As of February 17, 2020, the Pronatura Noroeste team will have a new member, Dr. Sula Vanderplank, who will assume the position of Director of the Terrestrial Ecosystem Conservation Program for the organization.

Two adult Golden Eagles and two juveniles were observed in Sierra de Cucurpe by inhabitants in the area, and experts confirmed their presence in the site during a tour of the nesting area, which took place from January 13th to 17th, as part of a conservation project for the preservation and monitoring of the species conducted by Pronatura Noroste, CEMEX, and BirdLife in collaboration with CONANP and the Sonora State Government.

Students, teachers, civil society organizations, and government came together on February 4th to celebrate World Wetlands Day, see the Las Arenitas artificial wetland in Baja California, and discuss its benefits.

Today more and more consumers are concerned about the origin of their food. In the case of fish and seafood, in addition to freshness and quality, consumers primarily seek products that come for sustainable fisheries that reduce environmental harm. There are currently efforts being made to recognize fisheries for making improvements towards sustainability and allowing the end consumer to know the origin of the fish product.

Restoring the Colorado River Delta and surrounding areas to create a biological corridor between Mexico and the United States, let the community connect with nature while reforesting, and give diverse species a place of refuge and feeding, is part of the objectives of the Reforest San Luis project which is being implemented in the Miguel Alemán Restoration Site in the Mexicali Valley and in the schools and communities in the area and in San Luis Río Colorado, Sonora.

Jesús Flores Cordero is one of our collaborators who, in 2017, led the formation of the Shore Divers of the Sea of Cortes S.P.R. of R.L. fishermen group, which is now developing an Octopus Fisheries Improvement Project in Bahía de los Ángeles, Baja California. Carolina Rodríguez spoke with him about his experiences as a fisherman and his learnings from developing the FIP.

Bahía del Tóbari is considered to be of International Importance by the Hemispheric Network of Shorebird Reserves as it houses more than 44,000 of them, including species like the American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus frazari), American avocet (Recurvirostra americana), Willet (Tringa semipalmata), and Marbled Godwit (Limosa fedoa). However, it is a site impacted by agribusiness and aquaculture and the wetlands in the area have a high concentration of metals and chemicals since 17 agricultural wastewater flows drain into it.

To determine patterns of displacement, phenology, behavior, and habitat use of the Ridgway’s Rail (Yuma) (Rallus obsoletus yumanensis), the biological monitoring team placed satellite transmitters on 11 specimens of the species in the Hardy River and Ciénega de Santa Clara in the Colorado River Delta region.

The Local Ecological Management Program for Pueblo Nuevo was published in the Official Newspaper of the Government of the State of Durago. It establishes the policies for use, protection, and conservation of the municipality’s territory.

Pronatura Noroeste will collaborate in the design of a Master Plan for the Prevention and Mitigation of Impacts on Shorebirds in the Ojo de Liebre Lagoon Complex with Laura Ibarra, a fellow of the Cornell University Coastal Solutions Program.

In order to share with various actors involved in the conservation of Natural Protected Areas and participate in collaborative networks, the conceptual model for improving governance was presented at the III Latin American and Caribbean Congress on Protected Areas, organized by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the World Commission on Protected Areas in Lima, Peru.

The International Coastal Cleanup is a global initiative led by Ocean Conservancy that began more than 30 years ago. In the municipality of Ensenada, civil society organizations, the Baja Californian public, and governmental and academic institutions gathered on September 21st to collect and document trash found along the coast.

The Western Hemisphere Shorebird Group awards the Lewis Oring Prize to recognize the careers of researchers who, throughout their lives, have made a substantial contribution to the study and knowledge of shorebirds.

In 2007, the first agreement was signed for Las Arenitas, Baja California, in which 30% of the total effluent of the Treatment Plant was designated for Río Hardy, a tributary of the Colorado River. To reaffirm the commitment, this year a new agreement of wills was signed with the aim of permanently increasing the freshwater flows to 50% and improving the quality of water released into Río Hardy – the only river used for ecotourism purposes – for the benefit of the environment, communities, and local economies.