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Marine Turtle Conservation Dedicated to the Protection and the Conservation of Endangered Marine Turtles for the last 33 Years! |
~ Newsletter No. 280, June 2025 ~
Hola Volunteers and Supporters –
🌊 Sea Turtle Season Is Off to a Wild Start!
We’ve hit the ground running this season—and not just because of the turtles! This year kicked off with wild rains, and we were lucky to get the nursery roof and tarps up just in time.
This year our group already has 24 nests for just this month! We're expecting a big nesting season this year. Soon we will be getting more than 24 nests in just one night!
We’ve hit the ground running this season—and not just because of the turtles! This year kicked off with wild rains, and we were lucky to get the nursery roof and tarps up just in time.
This year our group already has 24 nests for just this month! We're expecting a big nesting season this year. Soon we will be getting more than 24 nests in just one night!
Want to see what happens when the sky dumps a bucket on us? Watch the video HERE.
🌿 River Cleanup Update: A Head Start, Thanks to You!
The estuary burst open earlier than expected this year, but thanks to Elvia, Entreamigos, and a dedicated crew of volunteers, we got a strong head start on cleaning the riverbed. There’s just *one final cleanup left—*and it’s tomorrow! We’ll finish the job and then celebrate with a picnic. Come lend a hand and stay for the snacks!
The estuary burst open earlier than expected this year, but thanks to Elvia, Entreamigos, and a dedicated crew of volunteers, we got a strong head start on cleaning the riverbed. There’s just *one final cleanup left—*and it’s tomorrow! We’ll finish the job and then celebrate with a picnic. Come lend a hand and stay for the snacks!
🐢 Sea Turtle Week 2025: A Splashing Success!
This year marked our second-ever Sea Turtle Week, and it was an incredible celebration of ocean love and sandy science. Volunteers and local families joined us for turtle crafts, epic sandcastle building (and smashing!) to show how level beaches help hatchlings survive, plus stickers, temporary tattoos, word searches, coloring pages, and educational displays. Although the rain canceled our third and final day, we had planned to show a preview of Alina’s powerful new documentary. She’s putting the final touches on it now—and once it’s ready, we’ll be so proud to share it with all of you.
A huge congratulations to Alina on completing her Master’s degree from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego! We’re honored to have been a part of your journey.
This year marked our second-ever Sea Turtle Week, and it was an incredible celebration of ocean love and sandy science. Volunteers and local families joined us for turtle crafts, epic sandcastle building (and smashing!) to show how level beaches help hatchlings survive, plus stickers, temporary tattoos, word searches, coloring pages, and educational displays. Although the rain canceled our third and final day, we had planned to show a preview of Alina’s powerful new documentary. She’s putting the final touches on it now—and once it’s ready, we’ll be so proud to share it with all of you.
A huge congratulations to Alina on completing her Master’s degree from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego! We’re honored to have been a part of your journey.
🎉 Celebrating Life and Community
It’s been a month of birthdays and meaningful visits! Volunteer Lola kicked off her 21st (even if elections meant a dry weekend for this milestone!), Adriana celebrated another year, and two more birthdays are packed into the first four days of July with Jody and Alex! I was also lucky to welcome one of my closest friends to spend her 40th birthday with us. Moments like these remind us how special our turtle community truly is.
It’s been a month of birthdays and meaningful visits! Volunteer Lola kicked off her 21st (even if elections meant a dry weekend for this milestone!), Adriana celebrated another year, and two more birthdays are packed into the first four days of July with Jody and Alex! I was also lucky to welcome one of my closest friends to spend her 40th birthday with us. Moments like these remind us how special our turtle community truly is.
🏖 Nesting Season & Beach Monitoring
Our relocated beach nests are due to start hatching soon—and that means a lot of precious hatchlings and important data. These nests help us understand how turtles are using our coastline and how erosion and accretion are affecting their nesting sites. The more we know, the better we can protect their future.
As we head into hatchling season, we need your help keeping the beach safe:
• Please turn off beach lights at night. Hatchlings are extremely sensitive to artificial light, and can become disoriented—heading inland instead of to the ocean. This wastes their limited energy and makes them easy prey for birds, crabs, and dogs.
• Knock down sandcastles and fill in any holes you see. We know the dogs love digging for crabs—but please, if you or your pets dig on the beach, fill it back in. Holes and ridges are real hazards for nesting turtles and hatchlings trying to reach the water.
• Don’t help hatchlings to the ocean. As tempting as it is to give them a boost, this journey is crucial. It helps them imprint on the beach and learn to coordinate their flippers for the big swim ahead.
Thank you for doing your part to give every hatchling the best possible start.
