Community Outreach

“We believe that an educated, empowered and active local community working for the common goal of environmental protection, conservation and responsible stewardship for Laguna San Ignacio and for Baja California is an effective means to address future threats to the environment, and the economic and biological stability of the region for the benefit of the wildlife and humans that live there… “

Each winter our researchers provide presentations on the natural history and ecology of Laguna San Ignacio and its marine wildlife to local schools (e.g., Ejido Luis Escheverria Alvarez at the lagoon) and in the towns of San Ignacio and Punta Abreojos, to naturalists, and eco-tourists that visit the lagoon. We host field trips to the lagoon for local schools and university students that involve “hands-on” exercises, field projects, and “min-courses” on marine science. Annual community workshops (“Reunions”) review scientific findings and conclusions, and provide a public forum for the exchange of information on the lagoon and human activities that affect it. The workshop participants include subject experts, representatives of government regulatory agencies (e.g., the Vizcaino Biosphere Reserve), eco-tourism operators, local residents, non-government environmental organizations, students and instructors from local schools, and interested public. Our research findings are distributed via the program’s Website (www.sanignaciograywhales.org), in peer reviewed scientific publications, in the local media, at professional scientific meetings, and in local publications.

Read our educational outreach articles below, and visit our education gallery to see photos of our field trips and workshops.