Pro Caguama: Project Update Grupo Tortuguero: 8th Annual Monitoring Meeting a Great Success Conservation Tourism Announces November Trip! Ocean Connectors: New Educational Partnership Upcoming San Diego Events

At the end of August, Pro Peninsula joined with The Ocean Foundation (TOF) in an exciting move to strengthen our joint conservation work throughout the Baja California peninsula. Now at TOF, the Pro Peninsula projects, together with TOF’s Baja California conservation projects, are united under the “Pro Peninsula Fund” umbrella. Over the past few months Pro Peninsula team members have been hard at work throughout the region and have realized key conservation successes, built important partnerships, and been involved in exciting conservation gatherings in the region. Read on to learn more about what is happening in the Pro Peninsula Fund at The Ocean Foundation!

Pro Caguama is now closing up an exciting field season, and we are proud to announce the team’s successful advancement towards sea turtle conservation! This summer, Pro Caguama received funding from NFWF, WPRFMC, US-FWS, and the Packard Foundation to further explore benthic trolling, or “jigging”, in an effort to reduce sea turtle bycatch. Pro Caguama’s overarching objective this season was to develop an efficient fishing technique to capture fish without seriously impacting sea turtles. Pro Caguama, led by Pro Peninsula Field Researcher Dr. Hoyt Peckham, explored jigging as a substitute technique, which tends to avoid sea turtle bycatch completely.

Chuy Lucero with grouper

The Grupo Tortuguero’s Field Coordinator, Chuy Lucero, and his colleagues have used jigging in the past, but with little outside support, they were unable to continue using this technique as a means to reduce bycatch. However, during the 2009 season, there was resurgence in interest among local fishermen, all looking to maximize the value and sustainability of their fishing methods.

Dr. Peckham adds, “We had early setbacks, with entire days lost to missed plane flights, the stomach flu, and unseasonably cold water, which had everyone skeptical about our possibilities for catching much grouper [a type of fish].” Despite these initial complications, Pro Caguama’s luck eventually turned around with the help and intuition of gear expert Eric Diaddorios. Diaddorios was flown in from North Carolina to introduce the Baja crew to new fishing techniques that focus on bottom-fishing near key fish habitats rather than trolling. After several days of unproductive attempts, the team managed to successfully boat several hundred dollars worth of grouper using Diaddorios’ techniques. This captured the attention of the entire fleet, particularly since this season has been an extremely difficult one for local fishermen.

This summer, Pro Caguama demonstrated the potential success of jigging, particularly when accompanied by growing interest and support from the surrounding fishing community. This success is a promising indication for sea turtle sustainability. Stay tuned to hear what happens next!

On August 21-23, 2009 the staff and volunteers of the Grupo Tortuguero de las Californias (Sea Turtle Conservation Network of the Californias) organized the 8th Annual Monitoring Meeting of the Grupo Tortuguero (GT). Held outside Guasave, Sinaloa, at the Hotel el Congrejo Moro, the meeting was a logistical miracle, with over 90 fishermen, scientists, students and volunteers traveling by car, boat and plane across the Sea of Cortez to the small costal town of Las Glorias.

For the past five years, the sea turtle monitoring team based in Guasave, headed by Alan Zavala, has been lobbying for the monitoring meeting to come to Sinaloa. Knowing that logistically it would be a huge undertaking, the GT held off for many years. However, Alan was persistent and, lucky for all participants, the meeting was held for the first time on the mainland of Mexico. Alan and his team pulled out all the stops to make sure the tortugueros felt welcome on their home turf. Local bands played traditional Sinaloan music and members of the local fishing cooperative took all meeting participants on a tour of the estuary and surrounding islands. Alan and his team helped create a meeting none of us will soon forget.

Aside from all the fun and games, some very important work was done. Members of 25 communities from Northwest Mexico reported on and discussed their sea turtle monitoring and conservation efforts. Attendees participated in one of three workshops, focusing on sea turtle monitoring in feeding areas, sea turtle monitoring on nesting beaches, and sea turtle tourism. Additionally, participants evaluated and discussed sustainable fishing methods and the potential for the GT to incorporate sustainable tourism activities as a way to benefit local conservation efforts.

Perhaps most notable was the level of participation in this meeting. Knowing the logistical challenges involved, it was anticipated that this would be a relatively small meeting. Surprisingly, the 2009 meeting had nearly double the number of participants than in years past. This level of participation shows the success of the Grupo Tortuguero staff in building the Grupo Tortuguero network and keeping all the communities engaged and active over the past year. The camaraderie and sense of commitment to sea turtle conservation was truly felt by all.

