The third annual monitoring meeting of the Grupo Tortuguero (GT) was a huge success, giving monitoring teams throughout the GT network a chance to come together and celebrate the work they are doing to preserve the world’s sea turtles. More than 50 members from teams all over the peninsula came together to share their data, experiences and lessons learned while monitoring sea turtles in Baja California and the Sea of Cortez. We were also lucky enough to welcome seven members of the Seri Tribe from Punta Chueca and Bahia Kino, Sonora, who are currently doing monitoring work in the northern Sea of Cortez. The meeting, which took place August 13-15 in Mulege, BCS, was especially important for Pro Peninsula, as it was the first event planned since we took on the coordination of the GT. This was the first opportunity as part of the team for Pro Peninsula staff to get to know all of the GT members, monitoring groups and supporters on the peninsula, and we were warmly welcomed into the network. Click here to download the full meeting report.

Don't miss the upcoming Annual Meeting of the Grupo Tortuguero. The 7th Annual Conference will be held in Loreto, BCS, January 28-30, and the event’s theme is going to be “Sea Turtle Revolution!” (“Revolución Tortuguera!”). This meeting is open to the public and we hope to see you there! For more information about the Grupo Tortuguero or to request the 2004 meeting report, visit baja.seaturtle.org. Contact Kama Dean at kama@propeninsula.org or 619.723.0700 for more information about the 2005 sea turtle conference.

Many thanks to all of you who made it out to celebrate our new office at our open house on August 19! We had a great turnout and lots of fun. It gave Pro Peninsula supporters a chance to connect over great food and drinks, music, a Pro Peninsula slide show, and a raffle. It was wonderful to share an evening with our friends and collaborators, whose support has allowed Pro Peninsula to grow into one of the leading conservation organizations on the peninsula. We give special thanks to the Hard Rock Café downtown San Diego, the staff of the National Wildlife Federation, and, especially, Pam and Frank Pesenti for all of their help putting the event together. Please feel free to come visit us, meet the staff and learn about our ongoing projects. Pro Peninsula’s office is located at 3500 5th Ave.,suite 101, San Diego, CA.

Check out the Summer 2004 Pro Peninsula newsletter! This edition, with its new design and color photos, details our conservation work throughout the Baja California peninsula. Read about our new projects and current events! Email us today for your copy, or click here for the electronic version in PDF.

Pro Peninsula welcomes Lindsey Peavey to the team as the Outreach and Development Coordinator, and we are excited that we’ve grown enough to allow for the addition. Originally from Syracuse, New York, Lindsey graduated with a B.S. in marine science and biology from the University of Miami, Florida and has been working in conservation on both sides of the border, throughout Baja California and San Diego. Lindsey has worked extensively with the Grupo Tortuguero for the past two years, making her a natural fit to join Pro Peninsula in our work coordinating the group. Lindsey will also focus on public outreach, development, environmental education and the initiation of a volunteer program. Lindsey’s presence has already added to the Pro Peninsula’s organizational capacity, and will allow directors Kama and Chris to focus their attention on current and new projects. To say hello and introduce yourself to Lindsey, email her at lindsey@propeninsula.org; she is anxious to get to know all of the friends and supporters of Pro Peninsula and looks forward to working with you!

Yes, that’s right, Pro Peninsula is excited to launch a much-needed volunteer program! Since joining the Pro Peninsula staff, I have met several people who support Pro Peninsula and would love to become more personally involved in our work. If you are one of these people, here’s your chance! We have ongoing volunteer opportunities ranging from representing Pro Peninsula at informational booths, office help, event planning, assisting with environmental education, material development, and more! If you would like to learn more about these opportunities, or if you are interested in becoming a Pro Peninsula volunteer, please email me at lindsey@propeninsula.org, or contact me with your phone number 619.574.6643. In your email, please let me know what your interests are and what specific Pro Peninsula projects you would like to be involved with. Thanks for your ongoing support and I look forward to working with all who are interested!

