Release 30,000 sea turtles in Guatemala

Due to the pandemic, during the 2020 nesting season, we were only able to rescue and incubate 9,362 olive ridley sea turtle eggs, of which 8,659 hatched, which represented a 92.4% hatching success rate. 

Sea turtle population monitoring 2021

Thanks to the support of the USAID Guatemala Biodiversity Project, the New England Aquarium, Sea Turtles, WIDECAST and the Columbus Zoo, we continue our sea turtle population monitoring program on 7 index beaches along the Pacific coast.  This is important as it is the only long-term data set on sea turtles and other marine wildlife on the Pacific coast of Guatemala.  Please see the latest Situational Analysis on ARCAS’s publications page: https://arcasguatemala.org/who-we-are/arcas-publications/  You can also find a recent article using this data published with colleagues at the Del Valle and Southern Norway Universities.     

Report Nesting Season 2021

In July, we inaugurated the 2021 sea turtle nesting and conservation season.   To date, we have 8000 eggs buried.  Egg collection continues to be low due to the pandemic.  Thanks to the Taiwanese government’s bamboo project, we now have two new sea turtle hatcheries.  We launched a GlobalGiving campaign to support our project.  You have the option to sponsor a nest for 25$ for about 93 Turtle Eggs or for only 10$ you can sponsor a local guide to do nocturnal beach patrols. 

We have to contribute to the conservation of these endangered species while also contributing to the sustainable livelihoods of low-income local residents. This year the nests might be in more danger because people have lost their jobs and see the sale of turtle eggs still as a lucrative income.

We hopefully can count again on the support of all the amazing and generous donors through GlobalGiving.

Many thanks to our staff and collaborators who have spent many nights under wind and rain patrolling the beaches and burying nest.

Thanks very much for your generous support for our sea turtle conservation efforts, especially in these times of crisis. Please let me know if you have any questions, and please come and visit us.  The Hawaii Park is open to public again, both for day visitors and volunteers!  And if you want to come and release hatchlings with your children, please contact us for availability.

Summery 2020

Like other conservation projects around the world, that depend on the support of volunteers and ecotours, the Coronavirus pandemic hit us very hard.  From March until December 2020, the Hawaii Parque was closed to the public, as were nearby beaches. Some of our staff members contracted Covid-19, but thankfully, didn’t suffer serious symptoms and recovered 100%.  Due to the pandemic, during the 2020 nesting season, we were only able to rescue and incubate 9,362 olive ridley sea turtle eggs, of which 8,659 hatched, which represented a 92.4% hatching success rate. 

Unfortunately, we received no eggs of the critically endangered leatherback sea turtle, but this year there have been reports of 6 nests at different points of the southwest coast of Guatemala.  This has given us hope for the future of this species in the region though this may be just one female (they can nest up to 7 times per year).

Sea turtle population monitoring

Thanks to the support of the USAID Guatemala Biodiversity Project and See Turtles, we continue our sea turtle population monitoring activities on 7 index beaches along the Pacific coast.  Please see the latest Situational Analysis on ARCAS’s publications page: https://arcasguatemala.org/who-we-are/arcas-publications/  You can also find a recent article using this data published with colleagues at the Del Valle and Southern Norway Universities.     

Start of Nesting Season 2021

Next month, July , we will start the Turtle nesting season for 2021.We will launch a GlobalGiving campaign to support our project. You will have the option to sponsor a nest for 25$ for about 93 Turtle Eggs or for only 10$ you can sponsor a local guide to do nocturnal beach patrols.

We have to contribute to the conservation of these endangered species while also contributing to the sustainable livelihoods of low-income local residents. This year the nests might be in more danger because people have lost their jobs and see the sale of turtle eggs still as a lucrative income.

We hopefully can count again on the support of all the amazing and generous donors through GlobalGiving.

Many thanks to our staff and collaborators who have spent many nights under wind and rain patrolling the beaches and burying nest.

Thanks very much for your generous support for our sea turtle conservation efforts, especially in these times of crisis. Please let me know if you have any questions, and please come and visit us , the Park is open to public again! And please check with us if you want to come to the Hawaii Park to visit on site.

Warm greetings from your Friends at ARCAS,

We wish you the best in this new year full of challenges.  Here, we are reporting on our  GlobalGiving project #42261, Release 30,000 sea turtles in Guatemala as of February 10, 2021. 

