On this page and the next page, you can watch short video interviews we took at the 13th Annual Meeting of Grupo Tortuguero de las Californias (GTC), held in La Paz Jan 28-30, 2011. Interviewees include biologists, fishermen, government officials and environmental activists who talk about how they work to protect the environment, about their environmental philosophy, and about why they do what they do.
Due to the extremely large size of subtitled files as shown during the ISSI lecture series, the videos here do not have embedded subtitles. However, bilingual scripts are provided below each video. You can download a PDF file of the scripts to so you can read along as you listen.
Sergio García.
Sergio is a recreational specialist with the NGO Estrella Azul located in Sinaloa, that provides consultation and programs for children´s cultural activities. He is part of the staff of GTC´s "Encuentro Juvenil" (which runs concurrently with the Grupo Tortuguero annual meetings) where he and other staff lead a variety of educational workshops and other activities. (00:49)
- My name is Sergio García.
- I'm a recreational teacher.
- The work that I do with conservation
is to show kids through activities
like games, songs, rallies,
what resource we have in our homes,
how we can take care of it and use it.
- We know, and I'm a promoter of the idea,
that the environment must begin with us
in order for us to change the things we don’t like.
- Not throwing garbage, conserving marine turtles,
all of this we have to do first
with ourselves so that others can see us
as an example and they can then help us make
this planet better for all of us.
- Mi nombre es Sergio García
- Yo soy maestro en administración del tiempo libre.
- Y el trabajo que hago con la conservación
es mostrarles a los niños a través de actividades
como juegos, canciones, rallys,
qué es el recurso que tenemos en nuestras casas,
cómo podemos cuidarlo y aprovecharlo.
- Sabemos, y soy un promotor de que
el medio ambiente tenemos que empezar por nosotros para poder cambiar
lo que no nos gusta.
- El no tirar basura, el conservar las tortugas marinas,
todo eso lo tenemos que hacer primero
con nuestra persona para que los demás vean
en nosotros un ejemplo y nos puedan ayudar hacer que
este planeta sea mejor para todo nosotros.
Julio Solís
Julio works with Magdalena Baykeepers (Waterkeeps de las Baja Californias) in Puerto San Carlos, Baja California Sur. His interest in conservation began with his work in Grupo Tortuguero, of which he is a founding member. He is a dynamo, so put your listening ears on and take a fast ride. (01:20)
- My name is Julio Solís. I live in Puerto San Carlos.
- I work on environmental conservation.
- Currently I am working for an organization
called Guardians of Bahía Magdalena (Mag. Baykeepers).
- We have 5 projects (which are):
water quality monitoring, sea turtle monitoring, environmental education, mangrove protection, and litigation.
- But I began first in 1999 with Grupo Tortuguero
and am a founding member of the group.
- From that grew my work in
environmental protection and conservation.
- Turtles are a resource, an endangered species.
- Turtles are millions of years old,
dating to the time of the dinosaurs.
- So, as human beings, we are lucky
to be able to live alongside them.
- Therefore, I think that it is our duty
to protect and conserve sea turtles
- The idea of protecting sea turtles
is to raise people’s consciousness more,
to educate more within our families
in order to try to change the culture
both in our country as well as with the authorities,
our youth, our grandparents and the fishing community.
- Conserving and protecting sea turtles is one of the jobs that we all must do.
- Mi nombre es Julio Solís.
Vivo en Puerto San Carlos.
- Estoy trabajando para la conservación del medio ambiente.
- Actualmente estoy trabajando en una organización
que se llama Vigilantes de Bahía Magdalena.
- Tenemos cinco proyectos que es:
monitoreo de calidad de agua, monitoreo de tortuga marina,
educación ambiental, protección al manglar y litigio.
- Pero antes empecé en ’99 con el Grupo Tortuguero,
soy miembro fundador del Grupo Tortuguero.
- Entonces es de allí donde nace mi trabajo acerca
protección y conservación al medioambiente.
- Las tortugas son un, un recurso, son, son una especie que está en peligro de extinción.
- La tortuga es una especie millonaria
que viene desde la época de los dinosaurios.
- Entonces, nosotros como seres humanos todavía tenemos la fortuna
de convivir con ellas.
- Entonces, creo que es un deber
proteger y conservar la tortuga marina.
- La idea de proteger la tortuga marina
es para crear más conciencia,
para crear más es de más educación en nuestra familia
para tratar de hacer un cambio de cultura
tanto en nuestro país como en autoridades,
en los jóvenes, en, en, en nuestros abuelos y en la comunidad pesquera.
- Entonces, conservar y proteger
la tortuga es, es, es un, es una de las tareas que todos debemos cumplir.
César López R.
César is a young environmentalist from the island of Cozumel, Mexico, who came to GTC´s Encuentro Juvenil to share his experience working with sea turtles in the field. He is a passionate crusader for the protection of sea turtles and natural resources on his native island and around the world. (01:26)
- My name is César López Reyes.
- I’m from the island of Cozumel, Quintana Roo.
- I help protect sea turtles there.
- My main job is environmental education with tourists...
- Show them how the nests are made,
how we mark the nests.
- And answer their main questions about the hatchlings.
- My work is very interesting because
I work directly with the turtles,
with biologists and with people who are very experienced
working with sea turtles.
