BajaNomad

National Geographic article "Grey Whales Saved Off Baja California"

Loretana - 2-27-2013 at 07:14 PM

<http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2013/02/27/gray-whales-saved-off-baja-california/>

San Ignacio Lagoon is wonderful!

David K - 2-27-2013 at 07:42 PM

From the link above: "Movie stars and famous musicians joined with local activists and American campaigners to stop the salt works and bring international attention to the plight of the gray whale. In 2000, Mitsubishi declared its intention to withdraw its plans. We had won!"
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Interesting that over in Scammon's Lagoon (Laguna Ojo de Liebre) the grey whale population keeps growing and booming, despite the salt mining operation of pumps, barge shipments from that lagoon to Cedros Island, etc. ? The whales don't seem bothered at all. I wonder what the difference would be at San Ignacio lagoon salt beds? I know one objection was a long pier to ship out the salt from. Maybe that was it?

Salt is made in central Baja by pumping sea water onto salt pans and then letting the sun evaporate away the water... a renewable resource.

liknbaja127 - 2-27-2013 at 07:54 PM

Is it true they us the salt for PVC piping?

David K - 2-27-2013 at 08:03 PM

Never heard that... as salt will 'melt' when wet, it doesn't seem like it would be used to make water pipe (PVC)...

liknbaja127 - 2-27-2013 at 08:10 PM

thanks Dave, I will check it out this weeked, will be down for a few days.
first time in that area. can't remember were I heard that, have a hard time
remembering what I did last week!!

David K - 2-27-2013 at 08:15 PM

PVC= Poly Vinyl Chloride... and is used to make a LOT of things, not just sprinkler and drain pipe. I took a peek at Wikipedia and couldn't find any connection with table salt, but who knows?

Whale-ista - 2-27-2013 at 08:33 PM

yes re PVC piping. PV= polyvinyl and C=chloride. source of this is salt,=sodium chloride

Yes regarding fears of impacts of massive pier on local fisheries. concerns were that the pier would disrupt flows of currents into lagoon and along coast that help distribute larvae for many species of fish commercially harvested in SI lagoon and other areas near Vizcaino/Pta Abreojos.

Also increased operation of ships carrying salt offshore to Cedros for transport might interfere with whales migrating south

Finally, GN is a very different area, heavily industrialized for decades, and not part of an internationally recognized biosphere reserve dedicated under UNESCO

For more historical info see: http://www.netconnection.com/commentary.html

mtgoat666 - 2-27-2013 at 08:34 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by David K
PVC= Poly Vinyl Chloride... and is used to make a LOT of things, not just sprinkler and drain pipe. I took a peek at Wikipedia and couldn't find any connection with table salt, but who knows?


NaCl is source of chloride in poly vinyl chloride,... Go look it up!

mtgoat666 - 2-27-2013 at 08:38 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by David K
Salt is made in central Baja by pumping sea water onto salt pans and then letting the sun evaporate away the water... a renewable resource.


Depends on what resource you are talking about, and how you define renewable.

DianaT - 2-28-2013 at 09:12 AM

The whales were great poster children for stopping something that would have been a disaster for the locals. There were also labor issues involved. The fishing co-ops were opposed to the develop for very good reasons.

The salt water at Ojo de Liebre is diverted into large ponds where the evaporation occurs and there are local environmentalists who are concerned about the future health of the lagoon and the possible effects on the Whales. And the destruction of the surrounding landscape is really ugly.

[Edited on 2-28-2013 by DianaT]

shari - 2-28-2013 at 09:26 AM

Diana is correct that whales attract the attention needed to stop or postpone a mega-project. Ojo de Liebre IS a world heritage Unesco site as well but the salt works were there before the designation. The whales have gotten used to all the noise from the pumps..and pangas...and dont really feed in the lagoons anyway but shipping traffic does present a problem especially for sleeping whales who do get hit by boats.

I wonder if the new change in government may reverse the decision to expand the salt works to san ignacio in the future???? big money there.

DianaT - 2-28-2013 at 09:32 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by shari

I wonder if the new change in government may reverse the decision to expand the salt works to san ignacio in the future???? big money there.


I hope not. :no:

Gray Whales Saved Off Baja California

Gypsy Jan - 2-28-2013 at 01:11 PM

From National Geographic

By Mark J. Spalding, President, The Ocean Foundation

It's gray whale migration season on the west coast of North America

"One of my early major marine conservation campaigns was to help with the protection of Laguna San Ignacio in Baja California Sur, a primary gray whale breeding and nursery estuary-and still, I believe, one of the most beautiful places on Earth. In the late 1980's, Mitsubishi proposed establishing a major salt works in Laguna San Ignacio. The Mexican government was inclined to approve it for economic development reasons, despite the fact that the lagoon has multiple designations as a protected area both nationally and internationally.

