Nests & Hatchlings Report: Do not touch turtles while they swim, feed, nest or are on their way to the sea.

They need their own space. Respect them!

Hatchlings Release: Monday--Friday at 7PM.

Donations appreciated! Check with CEA before you come, to see if we will be releasing turtles that night; we don't have hatchlings every day.

We recommend you:

• Use mosquito repellent before you come. It is not allowed once we are on the beach, since it may affect the little turtles.
• Take no flash photos.
• Follow our volunteers' instructions.

To avoid stressing the turtles, Centro Ecológico Akumal does not give the little hatchlings to people to hold in their hands nor to release them directly into the sea. We just help them find their own way.

Donations can be given in the CEA Center in Akumal or on our Web site. They help us fund our Sea Turtle Program. Adopt a turtle and be part of the solution! www.ceakumal.org.

For further information, contact info@ceakumal.org or call (984) 875 90 95.

Learn about turtles and how you can help us to protect them. Centro Ecológico Akumal (CEA) does not offer commercial tours nor have agreements with local operators.

CEA is the only organization authorized to work with these animals in Akumal and to take 10 people with them. Be careful of tour operators or public transportation businesses that offer you this service.

Season: May-October - Monday to Friday - 9pm to Midnight.
Groups limited to 10 people -- NO RESERVATIONS
Suggested Donation: Adults: $10 USD, Kids: $5 USD -- Rates may change without notice.

How can you help protect sea turtles?

• Use a flashlight with a red filter on it.
• Avoid making noise (23:00--05:00).
• Do not use fireworks during nesting season (May--October).
• Do not leave trash on the beach and in the ocean; pick up trash you find, even if it's not yours.

If you see a turtle:

• Never point your light towards her nor take pictures with a flash.
• Keep your distance.
• Notify Centro Ecológico Akumal of your observations.

If you see hatchlings:

• Turn off the lights.
• Help them find their own way into the sea. Do not release them directly into the water.
• Please remember that handling sea turtles without the proper authorization is a federal offense.

Night diving and snorkel tours are not recommended during nesting season.

Help us spread this information. For more information, please contact: tortugas@ceakumal.org ó comunicacion@ceakumal.org.

It looks like the Punta Carey development project has been approved by the Ministry of the Environment.

This property is just north of the Xcacel/Xcacelito Sea Turtle Sanctuary, about five minutes south of Akumal. Last year, along with several organizations in the region, CEA participated in several meetings with the developers and public hearings, in order to reduce the impact on the ecosystem and ensure the protection of Xcacel.

We focused on four main points:

1. No injection of waste water;
2. No canals in the mangrove or breaking into the bedrock;
3. Capacity plan to limit number of guests using Xcacel beach during nesting season;
4. Respect the zoning laws on the number of rooms per hectare.

The rest of the project was actually very well planned for reduced environmental impact, but there were a few legal issues to be addressed, as well. Unfortunately, after so many meetings, public and private, the developers went ahead and presented the same project to the authorities and, of course, it was approved. It must be made clear that the development is not on Xcacel land, but just north. The opportunity for a new development to be innovative in its wastewater treatment has been lost.

Over the past few years, each time a development plan was presented, environmental groups got together for the protection of the turtle sanctuary. One of the main arguments that CEA has taken, and which has fallen on deaf ears with the state authorities, is the importance of the Xcacel/Xcacelito Sea Turtle Sanctuary Committee, on which we serve, to meet and make sure the protected area has an annual operating plan. With this plan, protection measures can ensure that no matter what happens on adjacent properties, the main beach is protected. This plan determines daily and monthly capacity based on limiting impact on nests, among other things. Once again, CEA will formally ask the government to call a meeting so we can make sure the protected area management is strengthened.

We have now initiated the process of CEA eco-certification, which will verify those properties located in Akumal that manage natural resources appropriately and apply good environmental practices in their operation.

The certification addresses 5 areas:

1. Beach management
2. Water management
3. Waste management
4. Energy management
5. Environmental education

Playa Caribe condominiums in Akumal North were the first to participate last year, giving us a chance to test and develop the process.

Interested properties will be visited by a certification representative, and should meet the necessary criteria and present results of water quality studies and appropriate waste disposal records, among other requirements.

All property certifications will be publicized on the CEA webpage along with the criteria by which each property achieves certification.

Properties currently in the process of certification include:

• Casa de los Colores
• Villas Flamingo
• Hotel Akumal Caribe Villas Maya
• Casa Valhalla
• Casa Quinta del Mar
• Villas Playa Paraiso

We will report updates throughout the year on our webpage: www.ceakumal.org.

For more information contact Mauricio at: recicla@ceakumal.org.

On August 9 we celebrate the Continental Day of Air Quality. To celebrate it, Centro Ecológico Akumal invites you to clean your heart for a complete month. During these days, pay attention to how much plastic you use; how many times, even when you don't need to, you use your car; how many sheets of paper you put in the trash, when you know you can reuse them; how many chemicals do you spill in fresh water; or how many things you use even though you know you are affecting the ozone layer.

Once you have this information, we invite you to share it with us on September 18, International Beach Clean-up Day, on our Facebook page. The idea is to share our experiences, to raise awareness of how much we can contaminate our hearts in 30 days, and how we can heal it.

2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity. Take care of it!

Centro Ecológico Akumal wants to thank all our volunteers for the great work they do with us. A great generation of Mexican and foreign students joined our actions this summer, and showed us that together, we can do more.

There’s no doubt that without them, our work would be almost impossible. Ninety percent of goals we reach are thanks to them; their love, work and dedication make the difference.

With them this year we have been able to hold our summer camp, make our first corporate video, redesign our brochures, create a CEA Calendar for 2010--2011, generate a new system for our Bay Management Program database, design new presentations for kids, write a new environmental educational play, and perform research on water treatment systems, as well as sand temperatures, among other things. We still have much work to do.

It doesn’t matter the age, nationality, or background---we just need you and that you desire to do the work. If you want to be part of it, contact comunicacion@ceakuamal.org.

Thanks for everything---to our volunteers who are still here, and to the volunteers who are reading this. Hope to see you again. Thanks from the "Place of the Turtles".

The end of the year is approaching, and your membership probably will expire with it. Don't forget to renew it! Your donations help CEA to generate and promote strategies for ecosystem management in Akumal, through research, education and policy, for environmental sustainability in the Mexican Caribbean. This is a big task with tremendous implications, and CEA needs your help to meet it.

As we continue to focus on restoring the much-damaged marine and coastal ecosystems, we look forward to making Akumal the standard in sustainable practices.

Please join us, as we revolutionize the model of tourism growth and restore the heart---not only of Akumal, but also of ourselves. If you are already a CEA Member, please renew your annual membership; if not, please join. You can renew or join here.

For further information, contact info@ceakumal.org.

Visit the Link to Read an Interview with CEA'S Director, Paul Sánchez-Navarro.

Thanks, Matador Network Magazine!

CEA wants to thank all the children who participated with us. We had a great time working together to build gardens and nurseries, and doing community service with the local schools.

Children learned about good practices for snorkeling and for turtle nesting season. We went to Xel-ha, Rio Secreto, and Sian Kan. We had a lot of fun!

Thank you sponsors:

• Fundación Ecológica Bahía Príncipe Tulum A.C
• Centro Ecológico Sian-Kan
• Río Secreto
• Parque Xel-ha.