Our relocated beach nests are due to start hatching soon—and that means a lot of precious hatchlings and important data. These nests help us understand how turtles are using our coastline and how erosion and accretion are affecting their nesting sites. The more we know, the better we can protect their future.
As we head into hatchling season, we need your help keeping the beach safe:
• Please turn off beach lights at night. Hatchlings are extremely sensitive to artificial light, and can become disoriented—heading inland instead of to the ocean. This wastes their limited energy and makes them easy prey for birds, crabs, and dogs.
• Knock down sandcastles and fill in any holes you see. We know the dogs love digging for crabs—but please, if you or your pets dig on the beach, fill it back in. Holes and ridges are real hazards for nesting turtles and hatchlings trying to reach the water.
• Don’t help hatchlings to the ocean. As tempting as it is to give them a boost, this journey is crucial. It helps them imprint on the beach and learn to coordinate their flippers for the big swim ahead.
Thank you for doing your part to give every hatchling the best possible start.
📋 Permits, Reports & A New ATV!
We’ve filed all our reports for both the Mexican and U.S. governments and applied for our updated permit, which includes a new ATV!
The day before our old ATV broke down, we made a down payment on a new one. (Talk about timing!) While we wait for it to be registered and delivered—or for our old ATV to be repaired—we’ve been walking the entire beach at night, yes, even through torrential rain.
Our ATVs aren’t a luxury—they’re a lifeline. Without them, poaching rates soared to nearly 50% last year. ATVs allow us to:
• Beat poachers to the nests
• Keep volunteers safe during lightning storms
• Haul heavy sand and equipment
• Now, with our new trailer, we’ll easily transport hatchlings—over 1,000 at a time!
Thanks to the steady support of our monthly donors—Bob Cole, Fay Chan, and Claudia Kroberger—we found the courage to take a leap and finance a much-needed new ATV. And with recent generous donations from Jane & John Pendleton, Jessica & Todd Stobber, and Paula Branson, we’ve already brought the $8,000 loan down to just $7,300. We’re incredibly grateful.
That said, we still have a long road ahead—especially with the aging CanAm and its unpredictable repair costs.
If you’d like to be part of helping us stay mobile this season, you can chip in: [HERE]. Every bit helps keep us moving forward—literally!
We’ve filed all our reports for both the Mexican and U.S. governments and applied for our updated permit, which includes a new ATV!
The day before our old ATV broke down, we made a down payment on a new one. (Talk about timing!) While we wait for it to be registered and delivered—or for our old ATV to be repaired—we’ve been walking the entire beach at night, yes, even through torrential rain.
Our ATVs aren’t a luxury—they’re a lifeline. Without them, poaching rates soared to nearly 50% last year. ATVs allow us to:
• Beat poachers to the nests
• Keep volunteers safe during lightning storms
• Haul heavy sand and equipment
• Now, with our new trailer, we’ll easily transport hatchlings—over 1,000 at a time!
Thanks to the steady support of our monthly donors—Bob Cole, Fay Chan, and Claudia Kroberger—we found the courage to take a leap and finance a much-needed new ATV. And with recent generous donations from Jane & John Pendleton, Jessica & Todd Stobber, and Paula Branson, we’ve already brought the $8,000 loan down to just $7,300. We’re incredibly grateful.
That said, we still have a long road ahead—especially with the aging CanAm and its unpredictable repair costs.
If you’d like to be part of helping us stay mobile this season, you can chip in: [HERE]. Every bit helps keep us moving forward—literally!
🚗 Vehicle Needed for Mal Paso Patrols
We’re also urgently in need of a vehicle to reach Mal Paso. When the estuary is open, walking isn’t an option, and buses don’t run at night. For the past two years, we’ve been hauling supplies across town from the bus stop by hand. Volunteers carry gear on foot from Puerto Vallarta to the bus stations, then from the San Pancho bus stop to Turtle Camp. A dedicated vehicle would drastically improve how quickly and reliably we can respond.
If you’d like to support this effort, you can donate here: [HERE]
We’re also urgently in need of a vehicle to reach Mal Paso. When the estuary is open, walking isn’t an option, and buses don’t run at night. For the past two years, we’ve been hauling supplies across town from the bus stop by hand. Volunteers carry gear on foot from Puerto Vallarta to the bus stations, then from the San Pancho bus stop to Turtle Camp. A dedicated vehicle would drastically improve how quickly and reliably we can respond.
If you’d like to support this effort, you can donate here: [HERE]
🏠 Volunteer Housing Openings—We Need You!
We’ve had some unexpected cancellations in our volunteer housing. This puts our entire program at risk. We don’t make a profit on summer volunteer renters, the rent we charge volunteers covers our rent (we do not own the property), electric, water, internet, and gas bills. If we lose this space, we lose our nursery.
