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Marine Turtle ConservationDedicated to the Protection and the Conservation of Endangered Marine Turtles for the last 32 Years! Volunteer for a Minimum of $400 a Month for Accommodations! |
~ Newsletter No. 271, September 2024 ~
Hola Volunteers and Supporters –
ATV Troubles: The Never-Ending Adventure
We’ve had quite the adventure this month with our ATV. After replacing the drive belt, ball joint, CV boot, fuel filter, and fuel pump, we gave it a full service only to discover that it now requires electrical repairs. We’ve got it ready for transport to look into the issue. This might just be the longest Grupo has gone without a working vehicle! Despite the setbacks, the team is staying strong and resourceful as we continue to protect our nests and hatchlings. Collecting and transporting all of our peak season nests would be impossible without the use of a vehicle like the ATV.
A heartfelt thank you to Erik from Alianza Jaguar for his incredible support in coordinating an ATV, our ATV transport, and connecting us with a new mechanic. Your help has been invaluable to our efforts!
Hatchling Boom
Speaking of hatchlings, they are here and thriving! Our current hatch rate over the past couple weeks is higher than we could have ever hoped, an impressive 91%, and we have baby turtles emerging every day. Yesterday, we celebrated our first 100% nest hatch! This nest was carefully packed by our dedicated volunteers, Hallie and Shari.
See the hatchlings in a video HERE!
We’re holding free public releases at sunset on Wednesdays and Fridays, as long as the little ones aren’t too sleepy. Rest assured, if they are too tired for the public release, they’ll be released later that night as soon as they’re ready.
We are also offering open hours for the public to visit our turtle camp on Tuesdays and Fridays from 5-7 pm. This is a great opportunity to see firsthand what we do and check out the amazing work happening on campus!
A Creative Solution: New Signage in the Works
We’ve been fortunate to have Edgar, a fantastic graphic designer, helping us with new sticker imagery and signage. One of the signs will address a long-standing issue with access to the alleyway leading to the beach, where we collect and return sand. It’s also a critical emergency exit during lightning storms for our volunteers. Someone has been repeatedly cutting off our locks and placing their own, preventing us from using the alleyway. With permission from the delegado, we are getting new signage made to resolve this ongoing problem.
We’ve been fortunate to have Edgar, a fantastic graphic designer, helping us with new sticker imagery and signage. One of the signs will address a long-standing issue with access to the alleyway leading to the beach, where we collect and return sand. It’s also a critical emergency exit during lightning storms for our volunteers. Someone has been repeatedly cutting off our locks and placing their own, preventing us from using the alleyway. With permission from the delegado, we are getting new signage made to resolve this ongoing problem.
Fundraising for Equipment
In light of all the challenges we’ve faced with our ATV, we’ve come to realize that we need a secondary one. Not only will it help in case of future breakdowns, but it will also allow us to cover both ends of the beach simultaneously during our peak weeks. Some nights, we’re dealing with up to 40 nests, and poachers can easily start at the opposite side of the beach and raid nests before we can get there. A second ATV would be a crucial tool in preventing this from happening. If you’re able to donate, we and the turtles would be deeply grateful.
In addition to the ATV, we’re also fundraising for 15 more thermometers for our nursery, which will cost about $200 USD, as well as building materials for the beach nursery. Your support means the world to us.
If you'd prefer to send thermometers directly instead of making a tax-deductible donation, we've made it easy for you! Simply click the attached link HERE to choose the thermometers, and have them sent directly to our team. This is a great way to contribute hands-on to our conservation efforts. Please ship them to the following address:
Project Tortuga
102 Calle America Latina
San Francisco, Bahia de Banderas, Nayarit 63729
Mexico
Every thermometer helps us monitor the conditions in our nursery and ensure a safe environment for our hatchlings. We appreciate your support!
In light of all the challenges we’ve faced with our ATV, we’ve come to realize that we need a secondary one. Not only will it help in case of future breakdowns, but it will also allow us to cover both ends of the beach simultaneously during our peak weeks. Some nights, we’re dealing with up to 40 nests, and poachers can easily start at the opposite side of the beach and raid nests before we can get there. A second ATV would be a crucial tool in preventing this from happening. If you’re able to donate, we and the turtles would be deeply grateful.
In addition to the ATV, we’re also fundraising for 15 more thermometers for our nursery, which will cost about $200 USD, as well as building materials for the beach nursery. Your support means the world to us.
