Vaquita and Fishermen
CEDO’s has engaged in many efforts over the years to understand and slow the catastrophic decline of this endemic porpoise species. We are still strongly working on the vaquita’s many problems.

Totoaba
The first marine fish to be listed as endangered.

Least Tern
The wetlands of the Northern Gulf are critical breeding habitat for least terns, Sternula antillarum, a federally protected shorebird. CEDO is analyzing least tern habitat use and its vulnerability given projected changes in land and wetlands.

Yuma Clapper Rail
An elusive marsh dweller, the Yuma clapper rail is an endangered subspecies benefiting from CEDO’s ongoing wetland conservation programs.

Flat-tailed Horned Lizard
This unique desert dweller subsists on ants and is capable of delivering a shot of toxins to its predators.

* For more information on these species see below * 

Vaquita and Fishermen

The vaquita, or Gulf of California porpoise, is the most endangered cetacean in the world. Their population is currently estimated at 213 individuals (see vaquita.org for updates and more information). Unless immediate action is taken to protect the vaquita there is little chance for their survival as a species. Declines are caused both by lack of freshwater flow and nutrients from the Colorado River, and a high rate of incidental mortality in small scale fishermen’s gill nets (13.8 % of the population each year).

A new forum, Sustainable Upper Gulf, was formed to help solve this dilemma.  It involves small scale fishermen from the three communities of the Upper Gulf Reserve, industrial fishermen, non-governmental organizations such as CEDO, and Ocean Garden, the primary marketer of the Gulf’s shrimp.  The group has agreed on three basic goals: 1) to eliminate fishing related mortality of vaquita; 2) improve the efficiency and sustainability of the shrimp fisheries; and 3) to eliminate illegal fishing practices.

SEMARNAT (the Secretary of the Environment) created a fund to help fishermen offset the costs of these restrictions. CEDO and the Federation of Cooperatives of Puerto Peñasco wrote a proposal to this fund that would increase co-management and reduce fishing effort through conversion to tourism and other activities. Both the Fisheries and Environmental arms of the government are now designing a program of incentives to help fishermen leave fishing or change the way they fish.

What you can do to help:
Support fishermen who have converted to tourism –bird, snorkel or fish responsibly. Think about your fish, shrimp and shellfish consumption. Do you know & feel good about where it’s coming from? Could you be eating more sustainably? Share these recommendations with your friends, fellow travelers and other visitors who may be unaware of them.

Totoaba

More information on the Totoaba coming soon! 

Least Tern

Wetlands of the Northern Gulf are critical breeding habitat for least terns, Sternula antillarum, a federally protected shorebird. These diminutive birds, weighing only 40 grams, select barrier beaches, peninsulas and spits to lay eggs and rear young. A colonial species, least terns depend on the presence of other pairs to help defend the nests. Look for least terns near Peñasco between late April and July each year. Young birds take off with their parents southwards in late summer, although researchers are not sure how far they go, or where they overwinter.

Many new developments are planned on prime least tern nesting habitat. SEMARNAT has approved projects despite their clear impact on this endangered species. On the map use the development and colony layers to see how many birds will be impacted. Other threats to the terns include people walking or driving into colonies during nesting season and increased predation by opportunistic species like kestrels, gulls and housecats.  Least terns are also quite vulnerable to sea level rise, as they nest about a meter above the high tide line. The University of Arizona has produced maps to project in the gulf.

What you can do to help:
Do not buy property with developers who have disrupted wetlands through pumping, fill or artificial channels. See our list of healthy and harmful projects to guide your investment decisions.  Do not use ATVs in or around wetlands, as they cause erosion and direct disturbance of birds. ATV disturbance is the principal threat to several least tern colonies near Puerto Peñasco. Share these recommendations with your friends, fellow travelers and other visitors who may be unaware of them.

Yuma Clapper Rail

Rails are colorfully named for the expression “thin as a rail” for the way they slip in and out of marsh grasses, with their bodies extended to mimic the reeds. A clapper rail is easy to identify by its loud rapping call. One hundred years ago clapper rails were common marsh dwellers. Always elusive, this species has become a difficult bird to see in the wild, due to extensive hunting in the early part of the last century. Over 200 a day were killed in the San Francisco Bay area, while tens of thousands of individuals were taken in two days on the east coast in 1896.

The wetlands of the Upper Gulf are home to the endangered Yuma subspecies of Clapper Rail, which nests further inland and more frequently in fresh water than other Clapper Rails.  CEDO field researchers documented one individual in Estero La Cholla in 2005.  The Yuma clapper rail is one of the many unique and threatened species to benefit from our ongoing wetland conservation efforts.

What you can do to help:
Do not buy property with developers who have disrupted wetlands through pumping, fill or artificial channels. See our list of healthy and harmful projects to guide your investment decisions.  Do not use ATVs in or around wetlands, as they cause erosion and direct disturbance of birds. Share these recommendations with your friends, fellow travelers and other visitors who may be unaware of them.

Flat-tailed Horned Lizard

Flat-tailed horned lizards are sand-colored, ant-eating reptiles found in the Sonoran Desert. Their bodies are horizontally flattened; they sport horns over their heads and a black line over their spinal columns. These characteristics distinguish this animal from other reptiles or lizards such as the desert iguana, which usually have a round or cylindrical body shape. Horned lizards inhabit the sand flats of the Gran Desierto de Altar, where the vegetation is scarce. In an unusual form of defense, horned lizards squirt a powerful stream of blood and toxins from their eyes to deter predators. Its horns, which curve from its neck over its head, provide physical defense against being swallowed by a larger predator.

Today the main threats to survival of this animal in the Gran Desierto de Altar are plant removal, pesticides (ingested through ants), the effects of urbanization, including mining and all terrain vehicles (ATVs). Off-roading destroys more of the vegetation that lizards depend upon, as well as frequently crushing individuals. The opening of new trails and roads increases direct mortality by encouraging ATVs and divides populations, making them vulnerable to local extinctions and genetic consequences.

What you can do to help:
When you visit the Biosphere Reserve, obey the posted rules for visitors. Don’t use all terrain vehicles in the dunes or sand flats. Don’t throw trash – this can increase the population of crows which prey on the flat tail horned lizard. Don’t introduce chemicals such as pesticides. Don’t capture or keep the lizard as pets: their food requirements don’t allow them to do well in captivity. Don’t drive off the established roads. Camp only in the designated camp sites within the Reserve. Report any infraction of these rules or suggestions to the Reserve personnel. Share these recommendations with your friends, fellow travelers and other visitors who may be unaware of them.