Estero Sargento

The pace has really picked up lately! In addition to my normal field work and assignments, I have been participating in some of the courses that the Prescott Students are taking here. Currently, there is a group of 10 students here who are studying introduction to Natural History and Conservation of the Gulf of CA. I have gotten to help out with teaching some of their field work, but more importantly, I am able to tag along on their field trips! It has been great for me because I get to learn more about the area and visit places I normally wouldn’t be able to (free, woohoo).

Last week we went on a 3 day camping trip to Estero Sargento. Sargento is a negative estuary (no regular freshwater influx) which is located in the territory of the Com' Caac (Indigenous tribe in Sonora). In order to visit there, we had to go with a guide. Alfredo, a Com' Caac elder, has been working with students from Prescott for many years. As a member of the Counsel of Elders, he feels it is his responsibility to share information about his tribe and the land. He came with us along with his wife and two grandchildren. He answered our questions and talked about the ways of his people, the threats to the environment, and the changes to his community occurring from development. His family holds the traditional knowledge about plants and he described many medicinal uses to us, but he was also able to talk about the natural history of the animals.

While I can’t explain the experience in such a short blog, I will say that Sargento made my list of most beautiful places. I slept under the stars on the beach and woke up to the birds feeding in the golden shimmer of the sunrise. It was incredible to be surrounded by such distinct ecosystems. On the one side you have harsh, dry desert with sprawling mountains, then you have the ocean, dunes, and mud flats, and finally the channels with white, black, and red mangroves. There were so many things to discover. I hope I have the chance to go back and appreciate it more.

Unfortunately, the trip had a somber cloud hanging over it. Despite the beauty of the place, and its importance as a protected area and nursery for so many creatures, it is still being exploited. Estero Sargento is one of the very few remaining estuaries closed to shrimp trawling because the land is actually owned by the Com' Caac and not the Mexican government. There were 11 illegal shrimp trawlers fishing in the estuary when we were there! Apparently, they are paying off the Com' Caac governor to be there. Additionally, there is a 4 lane highway being built through their territory which is largely opposed by the Com' Caac people, but again, the top players are being paid off. And finally, we saw at least 8 dead Green Sea turtles (which are legally protected) that had been hunted. While there are protections in place, there is just so much corruption. Sometimes conservation work just seems like you are up against too many negative forces, but it was inspiring to hear from Alfredo that he opposed all of these things and was worried for the future of his land and his grandchildren.

Tepupa Mountain

The class hearing stories

crazy sand dunes

my room

the morning view

Snowy Egret