On Saturday, September 25th, the official ceremony of the Arroyo San Miguel State Park Decree was held. At the presidium were: Mario Escobedo Carignan, Secretary of Sustainable Economy and Tourism; Armando Ayala, Mayor of Ensenada; José Carmelo Zavala, Undersecretary of Sustainable Development; Fausto Ramírez, resident of San Miguel; Gino Passalacqua Walter, Representative of the Bahia de Todos los Santos World Surfing Reserve; Eduardo Echegaray, President of the Baja California Surfing Association; and Gustavo Danemann, Executive Director of Pronatura Noroeste.
The San Miguel creek and beach are located in the city of Ensenada and cover an area of 67 hectares of Baja California’s Pacific coastal landscape. Mario Escobedo, Secretary of Sustainable Economy and Tourism, commented: “We are very happy today; congratulations to you, thank you for not dropping the issue, thank you for the fact that today we have the first State Park and other decrees are on the way, which will be up to the new administration”.
Gustavo Danemann, Executive Director of Pronatura Noroeste, affirmed that the importance of this declaration goes far beyond the environmental relevance of this site. “The importance of this declaration is reflected in the dozens of children who play on this beach and splash in the creek, in the hundreds of athletes, both locals and visitors, that we see every day surfing the legendary wave of San Miguel, cradle of surfing in Mexico, from sunrise to sunset, or in the many families who enjoy spending time in the shade of the creek’s oak trees, or simply relaxing while contemplating the sea and nature”.
Armando Ayala, Ensenada’s Municipal President, commented that this decree will guarantee almost 68 hectares of green areas of the 710 hectares required for a population of more than 440,000 inhabitants in the municipality, according to INEGI data. He also recognized the Governor of the state, Jaime Bonilla, for supporting this initiative and the leadership of Gustavo Danemann, for presenting this project to him so that the municipality could promote the project in a timely manner.
Mr. Fausto Ramírez, a resident of San Miguel for more than 40 years, said: “we need a place where we can enjoy nature”. He considers that the most important thing is that the voice of the citizens who requested that this park be decreed has been heard, “our voice has been heard by the government authorities after almost 30 years of working tirelessly, without giving up so that this could be achieved”.
Gino Passalacqua Walter, Representative of the World Surfing Reserve, Bahia de Todos los Santos, commented that “for there to be breaks with world-class surfable waves like San Miguel, very particular conditions of tide, swell, currents, winds, sediment contribution provided by the creek are needed, and if we do not take care of it, the San Miguel break would disappear and would have negative consequences on the community’s way of life, its history and the economic flow of the area from surfing”.
Eduardo Echegaray, President of the Baja California Surfing Association commented that they promote local, state, national and international contests in San Miguel, and it is from there that “state champions emerge to represent us in national and international competitions, since surfing has become an Olympic sport”.
Finally, Danemann thanked the authorities for their vision and trust, and all the people, scientists, organizations, institutions and companies that have supported, collaborated and promoted the creation of this Arroyo San Miguel State Park. “Working together, government and citizens, we will experiment, learn and implement actions to maximize the social, cultural, economic and environmental benefits of this first state park, and those that will be decreed in the future,” he said.
At the end, the attendees enjoyed the seven murals under the San Miguel bridge, painted by local artists under the coordination of Esther Gámez, as part of the second Community and Public Art Festival. The murals depict the flora, land, and marine fauna, the birds found in the creek, as well as the millenary human activities that have been developed throughout history, the practice of surfing, and the pollution generated in the coasts with single-use plastics.
