Nurturing environmental values in BCS Mexico

Dear Friend,

As we begin a new year, we want to thank you for being part of this journey.

The first months of 2026 were dedicated to strengthening the foundation of a vision that continues to grow: creating opportunities for conservation, education, scientific research, and community participation along the Gulf of California.

Every step described in this report reflects the commitment of local families, students, volunteers, researchers, and partners who believe that protecting nature and strengthening communities go hand in hand.

In March, we had the privilege of coordinating the local implementation of the Statewide Beach Cleanup Program “Ola Azul,” bringing together citizens, schools, government agencies, and organizations committed to protecting our coastline.

Together, we achieved:

• 142 participants
• 17 participating institutions
• 15,370 square meters of coastline cleaned
• 6,385 kilograms of waste removed

Beyond the numbers, this effort demonstrated what can happen when a community works toward a common goal. Hundreds of hands came together to care for the coastline that supports local wildlife, fisheries, and future generations.

Community engagement remains at the heart of everything we do.

One of the most meaningful activities of the quarter was the Third Seafood Cooking Competition held in Ejido San Lucas, the community closest to both the McKee Center and Playa Dos Amigos.

The event brought together 35 teams of children and families, teachers, schools, and local institutions. Through traditional seafood recipes, participants celebrated local culture, learned about the importance of healthy marine ecosystems, and recognized the work of fishing families who help feed our communities.

Most importantly, the event strengthened relationships with local families and created opportunities for dialogue, participation, and trust around the environmental and educational initiatives taking place in the region.

We also continued opening doors for young people interested in science and conservation.

Students from the Technological Institute of Mulegé (ITESME) visited the McKee Center to explore ideas for environmental education projects, scientific outreach activities, and future research opportunities.

These visits are part of a broader effort to connect the McKee Center, Playa Dos Amigos, and the Marine Laboratory being developed at ITESME with support from The Ocean Foundation. This collaboration will allow future generations of local students to participate directly in scientific research and environmental monitoring within their own communities.

A short distance from the McKee Center lies Playa Dos Amigos, an area connected through the same marine ecosystem but featuring very different coastal habitats. While the McKee Center is known for its rocky intertidal zone, Playa Dos Amigos includes mangroves, an estuary, and sandy beaches.

Together, these two environments create a unique natural classroom where students and researchers can better understand how different habitats support biodiversity and contribute to the health of the Gulf of California.

Throughout the quarter, our team continued maintaining and improving both sites. Routine maintenance, cleaning efforts, and infrastructure improvements helped keep the areas accessible and ready for educational activities, research, and community visits. We also developed a simple irrigation system to help maintain the access road and improve conditions for visitors and volunteers.

At Playa Dos Amigos, we continued laying the groundwork for a long-term sustainability initiative that combines conservation, environmental education, responsible nature tourism, and community development. Progress included strengthening partnerships, exploring future opportunities, improving infrastructure, and expanding planning efforts that will help support the project's long-term vision.

Every cleaned beach, every student visit, every family gathering, and every improvement to these spaces is possible because of supporters like you.

Your generosity is helping create more than a project. It is helping build a place where science, education, community, and conservation come together to protect extraordinary coastal ecosystems while creating opportunities for future generations.

Thank you for believing in our community and in the power of working together to create lasting change.

With gratitude,

Alma Colorado

Thanks to your support, the McKee Center continues to grow as a space where science, community, and youth come together to generate real impact. This period was marked by an achievement that fills us with pride: we received the report from the intertidal monitoring carried out in May during the visit of the Western Flyer research vessel and processed in the previous reporting cycle.

The study confirmed that the McKee Center hosts one of the most diverse and accessible intertidal zones in the Gulf of California, documenting 51 types of invertebrates. These results highlight the enormous ecological value of the site and explain why the McKee Center is unique in the region.

Five reasons that make the McKee Center exceptional

1. Exceptional diversity in a small area
The richness recorded is comparable to remote sites such as Punta Trinidad or Puerto Refugio, without the need for complex expeditions.

2. Safe and accessible for education
The site has no slippery rocks or strong wave action, making it ideal for students and visitors with no prior field experience.

3. Three distinct microhabitats within just a few meters
Each point hosts different communities influenced by sediment, rock size, and wave dynamics, enabling comparative studies and long-term monitoring.

4. Presence of uncommon species
Extensive zoanthid colonies, Porites coral, abundant echinoderms, and giant tube worms—a combination rarely found in the region.

5. A unique educational value
At McKee, a student can observe more species in 20 minutes than in a full day at other field sites, making it an ideal natural laboratory for community science and environmental learning.

These findings strengthen our vision: the McKee Center is an exceptional space with enormous potential to become a regional reference point for research, conservation, and marine education.

Protecting nature is one of the core pillars of the McKee Center, and this period we made significant progress in one of our most important environmental initiatives: the artisanal reduction and transformation of abandoned fishing nets.

What began thanks to a three-year GGGI grant to collect abandoned nets has evolved into a community-based process in which nets are cleaned and cut manually, melted using artisanal methods, and transformed into solid plastic pieces that can be used for various purposes.

This process offers a practical and local solution to fishing-gear pollution, prevents wildlife entanglement, and opens the door to a future circular-economy model inspired by the creativity and dedication of our community.

We continue strengthening our connections with UABCS and SEMARNAT to advance conservation projects and obtain essential permits for research and environmental education.

We also continue developing projects with ITESME students, who actively participate in technical, environmental, and outreach activities.

In addition, we expanded scientific outreach activities alongside the Merak Astronomical Society, bringing lunar observation sessions to rural communities and preparing future events at the McKee Center.

Every achievement—every recorded species, every inspired young person—is possible thanks to your trust in this project.

Your support is what makes this Center possible.
And your continued support will allow us to keep protecting nature, training new generations, and building a space where science and community work together for the sea.

Thank you for walking this path with us and for believing in the power of community-driven science.

Links:

• Global Ghost Gear Initiative
• Pagina de Hagamos Mas por Santa Rosalia
• Facebook Fundacion Hagamos mas por Santa Rosalia, A.C.

• McKee Intertidal Survey report (PDF)