We initiated this project in September, 2019, during the height of the July – October olive ridley nesting season, with the goal of rescuing and incubating 30,000 sea turtle eggs at our Hawaii Hatchery on the Pacific coast of Guatemala. 

2019

As reported in February, 2020, during the 2019 nesting season we successfully collected and incubated 41,192 olive ridley sea turtle eggs, and released 39,517 hatchlings with a 96% hatching success rate. 

2020

Like other conservation projects around the world that depend on the support of volunteers and ecotours, the Coronavirus pandemic hit us very hard.  From March until December 2020, the Hawaii Parque was closed to the public, as were nearby beaches.  One of our staff members contracted Covid-19, but thankfully, didn’t suffer serious symptoms.  Due to the pandemic, during the 2020 nesting season, we were only able to rescue and incubate 9,362 olive ridley sea turtle eggs, of which 8,659 hatched, which represented a 92.4% hatching success rate. 

Unfortunately, we received no eggs of the critically endangered leatherback sea turtle, but this year there have been reports of 6 nests at different points of the southwest coast of Guatemala.  This has given us hope for the future of this species in the region though this may be just one female (they can nest up to 7 times per year).

Elephant Seal

In January, 2021, we were visited by a very large and rare species, the first reported presences of an Elephant Seal on the Pacific coast of Guatemala.  This enormous animal 3M long beached to rest at different points along the south coast as it migrated from El Salvador in the south to Mexico in the north.  He caused QUITE a stir!!! We wish him well on his journey… presumably to Baja California.  (Please see attached video when he beached in El Salvador)  https://www.facebook.com/ArcasGuatemala/videos/147540660507076

Sea turtle population monitoring

Thanks to the support of the USAID Guatemala Biodiversity Project and See Turtles, we continue our sea turtle population monitoring activities on 7 index beaches along the Pacific coast.  Please see the latest Situational Analysis on ARCAS’s publications page: https://arcasguatemala.org/who-we-are/arcas-publications/  You can also find a recent article using this data published with colleagues at the Del Valle and Southern Norway Universities.     

GlobalGiving funds from this project were used to hire local sea turtle guides and researchers who conducted nightly patrols and buried eggs and released hatchlings at the Hawaii Hatchery.  It also covered transportation and per diem expenses for the transfer of stranded sea turtles (Please see attached fotos)

Many thanks to the SeaWorld Busch Gardens Conservation Fund and the Taiwanese Mission/Agricultural Ministry  Bamboo Project for their support in building our new sea turtle hatcheries, researcher’s housing and necropsy rancho.  With these new installations we are able to accommodate the increasing numbers of stranded marine wildlife, researchers and visitors to the Hawaii Park. 

Also our many thanks to the 200+ donors to the 30,000 sea turtle eggs campaign.  Together with can save the sea turtles of Guatemala!

Un cordial saludo de parte de sus Amigos de ARCAS,

Te deseamos lo mejor en este nuevo año lleno de desafíos. Aquí, estamos informando sobre el proyecto GlobalGiving # 42261, “Liberación de 30,000 tortugas marinas en Guatemala” hasta la fecha 10 de febrero del 2021.

Iniciamos este proyecto GlobalGiving en septiembre de 2019, durante el apogeo de la temporada de anidación de la tortuga parlama (Lepidochyles olivácea) de julio a octubre, con el objetivo de rescatar e incubar 30,000 huevos de tortuga marina en nuestro Tortugario Hawáii en la costa del Pacífico de Guatemala.

2019

Como se informó en febrero de 2020, durante la temporada de anidación de 2019 recolectamos e incubamos con éxito 41,192 huevos de tortuga parlama y liberamos 39,517 crías con una tasa de éxito de eclosión del 96%.

2020

Como otros proyectos de conservación en todo el mundo que dependen del apoyo de voluntarios y ecotours, la pandemia de Coronavirus nos afectó muy fuertamente. Desde marzo hasta diciembre de 2020, el Parque Hawaii estuvo cerrado al público, al igual que las playas cercanas. Uno de nuestro personal contrajó Covid-19, pero afortunadamente, no sufrió síntomas graves. Debido a la pandemia, durante la temporada de anidación de 2020, solo pudimos rescatar e incubar 9,362 huevos de parlama , de las cuales 8,659 eclosionaron, lo que representó una tasa de éxito de eclosión del 92,4%.

