible thanks to support from the following individuals and organizations; Leonor Sardhina, Dane Wittington, Conservation International, National Fish & Wildlife Foundation, People’s Trust for Endangered Species, US Fish & Wildlife Service, Oceana, Ocean Conservancy, Southwest Fisheries Science Center and Maria Pilar Llanes Estrada.

ADOPT SADIR! As mentioned in the article above, the Proyecto ¡Carey! team successfully captured three critically endangered hawksbill turtles and applied the first ever satellite tags to individuals of this population. The first hawksbill to be tracked in that region is now called Sadir! By adopting Sadir, you will be joining our network of dedicated individuals working to conserve the world’s sea turtles and your donation will go directly to the Proyecto ¡Carey! team’s efforts. Click here to adopt Sadir today! Be sure to select the "hawksbill" turtle on the Adopt a Sea Turtle page! Thank you!

The Grupo Tortuguero, or Sea Turtle Conservation Network, strives to save sea turtles through the creation of a strong network of individuals and communities dedicated to sea turtle conservation. We help build this grassroots network through technical training and leadership development at two annual meetings. The 7th Annual Monitoring Meeting of the Grupo Tortuguero, to be held August 29-30, 2008 in Punta Abreojos, B.C.S., brings together sea turtle monitoring teams throughout the network to share, learn and celebrate the work they are doing to protect the world’s sea turtles.

Come participate in this meeting and witness the conservation network in action. Learn from Baja’s fishermen working to save sea turtles, hear their conservation stories and experience the natural wonder of Punta Abreojos’ estuaries and bay.

If you would like to participate in or volunteer at this year’s Monitoring Meeting of the Grupo Tortuguero, please contact Kama Dean at kama@propeninsula.org for more information. This meeting is possible thanks to the support of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the Sandler Foundation.

The 2nd Annual Summer Lunada, held on Saturday, July 19th, was a fabulous success on all fronts. The Lunada grossed over $36,000 from ticket sales, online donations, in-kind contributions and funds raised from the silent and live auctions, opportunity drawing and the giving cactus. We are thrilled with this outcome and want to thank all who were a part of our success! With over 130 people in attendance, we succeeded in reaching out to the San Diego community, bringing into our family new members and corporate sponsors. Last, and far from least important, the event brought us all together to celebrate Pro Peninsula’s successes over the past seven years. Please visit our website to view photographs of the Lunada.

The funds generated from the Lunada have ensured the continuation of important programs and initiatives that have a significant impact on the lives and communities that make up the unique landscape of San Diego and the Baja California peninsula.

Pro Peninsula’s principal initiatives include:

• Sea Turtle Conservation: building an active sea turtle conservation network,
• Coastal Conservation: developing strong community organizations dedicated to protecting their coasts,
• Conservation Tourism: fostering sustainable economic alternatives, and
• Ocean Connectors: crossing borders to create a shared sense of stewardship in youth.

Pro Peninsula’s Ocean Connectors environmental education project reaches underserved San Diego and La Paz elementary school students. However, on July 23rd 2008, Ocean Connectors reached out to a whole new audience: the National Marine Educators Association (NMEA). The NMEA 2008 Annual Conference was held in Savannah, Georgia, on July 21st-24th. The conference featured marine educators from all over the country, each with a broad range of experiences to share. Although sea turtle conservation was a widespread theme throughout the Conference, Ocean Connectors was the only presentation that addressed the significance of marine education that crosses international borders. During the presentation, Frances Kinney explained the success of Ocean Connectors’ methods and encouraged other educators to use aquatic species as a means to traverse boundaries, educate our youth and preserve migratory species.

As the Ocean Connectors project continues to expand, it is our obligation to share our methods with other marine educators. According to Frances, “the experience of visiting Savannah on behalf of Pro Peninsula was unforgettable for a variety of reasons. Seeing real loggerhead sea turtle nests along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean just served to reinforce one of the Ocean Connectors messages: that we must unite across borders and distance for the sake of saving any migratory species”.

The NMEA Conference provided Pro Peninsula with countless networking opportunities with coastal conservationists around the U.S. To learn more about the NMEA 2008 Annual Conference, visit their website at http://www.marine-ed.org. And learn more about Ocean Connectors here!