A determined five-year campaign drew thousands of donors who supported an international effort that was implemented by a partnership that included many organizations. Movie stars and famous musicians joined with local activists and American campaigners to stop the salt works and bring international attention to the plight of the gray whale. In 2000, Mitsubishi declared its intention to withdraw its plans. We had won!

In 2010, the veterans of that campaign gathered at one of the rustic camps of Laguna San Ignacio to celebrate the 10th anniversary of that victory. We took the children of the local community out on their first whale-watching expedition-an activity that provides the winter livelihood for their families. Our group included campaigners such as Joel Reynolds of NRDC who still works on behalf of marine mammals every day, and Jared Blumenfeld, who has gone on to serve the environment in government service.

Also among us was Patricia Martinez, one of the conservation leaders in Baja California whose commitment and drive carried her places she could not have imagined in defense of that beautiful lagoon. We traveled to Morocco and Japan, among other places, to defend the lagoon's World Heritage status and ensure global recognition for the threats it faced. Patricia, her sister Laura, and other community representatives were a major part of our success and remain a continuing presence in defense of other threatened places along the Baja California peninsula.

In early February, I attended the Southern California Marine Mammal Workshop. Hosted by Pacific Life Foundation in partnership with The Ocean Foundation, this workshop has been held in Newport Beach each year since January 2010. From senior researchers to marine mammal veterinarians to young Ph.D. candidates, the workshop participants represent an array of government and educational institutions, as well as a handful of other funders and NGOs. The focus of the research is on marine mammals in the Southern California Bight, a 90,000 square mile area of the Eastern Pacific extending 450 miles along the Pacific Ocean coast from Point Conception near Santa Barbara south to Cabo Colonet in Baja California, Mexico.

The threats to marine mammals are diverse-from emerging diseases to shifts in ocean chemistry and temperature to fatal interactions with human activities. Yet, the energy and enthusiasm of the collaborations that emerge from this workshop inspires hope that we will succeed in promoting the health and protection of all marine mammals. And, it was gratifying to hear how well the gray whale population is recovering thanks to international protections and local vigilance.

In the beginning of March, we will toast the 13th anniversary of our victory in Laguna San Ignacio. It will be bittersweet to remember those heady days because I am sorry to say that Patricia Martinez lost her struggle with cancer at the end of January. She was a valiant spirit and a passionate animal lover, as well as a wonderful sister, colleague, and friend. The story of the gray whale nursery of Laguna San Ignacio is story of protection supported by vigilance and enforcement, it is the story of local, regional, and international cooperation, and it is the story of working out the differences to achieve a common goal. By this time next year, a paved highway will connect the lagoon to the rest of the world for the first time. It will bring changes.

We can hope that most of those changes are for the good of the whales and the small human communities who depend on them-and for the lucky visitors who get to see these magnificent creatures up close. And I expect that it will serve as a reminder to remain supportive and vigilant to ensure that the gray whale success story remains a success story."

Mark J. Spalding is president of the The Ocean Foundation

Whale-ista - 3-1-2013 at 09:22 AM

Thanks for sharing this post. Brings back good memories when I had more time to travel in Baja.

Mark and I worked on this when he was at UCSD and I was living in Ensenada. That's when we co-authored this commentary for San Diego and Mexico City publication.

Has anyone heard of new plans to expand salt works? I hope not...

http://www.netconnection.com/commentary.html

The Gull - 3-1-2013 at 03:07 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Whale-ista
yes re PVC piping. PV= polyvinyl and C=chloride. source of this is salt,=sodium chloride

Yes regarding fears of impacts of massive pier on local fisheries. concerns were that the pier would disrupt flows of currents into lagoon and along coast that help distribute larvae for many species of fish commercially harvested in SI lagoon and other areas near Vizcaino/Pta Abreojos.

Also increased operation of ships carrying salt offshore to Cedros for transport might interfere with whales migrating south

Finally, GN is a very different area, heavily industrialized for decades, and not part of an internationally recognized biosphere reserve dedicated under UNESCO

For more historical info see: http://www.netconnection.com/commentary.html


So the salt shaker on the table is a contaminate because NaCl is table salt?

Leo - 3-1-2013 at 08:30 PM

Yes and No, Gull

The Gull - 3-8-2013 at 05:06 PM

When is it yes and when is it no?