- And I like it because I learn new things every day
and then I teach these things
to tourists or others who might ask me...
like happened with the presentations I gave here in Baja.
- How old are you and how long have you been working with turtles or the environment?
- OK. I'm fifteen
and I've been working with the environment all of my life.
- My parents are very ecology oriented.
- I've been working with sea turtles for six months -
six months, which is more or less one season.
- Soy César López Reyes.
- Soy de la isla de Cozumel, Quintana Roo.
- es de…Me dedico a cuidar tortugas marinas allá.
- es de…Mi principal trabajo es darles educación ambiental a los turistas.
- Mostrarles como se hacen, lo, la empieza de los nidos,
como marcamos los nidos.
- Y resolver sus principales preguntas y dudas que tengan sobre las tortuguitas.
- Es de…pues, mi trabajo es muy interesante porque
trabajo directamente con las tortugas, es de…
con biólogos y con gente muy, muy experimentada
en el ámbito de las tortugas.
- Y me, me, me gusta mucho eso porque estoy aprendiendo cosas nuevas cada día más
y todos estos aprendizajes yo los voy trasmitiendo
a los turistas, o a gente que me pregunta,
como es el caso de las pláticas que di aquí en Baja.
- ¿Cuántos años tienes y cuántos años tienes trabajando con
las tortugas o con la naturaleza?
- OK, bueno. Tengo 15 años
y con la naturaleza, bueno, tengo todo mi vida.
- Mis papas son muy ecologistas.
- Y con las tortugas tengo 6 meses.
Seis meses, que es más o menos una temporada.
Dr. Hoyt Peckham
Researcher and Director of Sciences & Fisheries for GTC, Hoyt has lived and worked closely with fishing communities in and around Puerto A. López Mateos, BCS for many years. His work, in collaboration with other investigators and fishermen (both artisanal and commerical), has led to a tremendous reduction in the level of by-catch of turtles in an area densely populated by loggerheads. When we first met in 2002, he could utter only a few words of Spanish with confidence. (00:54)
- I’m Hoyt Peckham
Director of Sciences and Fisheries
for Grupo Tortuguero of the Californias.
- I work with turtles because they inspire me.
- And for me, it is a species,
rather, a class of species that is incredibly inspirational.
- We use turtles to start conversations,
conversations about conservation.
- So we start conversations
with fishermen, for example in order
to avoid the incidental capture (by-catch) of turtles
or for how they might improve the overall sustainablility
of the fish they capture.
- And that’s how we help enrich the coastal culture.
- And that’s why I am working in this field.
- Thanks, Hoyt.
- Soy Hoyt Peckham,
Director de Ciencia y Pesquería
del Grupo Tortuguero de las Californias.
- (Y) trabajo con tortugas porque me inspiran.
- Y para mí, es una, es una especie,
es una pues… clase de especies súper inspirante.
- (Y) usamos estas tortugas para abrir conversaciones,
-conversaciones a cerca [de] la conservación.
- Entonces abrimos estas conversaciones
con los pescadores, para, por ejemplo,
como evitar la captura incidental,
como mejorar la sustentabilidad en general
de su, su captura de su pesca.
- Y asi andamos enriqueciendo pues, la cultura costeña.
- Por eso, estoy trabajando en eso.
- Gracias Hoyt.
Isidro Arce A.
Isidro is from Punta Abreojos, on the Pacific coast of BCS. He is a member of the fishing cooperative in that community as well as a long time member of GTC and part of the turtle monitoring project in Abreojos. With the current economy and decline of the fisheries worldwide, his town, like many others on the peninsula, is looking for alternatives that will support the local people while still maintaining the integrity of their community, its cultural heritage and its natural resources and character. With this in mind, Isidro and his colleagues have turned to alternative tourism, or ecotourism, as a viable solution. (00:50)
- What´s your name?
- My name is Isidro.
- And where are you from?
- I´m from Punta Abreojos.
- Since I was young, I was always interested
in learning English when I was in school. And...
- so, an opportunity arose to take an English course
and it made me realize that
it was important for me
to learn English because in the future- I want to be able to help my community as a tour guide.
- When the time comes that I can no longer
work as a fisherman, I can do something
like be a tour guide.
- That is more or less my reason to learn English
and to teach others as well.
- And are you working, you’re working with
Grupo Tortuguero?
- Yes I am.
- And other groups as well?
- I’m working too for the Water Keeper’s Alliance.
- What´s your name?
- My name is Isidro.
- And where are you from?
- I´m from Punta Abreojos.
- Desde muy pequeño, pues me interesó…es de…
aprender inglés cuando yo estaba en la escuela. Es de…
- Y hubo la oportunidad poder tomar un curso de inglés
y me llamó la atención que para mí pues
fue bastante importante
pues aprender inglés porque yo quiero en un futuro
poder ayudar a mi comunidad como guía turístico.
- De la manera que un día ya no puedo
trabajar como pescador, poder realizar una actividad
como guía turístico.
- Esto es más que nada la idea mía de poder aprender inglés
y poder enseñar a los demás.
- And are you working, you’re working with
Grupo Tortuguero?
- Yes I am.
- And other groups as well?
- I’m working too for the Water Keeper’s Alliance.
