Notes from a Volunteer
by Max Dogget

While I was volunteering with CEA, I felt privileged to work with such a dedicated, passionate and diverse group of people, all of whom are deeply committed to improving the water quality and reducing the human impact in their local environment. Working with the Bay Patrol Program gave me a unique opportunity to converse with CEA staff, local residents and workers, as well as tourists from all over the world---many of whom were astonished by the amount of growth that had occurred in Akumal since their last visit. One man remarked that the during his last stay, just a few years earlier, there were no buoy-lines in the water to indicate no-swim zones and navigation channels, nor any signs or personnel to educate the public about how to safely interact with the environment.

Almost every tourist I spoke to expressed approval and gratitude for the efforts CEA is undertaking to protect the turtles, coral and other marine life in the area. This program in particular is one in which it is clear to see how a greater number of volunteers could easily make a greater impact. When I was working with a larger group of volunteers from the University of Minnesota, I saw first-hand how a greater presence of people patrolling the bay and educating the public about how to minimize environmental damage made people (tourists and guides alike) more mindful of their impact and the steps they could take to reduce it. I feel pride in knowing that the information I provided helped protect the environment in Akumal, as well as wherever else in the world Akumal’s visitors might venture next. Considering the importance of the work CEA carries out, and the fact that my office was a beach in the Caribbean Sea that one of my Mexican classmates in the U.S. referred to as "La Crème de la Crème of Mexico," I would highly recommend this program to anyone with an interest in environmental issues or tropical ecosystems---in fact, I’m surprised the waiting list isn’t already a mile long!