This weekend, the community of Ensenada makes a bold statement for the environment. Arroyo San Miguel State Park was the site of an intense day of cleanup and waste counting, with the removal of 271.5 kilos of garbage that will not reach the sea.
We as Pronatura Noroeste organized this conservation activity, in conjunction with the Department of Ecology of Ensenada’s municipality. One hundred volunteers and students participated, as well as members of several organizations like Comunidad y Arte Público, Unidos por Ensenada, and SLAP Architects. Students from the School of Administrative and Social Sciences and the School of Marine Sciences of the Universidad Autónoma of Baja California (UABC), Kepler High School and the Instituto Tecnológico de Ensenada del TecNM also collaborated and donated books to the volunteers as well.
As part of this collaborative alliance, that same day the divers group Cuidemos el océano: el mar es de todos (Let’s take care of the ocean: the sea belongs to everyone) carried out an underwater cleanup in Puerto Arbolitos, field number 6 of the Esteban Cantú ejido, where they extract 310 dispached tires from the bottom of the sea.
Along with the cleanup, educational and recreational activities were carried out for those attending, related to the course “For a plastic-free sea”, which can be found for free on our educational platform. Also members of the Pronatura Center for Conservation Information conducted a tour with Marine Science students to geolocate waste within the state park’s polygon, using an unmanned aerial vehicle (drone) as support for this activity. The objective is to map the location of the waste in order to take appropriate action.
Surfing enthusiasts had a particular celebration at San Miguel beach with an international tournament organized by Peninsula Longboard & Film. It should be remembered that San Miguel beach is considered the cradle of surfing in Mexico, thanks to the fact that its waters form a wave with unique characteristics for surfing, called the San Miguel wave, which is internationally recognized.
This community day coincided with the first anniversary of Arroyo San Miguel being declared a state park by the Government of the State of Baja California. It is essential to take advantage of this legally protected status to avoid any risk factor for the creek and its 67.5 hectares of coastal ecosystem.
The count of waste generated on this day is part of the International Coastal Cleanup strategy promoted by the Ocean Conservancy in more than 60 countries. Its goal is to identify the type of waste and its origin to strengthen the prevention of pollutants in the seas and oceans around the world. Likewise, this important conservation work is linked to the United Nations Environment Program’s “Clean Seas” campaign, of which we have been a part since last July”.
Collaborate with us in the cleanup of coasts and seas, and be part of our strength to conserve Arroyo San Miguel State Park.
