Friday, November 04, 2005

Saving Sea Turtles in Mexico (Day One)

Sometimes it takes a lot of effort just to get to the adventure. I was headed to a little speck of paradise two hours north of Puerto Vallarta in Mexico called Playa Las Tortugas (http://www.playalastortugas.com) where Ridley Sea Turtles as well as other species nest along five miles of beach.

Volunteers (adults and kids) can stay at villas on this beach and help at the government-sponsored Turtle Camp to gather the eggs from the beach before poachers grab them. They’re protected until they’ve hatched (45-75 days) and then, volunteers like us help release the hundreds of baby turtles—they fit in the palm of your hand—back into the water. Typically, only 1% of the baby turtles would survive, the scientists say. Thanks to efforts like this one, eight times as many will make it. 

But this place isn’t easy to get to—at least from the East Coast. I fly to Denver and then to Puerta Vallerta where I’m supposed to be met by someone from this combination eco resort and villa development in this remote locale. I realize when I get off the plane and clear customs that all I have is a phone number—I don’t even have the exact name of the place with me.

I scan the crowds of waiting taxi drivers but nothing.  Finally, I ask an English-speaking taxi driver to help me call because my cell phone doesn’t seem to be working. I discover it’s not my phone—but a number. It is difficult in a foreign country, when you’re not familiar with the various codes to know when a number is wrong. In this case, after a half hour, we figure out that I need the appropriate code for a cell phone, not a land line.

Finally I connect to the resort and I’m reassured to learn that a young surf instructor named Daniel is supposed to be meeting me. The cab drivers start going around the small airport greeting area outside customs calling “Daniel.” I’m relieved when a young man turns around. He explains that only licensed cab drivers can hold up signs. I realize I had no contingency plan if he hadn’t been there—not a good thing!  I am grateful to the friendly cab drivers and resolve next time to make sure I’ve got all of the correct phone numbers with me.

We head north in a dusty car out of Puerta Vallarta, past small villages where we see stands selling bananas, pineapple, and papaya. Daniel tells me he has just graduated from university with a degree in accounting. The scenery is spectacular—mountain on one side, palm trees and ocean on the other. Finally we turn off onto a dirt road and bounce along past tobacco fields and fruit orchards for the longest six miles I’ve ever driven—it takes us a half hour to reach a spectacular stretch of beach, one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen, dotted with stucco villas set in gardens. The place is a bargain too, with two-bedroom villas available for under $200 a night.

But the real appeal is the turtles. Before dinner, just as it’s getting dark, we dress in long pants and long sleeves (to protect ourselves from the sand fleas) and troop down the beach to help release some 600 baby turtles. We learn the eggs are stolen because they are believed to be an aphrodisiac. That’s why the Mexican government has established turtle camps to protect the eggs until they hatch. Miguel Angel Flores Peregrina, a veterinarian, is responsible for four of these camps but he tells me because of the adjacent villas, this one is the most accessible to tourists. There is no charge for those staying here to participate. Other volunteers may camp on the beach. 

Along with some local high school kids and guided by flashlights, we walk down the beach carrying the squirming little turtles—one easily fits in the palm of a child’s hand—in big plastic buckets. They are let out on the sand a few inches from the water—they seem a lot like little kids who can’t wait to get out on the playground at recess. It is important for them to “imprint” in the sand, we’re told, so that they know where to return to nest years from now. They are released at night so the sun won’t burn them and they are less likely to be eaten by predators.

We watch the little creatures make their way into the ocean. I’m reminded of my children taking their first steps.

Later, some in the group will return to help the scientists “patrol” the beach looking for more eggs. Three species of sea turtles nest here on this beach named Costa Tortuga (Turtle Coast) because it is one of the few protected locations where Olive Ridley sea turtles return to where they were born to lay their eggs.

Its incredible to think that these little hatchlings could travel back thousands of miles to these same beaches.

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