Greenpeace
has been working on our problem for a long time and been here several times during 2006. I want to make clear that they are not blocking a real road
it is just the passage to the fishing boats in the narrow part that is left between the marina and the ocean, this to stop the heavy equipment of the
development, to avoid the opening of the marina to the ocean. The rest of us can pass of course.
If you want to save the Estuary, endangered birds and our groundwater, there is a link to a letter to our "Presidente Municipal" asking him to take
action against this destruction of natural resources. Today at 1 PM 7,119 people have signed to support us. On www.greenpeace.org/mexico first page, you will find "CIBERACTUA: Escribele al alcaldo para que frene la destruccion" click and
Fill out your name then your e-mail At the end of the letter you will find "Enviar mensaje" to click on. Later a message will appear in your mail
box, where you are asked to click on a link given, to secure that it is YOU that signed the letter to our mayor.
On bajajudy's post someone asked why no action has ben taken before. Of course we have, it takes a long time to get all the information needed to be
able to act in a correct way.
In April 2004 I wrote to the Baja Message Board, to inform about what started to happen around us. My post to the same board the other day was taken
out.
The main issue is the Estuary and the water supply that might be contaminated with salt water. But there are more things to mention. We have to
protect the sea turtles that lay eggs here, the dry river beds have been filled or partly filled with silt dredged from the marina. This silt will go
out to the ocean during the heavy rains and then come back with the waves up on the beach. Where the turtles nest also in the hurricane season.
The silt from the marina was also dumped on the two new golf courses that are under construction in our area where all the natural vegetation
including cacti was bull-dozed out. We have already 9 golf courses from San Jose del Cabo to Cabo San Lucas. This is a semi desert area with one
oasis.
During the last months the fresh water form the marina has been pumped out into the ocean, while we in the village do not have enough. Right now they
are watering the new golf vourse lawns with the marina water that we need for our families. If you wonder why they are pumping the water, the answer
is they need to dredge deep to get the machinery down, where there is no water or almost no water.
Other issue Families are fighting for their properites that Puerto Los Cabos is claiming.
The sport fishermen, how will they support their families when they have to compete with the big sport fishing Yates. A little 22 foot panga might not
be the cup of tea that suites the new king of toursits.
I have seen the master plan, kilometers of beach front will be filles with hotels etc. all the way to La Laguna. The old road is confiscated by the
developers, now we have to drive in the mountains far away from the beach with no access to the beaches.
A silt road has been built right on the beach, the trucks are driving on this, spilling wet silt from the marina , it changes to black blowing dust
when it dries. It covers plants and houses, we have noise from airbrakes and smell of diesel etc. In the beginning of this year the trucks were going
24 hours a day and the speed was 70 km/hour, the speed limit is 30 km/hour, I know as I followed some of them.
When the rains come this silt road converts to clay that goes out to the ocean together with the gravel that is under the silt. A part of this
"malecon" is on the federal protected land on the beach, "Zona Federal Maritima", the markings that were there before are gone since a year back...
I live 300 meters (yards) from the beach, I have seen the changes, reported to different offices, so have Angeles del Estero. At last we see the
support we desperately need. To all of you that do not understand the importance of the work Greenpeace and other NGO's do I hope that you will think
again and again about their enourmous work. Here we have young, brave and educated people protecting Pueblo la Playa, the Estuary, the whole area and
in fact the whole endangered World.
Please care about the coming generations. I certainly do!
The marina is not only a marina question, this development is a huge project affecting all and everything.fishbuck - 5-11-2007 at 05:17 PM
This is just the first step. These people need our help and we may need theirs later when the part of baja we love and call home is targeted for this
kind of greedy, illegal and destructive developement. I'm sending my letter to the mayor now!Minnow - 5-11-2007 at 05:18 PM
Osa, are you the Osa that owns the Las Blancas Dolphins? If so, we are friends.
I am all for grass roots efforts. Corporations mongering among one anther is entirely different.
Where is the Upwelling of the locals?
[Edited on 12-5-2007 by Minnow]
[Edited on 12-5-2007 by Minnow]Osa - 5-11-2007 at 07:36 PM
Thank you fishbuck, we all thank you!
Minnow, yes I am the owner of El Delfin Blanco, I came 20 years ago to a Paradise, I am a Mexican citizen now and I love my country. Some of the
locals here are afraid and do not want to get involved. We did march yesterday on the Blvd. Mijares to the City Hall, very few people from Pueblo la
Playa joined us.
