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Isla Mujeres, mexico -- March
23, 2009 – This summer, thousands of visitors to Isla
Mujeres, Mexico will celebrate the beauty and culture of this fishing
community while championing the need to preserve a fragile marine ecosystem
at the Whale Shark Festival, a five-day extravaganza that showcases
the achievements, the traditions and the environmental splendor of Isla
Mujeres.
Announced today, Project Domino, an initiative sponsored by the Mexican
government helping scientists study whale sharks, has joined the Festival
as a partner. Project Domino is dedicated to the study, preservation
and tracking of whale sharks in the waters surrounding the Yucatan.
Their local Photo Identification library is shared with the Global Tracking
Library.
Project Domino joins Festival sponsors Ceviche Tours, an ecotourism
company, and the Department of Tourism for Isla Mujeres. Nonprofit
partners include environmental leaders ECOCEAN, a renowned marine conservation
organization; and Amigos de Isla Contoy A.C., which promotes the conservation
of Isla Contoy, nature areas and regional projects of the Yucatan peninsula.
The Festival will be held July 1-5, 2009 in Isla Mujeres, Quintana Roo,
Mexico.
Guests can swim with whale sharks, an endangered species and the largest
fish in the ocean. They can join the worldwide effort to protect
and preserve whale sharks by adding their photos to ECOCEAN’s
international Whale Shark Photo-Identification Library Project, a visual
database of the unique markings that allow scientists to indentify –
and track – individual whale sharks. The Project incorporates
a worldwide network of ecotourism sites, with regional databases (including
that of Project Domino) connected to the global Photo Identification
Library.
By contributing their excursion photos of whale sharks to the Library,
guests take part in the important efforts to identify, track and protect
this endangered species as “Citizen Scientists.”
At the Festival, guests can participate in a wide variety of
family-friendly activities:
- Live music, traditional dancing, booths and displays by local
artisans
- Tours of the Turtle Farm on Isla Mujeres
- Private excursions to Boca Iglesia, the first church built in
North America (in 1517)
- Snorkeling, diving adventures to the reefs and wrecks surrounding
Isla Mujeres
- Trips to Contoy Island to tour the National Park, the most important
nesting place of sea birds in all of the Mexican Caribbean, and
the Bird Sanctuary
- Swimming with whale sharks, the world’s largest fish
- Sport fishing charters, in-shore and offshore
“The Festival is an opportunity for travelers to
participate in ecotourism adventures and to immerse themselves in the
culture of this vibrant island community,” said John Vater, who
co-founded Ceviche Tours with his wife, Adriana, and longtime friend
and Isla Mujeres native Luis Refugio “Cuco” Sanchez and
his family. “They can also become ‘Citizen Scientists’
by participating in conservation initiatives that truly impact the survival
of the marine environment in Isla Mujeres.”
From July 2-4, 2009 preeminent scholars on marine biology, sustainable
ecotourism and Mayan Architecture will present sessions for the academic
community as well as the general public.
- Catalina Galindo de Prince, executive director of Amigos de Isla
Contoy, A.C.
- Alfonso Morales, Mayan archaeologist who recently served as Principal
Investigator for the Proyecto Grupo de las Cruces at Palenque (Mexico)
- Brad Norman, ECOCEAN founder and National Geographic Emerging
Explorers award-winner
- Rafael de la Parra, Lead Marine Biologist for Project Domino
Children will also participate, enjoying projects where they
explore the reefs, fish, and learn about the local bird population
and conservation efforts.
“The Whale Shark Festival is a true celebration of the culture,
heritage and the beautiful marine habitat that make Isla Mujeres the
Jewel of the Yucatan Peninsula,” said Eyder Jahil Hoth Pérez,
director of tourism for Isla Mujeres.
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