Desafortunadamente, no recibimos huevos de la tortuga baule (Dermochelys coriacia) especie en peligro crítico de extinción, pero ha habido reportes de 6 nidos en diferentes puntos de la costa suroeste de Guatemala. Aunque puede ser solo una hembra (pueden anidar hasta 7 veces al año), esto nos ha dado esperanzas para el futuro de esta especie en la región.

Elefante marino

En enero de 2021, fuimos visitados por una especie muy grande y rara, la primera arribada reportada de un elefante marino en la costa del Pacífico de Guatemala!  Este enorme animal de 3M de largo varó para descansar en diferentes puntos a lo largo de la costa sur mientras migraba desde El Salvador en el sur hasta México en el norte. Él causó una gran conmoción!!! Le deseamos lo mejor en su viaje ... presumiblemente a Baja California. (Ver video: https://www.facebook.com/ArcasGuatemala/videos/147540660507076)

Monitoreo de poblaciones de tortugas marinas

Gracias al apoyo del Proyecto de Biodiversidad de Guatemala de USAID y See Turtles, continuamos nuestras actividades de monitoreo poblacional de tortugas marinas en 7 playas índice a lo largo de la costa del Pacífico. Consulte el Análisis Situacional en la página de publicaciones de ARCAS: https://arcasguatemala.org/who-we-are/arcas-publications/ También puede encontrar un artículo reciente con estos datos publicados con colegas de las universidades de Del Valle y el sur de Noruega.

Los fondos de GlobalGiving de este proyecto se utilizaron para contratar guías e investigadores locales de tortugas marinas que realizaron patrullas nocturnas y enterraron huevos y liberaron crías del Tortugario Hawaii. También cubrió los gastos de transporte y viáticos para el traslado de tortugas marinas varadas (ver fotos adjuntas)

Muchas gracias también al Fondo de Conservación SeaWorld Busch Gardens y la Misión Taiwanesa / Proyecto de Bambú del Ministerio de Agricultura por su apoyo en la construcción de nuestros nuevos tortugarios, la vivienda para investigadores y rancho de necropsias. Con estas nuevas instalaciones podemos dar cabida al creciente número de animales marinos varados, investigadores y visitantes del Hawaii Park.

Nuestro agradecimiento a todos los donantes a la campaña de 30.000 huevos de tortuga marina! 

Links:

• ARCAS website

Dear friends of the Parlama,

Greetings from Guatemala where we continue dealing with the Coronavirus pandemic. Like other places in the world, the infection rate has dropped and the government has relaxed restrictions which is nice, but we are all now nervously waiting for a second wave. Masks are still mandatory, and large gatherings are prohibited. The economy is not doing well. It’s sad to see single mothers with children waving white flags on the sides of the roads, asking for food.  In such an environment, it makes ARCAS’s work saving the wildlife of Guatemala even more challenging than usual.     

We are in the middle of the sea turtle nesting season, and to date have collected just over 4,000 olive ridley sea turtle eggs which is low for us. We have also received several stranded, dead sea turtles, and two injured turtles which have recuperated and returned to the ocean. 2020 has been a difficult year for us. The beach was closed for much of July – September, and we couldn’t carry out our egg collection patrols. Also, the Coronavirus pandemic closed down our volunteer and intern program which provides much-needed support to our egg and data-collecting activities.

We just launched a campaign to raise funds to make a push to fill the Hawaii Hatchery before the end of the season in December, so if you can help us, please make a donation following this link  https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/rescue-30-000-sea-turtles-in-guatemala/ Also, if you could share this link with friends and family, we’d appreciate it.

Now that we are a 501c3 non-profit organization in the US, we have joined AmazonSmile. If you could help us by choosing ARCAS as your charity, we would appreciate it. Same products, same prices, same service. AmazonSmile donates 0.5% of the price of eligible purchases to ARCAS at no extra cost to you.

Thanks very much for your generous support for our sea turtle conservation efforts, especially in these times of crisis.   Please let me know if you have any questions, and please come and visit us (when the pandemic is over of course).  And please check with us if you want to come to the Hawaii Park to release hatchlings. Our first nests hatched out last week and we should have hatchlings to be released from now until the end of January, but it’s always best to check with the staff at the Park first.