This is sad, but I do understand them. They have been attacked, fences have been pulled down with heavy equipment and some families have been
threatended. I know too much to be able to tell everything. But I am fighting to the bitter end.Osa - 5-12-2007 at 11:53 AM
there is information in English about the Greenpeace visit in December 2006. I guess that we will have more reports coming soon.oxxo - 5-12-2007 at 11:59 AM
Quote:
Originally posted by Osa
But I am fighting to the bitter end.
Osa, you have my support. I will look for you in the next couple of days to see how I can help55steve - 5-13-2007 at 06:21 PM
Osa, I remeber you telling me about this when I stayed at your place in town maybe 5 years ago...I am so sorry that it's actually happening. I am
afraid that many more places in paradise will go the same way as the years pass.Minnow - 5-14-2007 at 05:16 AM
It is sad that this is affecting you in such a negative way. Progress is sometimes painful, and progress like this, that is so destructive to such a
sensitive area is beyond comprehension. Best of luck in your fight.
Osa, I don't know if you remember me, but I stayed with you a couple of times a few years back. One of the times we had flown down with a pilot in a
wheelchair named Chris. I have recommended your place to people on this board several times. It is a true baja original, not to be missed.
Well... it's a beginning!!!! At least someone has heard the concerns. Good news, thanks Judy!bajajudy - 5-14-2007 at 07:40 AM
Just back from the beach and the protesters and their tents are gone. The above article says that they reached an agreement with the developers for
more studies to be done on the ground water and salt water problem.
Vamos a ver.Osa - 5-15-2007 at 05:13 PM
Just a quick note.
Today Tuesday at 11.00 AM it shows on Greenpeace web page that over 10,000 people have signed against the destruction of nature.
Steve, glad to hear from you, did you sign?
Minnow, yes I remember you guys and that you did came back without Chris. Thank you for trying to send me business we sure need it these days. What
about you, coming back soon?
I want to thank all our friends that have send the letter to the mayor. Together we are stronger than all the nasty money working against us.
There has been a meeting with the cordinator of Greenpeace and different people in the government today. Hope I have some good news to report soon.Crusoe - 5-15-2007 at 05:33 PM
Hooray....Lets all keep our figers crossed that the powers that be, will do the right thing.Minnow - 5-15-2007 at 05:38 PM
You are a super gal Osa. Best of luck with everything.fishbuck - 5-15-2007 at 05:47 PM
Like I said " It ain't over till it's over"
Good job everybody! Keep up the good work!
Fight this until the very end. This is just round 1 of 28 marinas planed for SOC and Baja.
Now what else can we do to support this effort?Osa - 5-16-2007 at 05:18 PM
If you read Spanish this is the link to the news about the meeting yesterday. If not, I will try to give an idea about what it says. Neither English
nor Spanish is my mother tongue.
Los Cabos Mayor boycotting the protection of the Estuary meeting.
The San Jose Estuary is an oasis in one of the most arid areas in Mexico. This eco system is the refugee of many endangered species in extinction as
also the supply of fresh water for the Los Cabos area.
San Jose del Cabo, Baja California Sur, Mexico - In spite of the official promise given by the president's office in Los Cabos, to support a meeting
with Greenpeace to evaluate the problem with San Jose Estuary, the Mayor Luis Armando Diaz decided to boycot the meeting, to avoid the subject and
break the dialogue, informed the ecology organization.
During the two hours that the meeting lasted with the public offical, did he demand that Greenpeace retract the contra information that the government
presented on April 29 (see the attached text below), centering the discussion to his personal and family reputation that is affected because of this
information; opening the meeting to talk about the NOM 029, the area of sport fishing, ignoring the responsibility of the protection of the Estuary
and the approval of the construction permits in the ecology reserve and included varous members of his group (crew) to avoid the subject.
Translation below
"Lamentamos la actitud del presidente municipal. La reunion desafortunadamente fue un fracaso. De manera deliberada la convirtio en un dialogo de
sordos y no se pudo llegar a ningun acuerdo satisfactorio. Auque todo funcionario publico tiene por responsabilidad servir a la comunidad que lo
eligio, no nos queda mas que refrendar lo que dijimos anteriormente en el "contrainforme" que presentamos: es un alcalde comprometido con la industria
privada y no con su comunidad", arfirmo Alejandro Olivera, coordinador de la campana de oceanos de Greenpeace.
Translation
( The attitude of the municipal president is sad. Unfortunately the meeting was a failure. Deliberately the meeting converted to a dialogue with deafs
and it was not possible to get to a satisfying agreement. Although all public servers have resposibility to the community that elected them, we can
just say again what we said before in the "contrainforme" that we presented: is a president committed to the private industry and not to his
community), declared
Alerjandro Olivera, coordator of the Greenpeace campaign for the oceans.