Please help us fill these spaces and train volunteers ahead of our busiest nesting period. To sign up now or to watch a video to learn more about the volunteer experience go: [HERE]
We’ve had some unexpected cancellations in our volunteer housing. This puts our entire program at risk. We don’t make a profit on summer volunteer renters, the rent we charge volunteers covers our rent (we do not own the property), electric, water, internet, and gas bills. If we lose this space, we lose our nursery.
Please help us fill these spaces and train volunteers ahead of our busiest nesting period. To sign up now or to watch a video to learn more about the volunteer experience go: [HERE]
🔧 Nursery Electrical Upgrade = No More Shocks!
A huge thanks to our talented electrician! We now have:
• A separate breaker box for the nursery
• Dedicated outlets for fans and heaters
• Exterior motion-sensor lights
• NO more extension cords or accidental shocks!
It’s a huge improvement for safety and efficiency, and we’re thrilled.
A huge thanks to our talented electrician! We now have:
• A separate breaker box for the nursery
• Dedicated outlets for fans and heaters
• Exterior motion-sensor lights
• NO more extension cords or accidental shocks!
It’s a huge improvement for safety and efficiency, and we’re thrilled.
👣 Frank’s Zen and the Art of Sand Mixing
We had a special visit this month from Frank, who came out of retirement (for a whole two hours!) to meet the team and lead a sand mixing tutorial at the nursery. Watching Frank mix sand is like watching someone enter a meditative state—equal parts science, art, and zen garden therapy. It was a treat for everyone to learn from the master and get a dose of his calm, sandy wisdom.
We had a special visit this month from Frank, who came out of retirement (for a whole two hours!) to meet the team and lead a sand mixing tutorial at the nursery. Watching Frank mix sand is like watching someone enter a meditative state—equal parts science, art, and zen garden therapy. It was a treat for everyone to learn from the master and get a dose of his calm, sandy wisdom.
Sand was mixed. Minds were calmed. Click HERE to witness the magic.
💛 This Month’s Donors – Thank You!
A heartfelt thanks to Brian Culligan, Caren Elkan, Melissa McCann, Claudia Kroberger, KC Wilkerson, Bob Cole, Jane and John Pendleton, Fay Chan, Janice Teal, Paula Branson, Jessica & Todd Stobber, and Cat Reed & Kenichi Shoji for your generous support this month.
Because of you, we were able to fully upgrade the electrical system in our greenhouse nursery, keep our beach patrols running with gas and tools, and cover essentials like educational and craft supplies, printing for Sea Turtle Week and volunteer IDs, Gorilla tape, flashlights, wood and paint for nest stakes, materials for our nest boxes—and much more.
Your contributions made a direct impact on the safety of our turtles, the strength of our patrols, and the success of our outreach. We’re deeply grateful to have you on our side.
A heartfelt thanks to Brian Culligan, Caren Elkan, Melissa McCann, Claudia Kroberger, KC Wilkerson, Bob Cole, Jane and John Pendleton, Fay Chan, Janice Teal, Paula Branson, Jessica & Todd Stobber, and Cat Reed & Kenichi Shoji for your generous support this month.
Because of you, we were able to fully upgrade the electrical system in our greenhouse nursery, keep our beach patrols running with gas and tools, and cover essentials like educational and craft supplies, printing for Sea Turtle Week and volunteer IDs, Gorilla tape, flashlights, wood and paint for nest stakes, materials for our nest boxes—and much more.
Your contributions made a direct impact on the safety of our turtles, the strength of our patrols, and the success of our outreach. We’re deeply grateful to have you on our side.
🌟 Thank You to Our Volunteers
To everyone contributing your time, energy, and heart—thank you. Your support on the beach, in the nursery, and behind the scenes keeps this work moving forward.
This month’s amazing team includes:
Nick Sanders (UK), Hallie Loveridge (USA), Karen Sorem (USA), Dee Covington (USA), Trish Schmidt (USA), Odette Brunel (Mexico), Ulises Ledesma González (Mexico), Maryel Noé (Mexico), Elvia García (Mexico), Adriana Pliego (Mexico), Alex Sage (USA), Lola Tiffany (USA), KC Wilkerson (USA), Cat Reed (USA), Craig Nottage (UK), Josefina Torres (Chile), Natalia Ximenez (Uruguay), Jen Teal (Mexico), Travis Laurendine (USA) but also a separate Travis L., Crystal Mayes (Canada), Jody and Brad Gorski (Canada), Chito - Ignacio Maldonado Alegría. (Mexico), Julio Alpizar (Mexico), Marcos Pérez Maldonado (Mexico), Malia Johnson (USA), Katie Wicks (USA), and Kate (USA).