The organization of this meeting would not have been possible without the local support of CIIDIR and the Instituto Politécnico Nacional in Guasave Sinaloa. The meeting was supported by the Federación Regional de Sociedad de Cooperativas Pesqueras del Municipio de Guasave, del Ayuntamiento de Guasave, Agua Purificada Plus, Cervecería Tecate, the musical groups Banda Tierra Nuestra, Los Hijos del Padre, El Güerito de Guasave and Sonido Baby Off. Additional financial support came from Pro Peninsula, The Ocean Foundation and the Packard Foundation.

In 2007 Pro Peninsula launched the Conservation Tourism program with the Grupo Tortuguero to provide coastal communities with a sustainable economic alternative to tourism, while also generating direct support for important conservation work taking place in Baja California Sur. Pro Peninsula cofounder, Chris Pesenti now continues this work as part of SEE Turtles, together with J. Nichols, founding member of the Grupo Tortuguero and longtime conservation partner in the region. "Moving this project to SEE Turtles lets us continue to build conservation-focused jobs on the ground in Mexico with the Grupo Tortuguero and other conservation groups, with the added advantage of SEE Turtles branding and global reach for sea turtle tourism. It's a fantastic move," says Chris. "I encourage everyone to take the chance to get out and experience the conservation work first hand." This new alliance will strengthen sustainable tourism efforts throughout the Baja California peninsula and will allow the public to further experience the amazing wildlife found throughout the area.

Participate in Conservation Tourism this November & Support Communities Damaged by Hurricane Jimena!

Join J. Nichols and local Grupo Tortuguero conservationists this November on an 8-day excursion from Espiritu Santo Island through the breathtaking Sea of Cortez to the Magdalena Bay. Communities in Magdalena Bay were recently devastated by Hurricane Jimena. Your participation in this and other upcoming trips in the region will help local economies to get back on their feet. Please visit www.seeturtles.org for more information.

At the end of the 2008-2009 academic year, Montgomery Middle School teachers were seeking a new way to reach out to their students with science lessons. They were seeking a hands-on experiential learning program that would fulfill state learning standard requirements while also providing students with a real-life application of these lessons. In particular, Montgomery teachers wanted their students to contribute to their community in a positive way. With these goals at the forefront of many Ocean Connectors activities, Pro Peninsula was happy to fulfill this need in Montgomery School’s curriculum.

As part of Pro Peninsula’s ongoing effort to educate youth about environmental conservation, this collaboration between Ocean Connectors and Montgomery Middle School was a natural fit. As part of the agreement, Ocean Connectors will work with 7th and 8th grade middle school students to teach them important lessons about conserving native species and habitats, while also incorporating core science principals.

During the course of 2009-2010, Montgomery students will receive monthly class presentations that demonstrate the practical application of science using local organisms as case studies. Students will begin to understand the importance of scientific research and data collection from an environmental perspective. Through in-class presentations and firsthand exposure to local wildlife, Montgomery students will learn life-long lessons about sustainability while also being set up for success during school testing. Towards the end of the school year, students will combine their newfound knowledge of endangered species with their own unique talents to create something meaningful and useful for the San Diego community. Although some details have yet to be finalized, this project is being guided by the students’ own interests...thereby fully engaging their attention in every project activity from start to finish.

With an excited student body and dedicated school faculty and staff, this project is off to an amazing start! But we could use volunteers to help make this project an even bigger success! If you’d like to volunteer with any Ocean Connectors project activity, please contact Frances Kinney at frances@propeninsula.org!

October 4th 1pm - 5pm: 6th annual "Fiesta del Río" at the Imperial Beach Pier Plaza. A celebration of the peoples, cultures, history and environment of the San Diego and Northern Baja region that attracts over 3,000 people each year. Contact Lorena Warner-Lara for more information. October 8th 10pm - 2am: 4th annual "Reel Rock Film Tour" at the San Diego State University Aztec Recreation Center. The Reel Rock Film Tour is a festive event where climbers and outdoor lovers gather to celebrate their passion for adventure. Reel Rock delivers the year's most exciting climbing and adventure films to audiences in over 100 cities around the world. For more information and other showings, visit www.reelrocktour.com. October 17th 11am - 3pm: "Future of Surfing" event by ReRip.com at Fletcher Cove Park in Solana Beach. This event will spotlight environmentally focused practices within the surfing industry and will also feature live entertainment by local musician Pooh. For more information please visit www.rerip.com. October 24th 11am - 7pm: MTS 2nd annual "Kick Gas Festival" at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego. This solar-powered, “green” event will showcase innovative fuel technologies in an interactive and entertaining festival environment. For information please contact info@kickgasfestival.com. October 31st 9am - 11:30am: San Diego Girl Scouts "Be Your Best Eco Expo" at Balboa Program Center. San Diego Girl Scouts of all ages will learn about recycling and protecting the environment from local groups including Pro Peninsula! Click here for more information.