The municipal president agreed to this meeting with Greenpeace on May 10th, when the organization had tents and an office at Puerto Los Cabos, in
context to a march for the protection of the Estuary.
It should be mentioned that the interior rules of the city council of Los Cabos authorizes private / personal construction licenses,
---------
This is about half of the press release, the part that tells about the meeting. At the end Olivera says, - we came here represented by the worried
"cabenos", more than 25,000 Greenpeace MExico members and the 10,700 people that have sent a letter to the mayor. We will continue to meet with
authorities that take decisions on Federal, State and Municipal level with the only purpose to save the Estuary San Jose "a toda costa"
I am a little tired, the "contrainforme" is like a parody of the yearly information that the presidents give. If I have time manana I will translate
that part also
I will be backfishbuck - 5-16-2007 at 05:57 PM
So we have the classic " Mexican Standoff " but I guess in Mexico they just call it a standoff.
Don't give up. They will try to stall you until you give up.
I hope the Greenpeace people are back to the protest site otherwise the tractors will cut the channel. Maybe the was the mayors plan all along.
VIVA ESTERIO!Osa - 5-16-2007 at 06:35 PM
Fishbuck
I will try to keep my eyes open, if I see any activities of that kind, like if they intend to open up to the ocean, I will call my connections at
Greenpeace, immediately!!!!
For anyone that lives here, contact me if you see something suspicious, please???Crusoe - 5-16-2007 at 07:19 PM
Osa......Thank You...Thank You...Thank You!!!!Osa - 5-17-2007 at 03:27 PM
Again, I am not claiming that my translation is perfect, here is the conflict, how I have understood it.
-------
"Contrainforme from April 29th"
- A Government is measured by its work for the community
- We damaged the Estuary San Jose, the only ecologic reserve in the State, that gave us fresh water, to build the Avenida Centenario. We took out 61
million 473 thousand 922 pesos from our purse to do this, is to say 47 thousand pesos per linear meter. For the one that think this road is useless
we can inform that it has one usefulness: to connect the airport with Puerto Los Cabos, to avoid passing the center of San Jose del Cabo!
- We did all we could to make it easy for Puerto Los Cabos to make the groundwater salty with the construction of their marina, we also succeeded to
deplete the little freshwater that we have in Los Cabos.
- We also encouraged Puerto Los Cabos to drive out the La Playa community and push other communities to leave their land, so their houses could be
transformed to golf courses.
- We managed to ignore the closing of the construction of this artery that Profepa (the Federal office of Ambient Protection) ordered.
- We also managed to avoid the manifestation of the alimental impact that Semarnat (Secretary of Ambience and Natural Resources) requiered.
So, we guarantee the destruction of the Estuary, with nobody disturbing us.
- With no delay no major evaluation, do we guarantee Puerto Los Cabos all the necessary construction permits even though the work ruins the Estuary
also.
- We violated the managing plan of the Estuary San Jose promoting that the State Government leave in our hands the administration of this ecologic
reserve, with the goal to make it easier to totally destroy it.
- With all this work do we assist the managements of Puerto Los Cabos and not the population that put us on this post of popular representation.
We are a Government commited.......
to the interest of the private tourist industry
---------
In the evening yesterday I saw that we have 11,609 letters to the Mayor so far.
Talking of the Mayor, do you remember the fountains by the City Hall? I guess that most of you know that they were knocked down a couple of months
ago. I red somewhere that this was oredered by our Mayor and that he defended himself with the words that he did not think that he had to ask anyone
for permission. The fountains were gone during the night when we all had our beauty sleep. As always, nobody asks about our opinion. We that live here
and love our quaint old town. The year before there were some nice expensive water play...word?, installed, later they were taken to Cabo San Lucas
and now a lawyer told me that they ended up at someone's property???Osa - 5-21-2007 at 04:58 PM
"El alcalde de Los Cabos recibio mas cartas de votos"
"Los Cabos Mayor received more letters than votes"
18,863 letters were send to Mayor Luis Armando Diaz in Los Cabos, to request him to protect the Estuary San Jose.
Greenpeace will continue demanding all the politicians to participate in protecting this ecology reserve. Profepa and Semarnat ( see earlier note)
have to investigate the situation. Greenpeace is still with us even if we do not see them. When I have news I will be back.
The letter signing to our Mayor is over. We managed to get more signatures than the 16,000 votes that gave Sr. Diaz his chair in The City Hall.
I am impressed and do not know a better word than THANK YOU ALL, that supported us!
