Cozumel’s Turtle Program: How You Can Participate

Volunteer Risa Winograd wrote her experience of volunteering with Cozumel Turtles about her recent visit to Cozumel   You can volunteer too by simply contacting us on Facebook.

Volunteers meet at the Department of Ecology, at the Environmental Interpretation Park, or Centoe, on Av. 65 starting  at 8.30 pm – Appointments in advance are required and, if possible, your own transportation is appreciated.  After a brief orientation,  volunteers can expect to experience a little bit of what Risa wrote below    The Dept of Ecology is asking for $55 usd/person donation as well as  donations of  batteries and head lamps, which volunteers will use during the program.   Overseen by Biologist Rafael Chacon, the municipal turtle program depends on volunteers and donations to survive.  Last year alone, over 5000 turtle eggs were identified.  Turtle eggs take about two months of incubate, depending on the species, meaning turtle hatchlings should be ready by August.

Risa Winograd  June 27, 2013  – “We were so awed to see the side of the Island completely closed to persons or cars. The moon was full and it lit the entire beach. Rafael slowed his truck and although we didn’t see anything, he stopped, seeing not one but two mother turtles nesting. We quietly walked down the sand until we too saw what he had seen from above. A beautiful, huge green turtle, working tirelessly at digging a nest, tossing the sand high above and behind us. Rafael explained she had likely hit a rock, and would likely need to start all over again. Closer to shore, we spotted a smaller turtle starting to dig. Rafael shined his light and made noises to encourage her to move. She labored back into the water, and swam a small distance. Luckily, she did move farther up the beach and away from the surf to start again. It was awesome watching her labored, tired movements. Rafael told us to wait as one of the turtles was about to lay her eggs. Sure enough, we were amazed to see she started passing the eggs into the deep hole she had dug. We quietly stood behind her and watched in awe as she passed one, two, ten, fifteen, who knows how many large white eggs into the hole. It was magnificent. We were awed by the process and so honored to be able to behold such an amazing sight. Many thanks to Cozumel Turtles and Rafael.”

This story originally appeared in the weekly Cozumel 4 You NEWS – the island’s number one source of positive information about our island!  Be sure and subscribe to the weekly NEWS to find out all the island events!…

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Laura Wilkinson

Author at Cozumel 4 You

An ex-Connecticut Yankee who has called Cozumel home for over 18 years, Laura ran away to the Caribbean years ago, bumped around the islands teaching SCUBA diving, lost some time in Jamaica, and finally stopped in Cozumel for a 2 week vacation that hasn’t ended yet. With a degree in Journalism from a fancy private college she convinced her parents to pay for, Laura writes, edits, and creates the weeklyCozumel 4 You news,social media, and promotional articles about the island, as well as moderates the Cozumel 4 You Facebook group, which currently has over 25,000 members. Her long suffering husband, Fabian, has long since resigned himself to having zero private life, as he’s been involved in her various schemes and plots since his arrival. Proud parents to a variety of rescue dogs and cats, Laura continues to be the bane of her traditional Mexican mother-in-law’s existence, as she muses her way through life in the Mexican Caribbean.
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Una ex yanqui de Connecticut quien llama hogar a Cozumel desde hace más de 15 años. Laura escapó al Caribe hace años, desplazándose de una isla a otra dando clases de BUCEO. Se dedicó a perder el tiempo en Jamaica y finalmente se detuvo en Cozumel para pasar unas vacaciones de 2 semanas que aún no terminan. Convenciendo a sus padres que pagaran una elegante universidad privada, obtuvo su título en Periodismo y Laura crea semanalmente Cozumel 4You, medios sociales y artículos promocionales sobre la Isla y también es moderadora en el grupo Cozumel 4 You en Facebook que actualmente cuenta con 25,000 miembros. Fabián, s umuy tolerante marido, desde hace mucho tiempo se resignó a no tener vida privada, pues se ha visto implicado en los diversos proyectos y planes que urde Laura. Son orgullosos padres de diversos perros y gatos rescatados. Mientras contempla su paso a través de la vida en el Caribe mexicano,Laura continúa siendo la pesadilla en la existencia de su muy tradicional suegra mexicana.

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