MEXICO, Comca'ac (Seri tribe) territory, Gulf of California - May 2009
Environmental and information signage, and waste/recycling facilities, in support of the conservation of the 298,593-acre Tiburon Island and the 59,238-acre Canal Infiernillo
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The territory claimed by the Comca'ac nation (Seri tribe) is extensive and includes Tiburon, which is also the largest island of Mexico (298,593 acres). In 1975, the Mexican government gave the Comca'ac tribe recognition and communal property title to Tiburon Island, Canal Infiernillo (between Tiburon Island and the mainland) and 155 miles of coast. In 1978 the islands within the Comca'ac territory became part of the Natural Protected Area "Islands of the Gulf of California," consolidating a 1963 presidential decree that designated it a nature preserve; it is also co-administered as an ecological preserve by the environmentally-oriented Comca'ac tribal government. Tiburon Island remains one of the most intact examples of Sonoran Desert habitat, and it contains an abundance of species that are already rare or have disappeared from the mainland. The waters around this island host 34 marine mammal species, including sea lions, blue and fin whales and the world's most endangered cetacean, a small porpoise called the vaquita. Five species of sea turtles thrive in these waters, and green turtles nest on these beaches. The Comca'ac villages at Punta Chueca, and El Desemboque on mainland Sonora, are home to up to 700 Comca'ac who traditionally practice environmental conservation. Seacology will fund a series of signs located on several islands and on the beaches on the mainland where fishermen land and depart to fish, in support of the continuation of the Comca'ac conservation actions on their islands. It is expected that these signs will help to reduce the impact of the human activities on the island, and reduce the chances of exotic species being introduced, accidentally or intentionally. As well, the two communities will receive funds to build a facility to separate and collect their domestic trash for later recycling by commercial companies from the city of Hermosillo.
UPDATE August 2009 - In August 2009 field representative Jose Angel Sanchez-Pacheco met with Comca'ac community members and the owner of the recycling company. The site for the recycling facility was established and strategies for the operation of the center were discussed. Additionally, the signage is being designed with guidance from authorities (it is part of a federal NPA) and locations on the island have been chosen.
UPDATE November 2009 - A revised project budget was submitted in September that is significantly less than the original budget, due to finding sources for lower-priced materials and because the Comca'ac tribe has decided their community members will perform the labor. The community has asked for a trash compactor to be added to the project scope as a result of the lower budget. This has been tentatively approved contingent upon the original project scope being completed under budget. As of November 2009, the Comca'ac are seeking to recover a plastic (PTA bottles) grinder and a generator from the state government. Field representative Jose Angel Sanchez-Pacheco is helping to design a cheaper hand operated - custom made trash compactor.
UPDATE February 2010 - As of February 2010 Jose reports that he and the owner of the recycling company have designed a hand operated trash compactor (named "Pancho"). He is hopeful that this kind of compactor can be made for other places where trash management is not available, and where electricity and other needs to operate a regular motorized trash compactor are not within reach. An experienced builder from a nearby town has been hired to construct the storage center and materials are on site and construction is set to begin. The signs are assembled, painted and just need the text and logos. They will be ready to be placed within the month at the previously determined 15 most important sites on the island (i.e. historic, sacred, or fishing camps regularly used by outsiders).
UPDATE May 2010 - As of May 2010 Jose reports that the building to collect the recycling materials at El Desemboque is not yet finished, but slow progress has been made since his visit in April with executive director Duane Silverstein. Half of the signs are completed, with the rest only requiring minor details, but none have yet been installed on the island. The trash compactor is ready to be transported to the site and Jose plans to return to the site in June.
UPDATE June 2011 - The new Seri Governor met with the State Governor of Sonora State about projects and needs for the Seri communities (new housing, fishing equipment, etc.). Discussions included an integrated trash management strategy with collecting trash around the towns, infrastructure and equipment, and recycling. Seacology Mexico Field Representative Jose Angel Sanchez wrote a letter that was then signed by the Seri representatives and presented to the State Governor; and according to him it was a key tool for this successful meeting. The Seri Governor will be signing program agreements and will provide Jose with more information as it becomes available.