Upcoming volunteer opportunities:
• IRPS Career Fair, University of California, San Diego – Oct. 8: Pro Peninsula will host a booth at the IRPS Career Fair to raise awareness, inform about our conservation projects and recruit new members and volunteers.
• 1st Annual Urban Runoff 5K Run/Walk & Junior 1K – Oct. 16: Pro Peninsula will host an information booth at the Urban Runoff Run/Walk. More on the event: http://www.kathyloperevents.com/ur5k/.
• 7th Annual Network Meeting of the GTC – Jan. 28-30: Pro Peninsula has begun planning the conference and could use some committed volunteers to assist on a regular basis. If you have some free time, approximately 5-10 hours a month, that you would like to devote to helping plan this event, please let us know.

This July, at Playa los Cerritos, just south of Todos Santos, BCS, Pro Peninsula organized the Pescadero Environmental Fair and 3rd Annual Baja California Surf Championship. Thanks to the hard work of individuals and organizations on the peninsula, and our sponsors’ generous support, the event was an overwhelming success. The fair and surf contest brought together more than 50 participants and a beach filled with community members and spectators from Pescadero, Todos Santos, La Paz and Los Cabos, in celebration of the region’s unique natural beauty.

Pro Peninsula partnered with the Grupo Ecologista y Tortuguero de Pescadero (GETUP), and was joined by Investigación and Conservación de Mamíferos Marinos de Ensenada (ICMME), FOSANP, Niparajá, Amigos para la Conservación de Cabo Pulmo, ConCiencia, and the Grupo Tortuguero (GT). Throughout the day, those on the beach sought shade under our palapas and tents, where they were treated to informative workshops, activities for kids, and a chance to interact with other people concerned about preserving the natural beauty of their precious coastline. Later that evening, PROBEA sponsored a showing of Ocean Oasis in the central square. Griselda Amaya of GETUP can’t wait for next year’s event, and says that they’re continuing the tradition, showing nature movies each weekend in Pescadero.

Surfers of all ages competed in juniors, boogie, womens, mens, and longboard heats. Thanks to our sponsors’ generous support everyone walked away with a prize, and by the end of the day our raffle had generated several hundred dollars towards restoration of the Casa del Pueblo in Pescadero (Pescadero Community Center), to which Pro Peninsula will also donate a computer. We thank everyone involved and invite you to join us again next year! Check out more photos from the contest here

Thanks to the vision and hard work of Johath Laudino, the festival committee of ten local women, the proCAGUAMA 2004 team, and many, many others, El Segundo Festival de las Caguamas en Puerto Adolfo López Mateos, BCS was a roaring success. The whole town turned out for the festival, joined by friends and family from other parts of BCS, despite flash flooding on the highway. The festivities began Friday evening with a parade of the giant caguama followed by hordes of kids on bikes through almost every street of the town. The festival continued Saturday with mini-marathons, a children’s art contest, and live music by Lopez Mateos’ own Prisioneros de Sinaloa. The festival finished with the crowning of young Griselda Aragón Zamora, the queen of the festival and spokeswoman for the cause.

Loggerhead turtles, locally known as caguamas, connect the ecosystems and cultures of the Pacific Rim through their migrations. Off Puerto Lopez Mateos, they forage especially close to shore where gillnet fishing is intense, resulting in severe turtle bycatch - the greatest known threat to loggerheads in the North Pacific.

The Festival de las Caguamas was launched in 2003 to celebrate the unique value loggerhead turtles have as a local treasure. We’ve received overwhelming positive response to the Festival and our other outreach efforts, as people realize that caguamas gather (and die) here like nowhere else in the Pacific. Our team of halibut fishermen is developing solutions to avoid turtle mortality while maintaining livelihoods. Through the Festival we highlight their efforts and emphasize that the caguamas’ future is largely in the hands of BCS fishermen. Save the last weekend of August 2005 - come out for the festival and spend a day offshore among loggerheads while you’re at it.

This article was contributed by Hoyt Peckham of Proyecto proCaguama hpeckham@blueocean.org; click here to see more photos of the event.