Feb. 08, San Ignacio Lagoon
By: Rodrigoro
Manterola
Hundreds of thousands of empty clam shells on the ground
welcomed us to San Ignacio Lagoon, a reminder of ancient times not so long ago
when uncontrolled fishing and a
lacking in regulations depleted the area of all catalina clams, an endemic
species that struggles to stay alive in a world that apparently won’t miss it
when it’s gone.
Many things have changed since the 90’s and some catalina
clams can be seen in the lagoon again. Now, after 20 years more or less, the
lagoon is a protected area where the local fishermen self-regulate their work
and protect the many species that call San Ignacio Lagoon their home.
Some of these species are around all year long; some others
come from far north to shelter themselves from the cold winter, amongst them;
the majestic gray whale, the reason for our own migration to San Ignacio.
Campo Cortez can be seen from the distance laying in the
flat windy desert aside the Lagoon. From the road, the green cabanas blend with
the shrubby vegetation and the mangrove. Planned to be environmentally
friendly, the camp was once a bunch of tents that housed the dreams of the
Fischer and the Friday families, who started the project twenty-some years ago.
Now, these families work side by side not only to make some dreams come true
but also to teach foreigners and locals the importance of keeping San Ignacio
Lagoon healthy and alive.
For Lorna and I, to come to San Ignacio is a mix of dreams
and hopes, hard work and a whole lot of learning lie ahead of us, to live in
such a hard environment makes us feel so much more respect for the people, the
plants, and of course the animals of San Ignacio.
The first few days…
The wind blows day and night, and my lips and ears are the
first ones to notice the dryness of the deserts while Maldo assures me the wind
will stop soon. Although the environment is demanding the most of us, the
rewards are plenty. In just a
couple of days I’ve seen more whales
than most of the avid whale watchers I’ve come to meet in the camp, some of
these folks have been following whales for years. I feel lucky to be here.
Touch down!!
Today the wind stopped, from over 20 miles per hour to a
flat zero, while that alone should be reason enough to celebrate, the main
event was this morning; Lorna touched a whale!!
We were on our pangas with 8 of our guests. The conditions
were perfect; no wind and a whole lot of whales. We were riding for no more
than 20 minutes when a mother and her calf showed interest in us. Slowly but
surely they got closer and closer until finally they were within our reach. Everyone
on the boat got to rub the new mommy and the recently born baby. Tristan, a young boy who came to the
camp from California, was singing at that moment. Some people believe singing
attracts whales, some other people think singing does not make a difference,
me; I think singing is great and it makes no difference if it makes a
difference or not.
No comments:
Post a Comment