The fourth annual monitoring meeting of the Grupo Tortuguero, held August 12-13 in Lopez Mateos, was a huge success with over 50 participants representing 13 communities throughout the peninsula and mainland Mexico. This meeting is a chance for members of the network to come together and celebrate the work they are doing to preserve the world’s sea turtles, as well as to share data, experiences and lessons learned while working throughout Baja California and the Sea of Cortez.

At this meeting we had the opportunity to welcome the new members of the Grupo Tortuguero monitoring network - Agua Verde, El Pardito and the municipality of Guasave, Sinaloa. Each of these sites is a sea turtle hotspot, and we are lucky to have them join our team. Additionally, the new Comite Coordinador (coordinating committee) of the Grupo Tortuguero was formed, with 5 individuals, representing each municipality within the network, elected to the committee. This committee will guide decision-making and ensure that all communities within the network are equally represented.

 We would like to thank the ProCaguama team and the pueblo of Lopez Mateos for hosting this year’s meeting; National Marine Fisheries Service for their sponsorship of the meeting; and Rachel Tuck for her time and energy volunteering at the meeting and the sea turtle festival!

This monitoring meeting, held each fall, is a precursor to the Annual Meeting of the Grupo Tortuguero. The 8th Annual Meeting will be held in Loreto, BCS, January 27-29, 2006. This meeting is open to the public and we hope to see you there! For more information about the Grupo Tortuguero visit www.grupotortuguero.org