From prepping the nursery and patrolling nightly to organizing supplies, fixing what’s broken, supporting visits, educational outreach, running our social media, tech support, fundraising planning, translating documents, revamping nearly all of our internal forms and reporting processes—allowing us to keep better records on everything from deceased turtles to daily patrol data, and hauling sand, you’ve helped lay the groundwork for a strong season ahead. We’re grateful for every hour you’ve given.
To everyone contributing your time, energy, and heart—thank you. Your support on the beach, in the nursery, and behind the scenes keeps this work moving forward.
This month’s amazing team includes:
Nick Sanders (UK), Hallie Loveridge (USA), Karen Sorem (USA), Dee Covington (USA), Trish Schmidt (USA), Odette Brunel (Mexico), Ulises Ledesma González (Mexico), Maryel Noé (Mexico), Elvia García (Mexico), Adriana Pliego (Mexico), Alex Sage (USA), Lola Tiffany (USA), KC Wilkerson (USA), Cat Reed (USA), Craig Nottage (UK), Josefina Torres (Chile), Natalia Ximenez (Uruguay), Jen Teal (Mexico), Travis Laurendine (USA) but also a separate Travis L., Crystal Mayes (Canada), Jody and Brad Gorski (Canada), Chito - Ignacio Maldonado Alegría. (Mexico), Julio Alpizar (Mexico), Marcos Pérez Maldonado (Mexico), Malia Johnson (USA), Katie Wicks (USA), and Kate (USA).
From prepping the nursery and patrolling nightly to organizing supplies, fixing what’s broken, supporting visits, educational outreach, running our social media, tech support, fundraising planning, translating documents, revamping nearly all of our internal forms and reporting processes—allowing us to keep better records on everything from deceased turtles to daily patrol data, and hauling sand, you’ve helped lay the groundwork for a strong season ahead. We’re grateful for every hour you’ve given.
Want to Help?
Every contribution helps us continue our mission. Please consider volunteering, donating or checking out our wish lists:
Volunteer Here
Donate via PayPal
Donate via Venmo
Amazon US Wishlist HERE
Amazon MX Wishlist HERE
Donors from the U.S. can make a meaningful impact and receive a tax deduction, thanks to our nonprofit’s 501(c)(3) status. Thank you to everyone who helps make this work possible!
Every contribution helps us continue our mission. Please consider volunteering, donating or checking out our wish lists:
Volunteer Here
Donate via PayPal
Donate via Venmo
Amazon US Wishlist HERE
Amazon MX Wishlist HERE
Donors from the U.S. can make a meaningful impact and receive a tax deduction, thanks to our nonprofit’s 501(c)(3) status. Thank you to everyone who helps make this work possible!
Frank’s Weatherwise
June’s daytime temperatures ranged from the mid to high 80s, while nighttime temperatures were in the mid to high 70s. Total rainfall for June came to 14.62 inches, bringing the year-to-date total to 16.33 inches. This June’s rainfall total of 16.33 inches is an unusual record not seen or matched since 1995.
June’s daytime temperatures ranged from the mid to high 80s, while nighttime temperatures were in the mid to high 70s. Total rainfall for June came to 14.62 inches, bringing the year-to-date total to 16.33 inches. This June’s rainfall total of 16.33 inches is an unusual record not seen or matched since 1995.
This month's photos are compliments of all of our volunteers.
Follow Us
If you’re looking to stay updated on our future work and impact, follow us on Instagram and Facebook.
One wave, one nest, one step at a time—thanks for riding it with us.
If you’re looking to stay updated on our future work and impact, follow us on Instagram and Facebook.
One wave, one nest, one step at a time—thanks for riding it with us.
Jessica Schmidt, Director
Frank Smith, Technical Advisor
Elvia García, Secretary
Karen Sorum, Treasurer
Grupo Ecológico de la Costa Verde, A.C.
Our email addresses are: [email protected]
and [email protected]
Our website is: https://www.project-tortuga.org/
Our Instagram is: https://www.instagram.com/projecttortugasanpancho/
For new volunteers: https://www.project-tortuga.org/handbook.html
Our Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ProjectTortuga
Contributions: https://www.project-tortuga.org/contribute.html
Adopt A Nest: https://www.project-tortuga.org/adopt-a-nest.html
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Come Visit our Turtle Nursery!
Call in advance so we can prepare for your visit!
Please Note that we work at Night so Morning Calls May be Missed.
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Grupo Ecologico de la Costa Verde
102 America Latina, San Pancho, Nayarit, Mexico Tel: +1 262 497 6671 Email: [email protected] [email protected] |