Volunteer to Help Save Endangered Sea Turtles in Todos Santos
Three species of endangered Sea Turtles nest on the beaches of Todos Santos: Olive Ridley, Black, and the critically endangered Leatherback. Our volunteers relocate these sea turtle nests to special incubation areas on the beach to ensure their survival. During summer months Olive Ridley nests are moved into an open-air corral where they are protected from coyotes, racoons and various predatory birds. Volunteers are trained in collecting data on nesting sea turtles, nest relocation, incubation supervision, nest excavation, and hatchling releases. Nightly patrols are run on ATV's, and days can be spent supervising the incubation area, helping with beach clean-ups, or simply relaxing. There are lots of beautiful beaches to explore in the area, as well as a culture-rich downtown full of shopping, dining, and art galleries. December through March whale watching is amazing in Todos Santos.
October- March, the Leatherback arrives in Todos Santos to nest, but sand temperatures are too low to allow natural incubation. For this reason, we construct an Incubation Greenhouse. All nests are relocated to the Incubation Greenhouse where sand temperatures are monitored to ensure incubation. The greenhouse has successfully produced healthy Leatherback, Olive Ridley and Black hatchlings, when natural incubation is impossible during cold winter months. . The greenhouse, which can raise the temperature up to six degrees celcius, is an important conservation strategy for the recovery of the Pacific Leatherback and Black sea turtles.
Volunteer accommodations are available in comfortable casitas with La Sirena Eco Adventures. The Casitas are conveniently located between the beach and centro and are the starting and ending point of the nightly patrols. Volunteers staying in the casitas can be woken up and taken to the nesting site if a turtle is on the beach during your night off.
If you will be in Todos Santos for the nesting season at another location, Volunteer opportunities are also available. Contact us to plan your family camp-out, organize a school field trip or create a group conservation activity. You can also help supervise the incubation corral and greenhouse, and assist with hatchling releases in Las Playitas. If you are interested in Volunteering for nightly patrols, or would like to Volunteer with your own ATV, please contact us.
Join us for this Experience of a Lifetime! Volunteer during the 2011-2012 nesting season.
Experience is not a requirement, all applicants are accepted provided there is space.
October- March, the Leatherback arrives in Todos Santos to nest, but sand temperatures are too low to allow natural incubation. For this reason, we construct an Incubation Greenhouse. All nests are relocated to the Incubation Greenhouse where sand temperatures are monitored to ensure incubation. The greenhouse has successfully produced healthy Leatherback, Olive Ridley and Black hatchlings, when natural incubation is impossible during cold winter months. . The greenhouse, which can raise the temperature up to six degrees celcius, is an important conservation strategy for the recovery of the Pacific Leatherback and Black sea turtles.
Volunteer accommodations are available in comfortable casitas with La Sirena Eco Adventures. The Casitas are conveniently located between the beach and centro and are the starting and ending point of the nightly patrols. Volunteers staying in the casitas can be woken up and taken to the nesting site if a turtle is on the beach during your night off.
If you will be in Todos Santos for the nesting season at another location, Volunteer opportunities are also available. Contact us to plan your family camp-out, organize a school field trip or create a group conservation activity. You can also help supervise the incubation corral and greenhouse, and assist with hatchling releases in Las Playitas. If you are interested in Volunteering for nightly patrols, or would like to Volunteer with your own ATV, please contact us.
Join us for this Experience of a Lifetime! Volunteer during the 2011-2012 nesting season.
Experience is not a requirement, all applicants are accepted provided there is space.
