CEA Newsletter – June/July 2008 CEA Newsletters are in English and Spanish. Para leer este boletín en español, haz clic aquí.
Home Page Conservation Programs Calendar	Marathon Support for CEA Weather Station! Gerardo Dominguez, CEA Friend and Akumalian, originally from Argentina, will be running in the Buenos Aires Marathon this October, and has generously offered to use this event to fundraise for CEA. He proposes to help raise money to buy a weather station for our lab. Our goal is to raise $2,000 USD for the station equipment and computer. You can participate by donating in honor of Gerardo's run in the Marathon. Please click here to charge your donation, which is tax deductible in the U.S. through the Yucatan Environmental Foundation. If you prefer to contribute in México, you can stop by the CEA office in Akumal to donate, or make a deposit in México to Bancomer Account #0153002616 and fax the deposit receipt to 984-875-9095. Donations in México are tax deductible in México. Click here to read more about this effort. To read an interview with Gerardo, visit Sac-Be's site and learn more about why he chose to dedicate his marathon to CEA.
	Turtle Course Given for Security Guards A basic course on knowledge of marine turtles was given to Akumal security guards on April 29, with 21 guards participating from different companies working in Akumal condos and hotels. With these newly educated guards it will be much easier to promote awareness of the marine turtles for the visitors in Akumal. Here are the Turtle Season Updates as of July 7, 2008. Scroll to the bottom of that page to see tips on what you can do to help.
	World Turtle Day Celebrated On Friday, May 23, CEA carried out several activities with students from primary and secondary schools to celebrate and commemorate World Turtle Day. There were awards for the school kids who participated in a contest of sculptures enhanced with recyclable materials and drawings. Among the activities carried out were: Cleaning the beach for the benefit of the turtles and their nests Making sand sculptures of turtles Presenting a video on marine turtles Drawing Contest: The Lives of Turtles These activities helped to reinforce the children’s knowledge of the protection and preservation of the lives of sea turtles.
	The Ancient Maya Settlement of Akumal by René L. O’Donnell-Hanlon Archeologist, Anamos, Iowa June 2008 Sitting silently among the trees, there is an undocumented and unexplored Maya settlement lying right on the edge of Akumal Pueblo. This Akumal Maya site may hold more answers to the questions regarding the civilization’s rise to prominence, social organization, relationship to nearby centers such as Xel Ha, Tulúm, X'caret, Cobá, etc. and also the eventual dispersal of the population. There are many questions concerning the site itself: When was it built?—the architecture resembles Tulúm; Why was it built?—Was it an outpost ... trading center ... religious center?; How large was it?; How significant was its relationship to neighboring centers?; And when/why was it abandoned? The ancient "Akumal" is currently endangered by development planning and has been recently looted for construction stones. The National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) has been contacted requesting investigation of the site and protection. In an age where new discoveries seem impossible, the finding of this site is remarkable. Regardless of the size, its importance within the realm of the Maya Empire should not be minimized. Can one clearly see a puzzle picture if only the big pieces have been fitted together? The ancient Maya’s intellect, ingenuity and perseverance rival those of ancient Greece, Egypt and Rome. Their impact was significant and vast, not only in México’s Yucatán Peninsula, but also in the neighboring countries of Belize and Guatemala—truly builders and leaders of the ancient world. CEA will work with INAH and the University of México (UNAM) to document the site and promote its conservation.
	Reef Program New Volunteer Phase April was marked by the sad departure of our volunteers from the Reef Program. A new phase has started for the program now and we would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the volunteers from the last phase, for their hard, dedicated and passionate work over the past few months. Thank you and good luck in all that you do. We now have three new volunteers from England who will be monitoring the beautiful reef. They have been studying hard to learn all of the fish and corals, and they are doing very well. They had their first dive last week and are looking forward to starting to monitor the reef.
	Lights Out Global warming is a growing problem, becoming more evident every day to all human beings and to the ecosystem. Today, more than ever, we all have the obligation to make a conscious effort to work together so that future generations can enjoy the environment just as we have. The Akumal community joined the cause, turning off its lights for five minutes as a sign of solidarity. It was during those minutes of total darkness that CEA made a floral offering to the sea and to the Mayan goddess Ix-chel, so that she would listen to the prayers of her people. We wish to thank the following for all of their attention and cooperation: Akumal Beach Resort, Club Akumal Caribe, Las Casitas Akumal, Super Chomak, La Lonchería, El Pueblito, and La Cueva del Pescador.
	A Day Without Plastic Ever since its early industrial and common everyday use, plastic has had an increasing impact world wide. Plastic also represents an environmental problem with its disposal. When it is discarded it becomes a source of pollution in the environment. Recycling processes and new biodegradable derivatives have been implemented during the past few years, but their effectiveness depends on us, on how we employ plastic products, and the way we discard them. CEA hosted activities focused on informing the local community about the actual plastic problem and the benefits of recycling it. A communal receptacle was presented so that people can use it to put in their plastic wastes.
	Activities With the Local Schools CEA volunteers visited schools in the Akumal community during a recent morning to play with the kids and to offer them an educational and interesting talk about the environment. Through a short story, volunteers taught students the importance of separating the garbage, taking care of the flora and fauna, not wasting water, and being responsible with the environment. As part of the activities the youngest children were given glasses, containing cotton and water, to grow beans, so they can see how the roots grow little by little. Other children adopted a plant and, after naming it, they made a promise to take care of it, and the oldest students played a game of questions with which they learned about the region’s natural resources, their importance and care. On another day, as part of activities planned for Akumal’s schoolchildren, volunteers from the Reef Program organized a rally on CEA’s property, which consisted of finding a treasure through clues located at different points. These clues had questions about the environment, natural resources, and their preservation. This rally was an event in which the children learned and had a lot of fun. The real treasure was a lesson we all must learn—to respect and protect the environment. A recycling day with the children from Francisco Sarabia Primary School started early when they arrived at CEA’s facilities and, with the help of volunteers, began cleaning the beach. Thanks to the children’s great deed, a wide swath of the beach was cleared and a huge amount of garbage was collected from the Akumal Bay area. All of the garbage picked up was put into bags to be separated and recycled shortly after. We must be responsible and treat the bay as if it were ours, today and always.
	The Importance of World Ocean Day June 8 was World Ocean Day because a big part of what we are as a planet is related to our coasts and seas. The seas and oceans provide most of the water that evaporates and falls as rain as part of the water cycle, which is why we must take care of them. This huge volume of water has a direct impact on the Earth's climate, transporting heat and energy, and exchanging gases with the atmosphere. It is also the delicate and complex habitat for a wide range of marine flora and fauna, providing important resources for commerce and tourism. Water covers about 71% of the earth's surface; all continents together cannot reach even a third of this percentage. As a result, the oceans are extremely important for our climate. The main functions of oceans are: Absorbing and reflecting sunlight Storing heat Transporting the stored heat Causing most of the changes in the climate system Being the main source of atmospheric vapor water Exchanging gases (such as CO2) with the atmosphere
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