Thanks,

Colum

Estimad@s amigos de la Parlama,

Saludos desde Guatemala donde seguimos lidiando con la pandemia de Coronavirus. Al igual que en otros lugares del mundo, la tasa de infección ha disminuido y el gobierno ha relajado las restricciones, lo cual es bueno, pero ahora todos estamos esperando nerviosamente una segunda ola. Las máscaras siguen siendo obligatorias y están prohibidas las grandes reuniones. La economía no va bien. Es triste ver a madres solteras con niños ondeando banderas blancas a los lados de las carreteras, pidiendo comida. En tal entorno, hace que el trabajo de ARCAS para salvar la vida silvestre de Guatemala sea aún más desafiante de lo habitual.

Estamos en la mitad de la temporada de anidación de tortugas marinas, y hasta la fecha hemos recolectado poco más de 4,000 huevos de tortuga golfina, lo cual es bajo para nosotros. También hemos recibido varias tortugas marinas varadas y muertas y dos tortugas heridas que se han recuperado y regresado al océano. 2020 ha sido un año difícil para nosotros. La playa estuvo cerrada durante gran parte de julio a septiembre, y no pudimos realizar nuestras patrullas de recolección de huevos. Además, la pandemia de Coronavirus cerró nuestro programa de voluntarios y pasantes que brinda el apoyo muy necesario para nuestras actividades de recolección de datos y huevos.

Acabamos de lanzar una campaña para recaudar fondos para hacer un esfuerzo para llenar el Tortugario Hawaii antes del final de la temporada en diciembre, así que si puede ayudarnos, haga una donación siguiendo este enlace https://www.globalgiving.org/ dy / v2 / pe / project-edit / edit-page-1.html? project.projId = 42261 Además, si pudiera compartir este enlace con amigos y familiares, se lo agradeceríamos.

Ahora que somos una organización sin fines de lucro 501c3 en los EE. UU., Nos hemos unido a AmazonSmile. Si pudiera ayudarnos eligiendo ARCAS como su organización benéfica, se lo agradeceríamos. Mismos productos, mismos precios, mismo servicio. AmazonSmile dona el 0.5% del precio de las compras elegibles a ARCAS sin costo adicional para usted.

Muchas gracias por su generoso apoyo a nuestros esfuerzos de conservación de las tortugas marinas, especialmente en estos tiempos de crisis. Por favor, avíseme si tiene alguna pregunta y venga a visitarnos (cuando la pandemia termine, por supuesto). Y por favor consulte con nosotros si quiere venir al Hawaii Park para liberar crías. Nuestros primeros nidos eclosionaron la semana pasada y deberíamos tener crías para ser liberadas desde ahora hasta finales de enero, pero siempre es mejor consultar primero con el personal del parque.

Gracias,

Colum

Links:

• ARCAS Website

Dear Friends of ARCAS, 

Next month, July 6^th, we will start the Turtle nesting season for 2020. This year it will be a little bit different from the past years. Guatemala is still in Lockdown, so travel across municipal lines is still limited. The inauguration for 2020 will be a small event with social distancing and we will follow all required restrictions. We will launch a GlobalGiving campaign to support our project. You will have for example the option to sponsor a nest for 25$ for about 93 Turtle Eggs or for only 10$ you can sponsor a local guide to do nocturnal beach patrols.

Also because of the worldwide outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemia we are missing our Volunteers, we shifted our focus on working together with local communities. The community members are highly affected by the COVID-19, their income was mainly from tourists. There is zero Tourism since 3 months and we don’t have any information for how much longer this situation will last. We have to contribute to the conservation of these endangered species while also contributing to the sustainable livelihoods of low-income local residents. This year the nests might be in more danger because people have lost their jobs and see the sale of turtle eggs still as a lucrative income.

We will be participating in the International Coastal Clean Up (Ocean Conservancy) on beach clean ups and working on solid waste recycling with local communities.

In 2019 ARCAS rescued and incubated 41857 olive Ridley Sea Turtle eggsand released 39,517 hatchlings, which represents nearly a 96% hatching success rate. We plan to to even rescue and release more this year! Unfortunately, we received no leatherback eggs, nor have we heard of any nests laid on the entire Guatemala Pacific coast during the November – January nesting season. This year seems everything is different, hopefully the leatherbacks return back this season to lay their eggs on the beach.

We hopefully can count again on the support of all the amazing and generous donors through GlobalGiving.

Many thanks to our staff, collaborators and volunteers who have spent many nights under wind and rain patrolling the beaches and burying nest.