If you'd prefer to send thermometers directly instead of making a tax-deductible donation, we've made it easy for you! Simply click the attached link HERE to choose the thermometers, and have them sent directly to our team. This is a great way to contribute hands-on to our conservation efforts. Please ship them to the following address:
Project Tortuga
102 Calle America Latina
San Francisco, Bahia de Banderas, Nayarit 63729
Mexico
Every thermometer helps us monitor the conditions in our nursery and ensure a safe environment for our hatchlings. We appreciate your support!
Shoutout to Mishtu: Highlighting Our Efforts Through Video
A special shoutout to our amazing volunteer, Mishtu, who has arranged for short videos to be made showcasing our efforts. We’ve had an unprecedented number of cancellations this year, and we hope that these videos will help introduce our conservation work to a new audience of potential volunteers and donors. We are extremely grateful for her hard work in making this happen!
A special shoutout to our amazing volunteer, Mishtu, who has arranged for short videos to be made showcasing our efforts. We’ve had an unprecedented number of cancellations this year, and we hope that these videos will help introduce our conservation work to a new audience of potential volunteers and donors. We are extremely grateful for her hard work in making this happen!
Website Improvements
This month also brought some unexpected website troubles, but thanks to Steve, we had it back up and running very quickly. We’re planning to rebuild our website over the next year to make it even more engaging, and it’s truly incredible to see the range of skills our volunteers bring to the table.
This month also brought some unexpected website troubles, but thanks to Steve, we had it back up and running very quickly. We’re planning to rebuild our website over the next year to make it even more engaging, and it’s truly incredible to see the range of skills our volunteers bring to the table.
Adopt a Nest: Make a Difference Today
There are still many nests in need of adoption. It’s a wonderful way to support turtle conservation, and you can learn more through the link HERE.
There are still many nests in need of adoption. It’s a wonderful way to support turtle conservation, and you can learn more through the link HERE.
Computer Troubles Impacting Data Recap and Entry
My computer has been down for over a month, delaying both our data recap and data entry. The part needed to repair it was stuck in customs after being ordered from outside Mexico, but it has finally been released and is on its way to the repair shop. Unfortunately, this setback means I don’t have the data recap I had hoped to provide. Despite this, I can share that the nursery is currently holding around 400 nests, as shown in the attached pictures, reflecting our progress so far this year. Once the computer is back up and running, I'll be spending many hours catching up on data entry to ensure everything is recorded accurately.
My computer has been down for over a month, delaying both our data recap and data entry. The part needed to repair it was stuck in customs after being ordered from outside Mexico, but it has finally been released and is on its way to the repair shop. Unfortunately, this setback means I don’t have the data recap I had hoped to provide. Despite this, I can share that the nursery is currently holding around 400 nests, as shown in the attached pictures, reflecting our progress so far this year. Once the computer is back up and running, I'll be spending many hours catching up on data entry to ensure everything is recorded accurately.
Special Thanks to Our Volunteers and Donors
We couldn't do this without our amazing volunteers Frank, Steve, Nick, Karen, Hallie, Ulises, Deanna, Odette, Augustine, Katherine, Maryel Noé, Shari Cruz, Rhurr Herrera, Trish Schmidt, Mishtu Tiwary, Clara Serrano, Claudia, Azul, and Karl. This month was especially busy with our peak of nesting (which means lots of sand collecting and heavy box moving), the arrival of the hatchlings (which means lots of cleaning boxes and returning the used sand to the beach), and data collection.
And a huge thank you to our donors Anerien Botha, Chris Gilmore, Johanne Pouliot, Madeline Stanionis, Annie Botha, Rebecca Brown Adelman, Elizabeth Hinshaw, Josh Hartwell, Lisa Boehm, Mark Henry, Don Devereux, Deborah Witzel, Joseph Mazza, Jeannene Bragg, Gaea Schell, Mishtu Tiwary and Family, and Steve Raschke. This month's donations were put to great use, covering essential costs such as gas for the rental ATV the past two weeks, flashlights, nest sticks, nest bags, nursery rent, ATV fuel filter, fuel pump, and ATV complete maintenance (the ATV has cost $14,000 MX so far). Your contributions directly support the critical needs of our conservation work - thank you!
Weather-Wise: Navigating the Elements
September's daytime temperatures ranged from the mid to high 80s, occasionally reaching the low 90s, while nighttime temperatures were in the high 70s. Total rainfall for September was 15.63 inches, bringing the year-to-date total to 38.17 inches. The ever-changing conditions challenge us, but we’re adapting and continuing our important work.
Thank you for standing by us as we work together to protect sea turtles. Your support makes all the difference!
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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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: 311-258-4100 Email: [email protected] [email protected] |