Alamos Wildlands Alliance Weblog
Weblog for the Alamos Wildlands Alliance and Navopatia Field Station2009-10
Hello-
We apologize for the length between posts, but as usual things are busy.
The winter is shaping up to be a great one. Contact us now if you would like to make reservations. February is already booked solid! The past hurricane season was quite merciful to the field station with minimal wind and rain damage. We are looking forward to some new improvements at the station this year and look forward to seeing some new and old friends. The Christmas bird count is tentatively scheduled for mid December, stay tuned for details. Thanks to all of our supporters and members this year we wouldn’t have been able to do any of the work we do without you!
2008-09 Season Starts Soon!
Hello AWA members, supporters, and friends-
The 2008-2009 season is rapidly approaching. As usual, the field station will be open on December 1st. December is gearing up to be busy so make your reservations now at navopatia@gmail.com. We are all excited about the upcoming winter and spring. There will be a host of new projects and outreach initiatives this year. We are fortunate and thankful to member donations to welcome our staff biologist, Lydia Lozano, of nearby Sinaloa, back this year. Lydia will be managing our research and education programs this winter. Thanks to a kidney transplant and everyone’s prayers, Robin Hiersche will be returning this winter as well. We are very excited to have our on staff EMT, massage therapist, musical enchanter, and bearer of goodwill back with us.
Members, be sure to check your mailbox in the upcoming weeks for our latest newesletter. It will be posted on our website at a later date.
Due to rising gas and food prices throughout the continent the Alamos Wildlands Alliance is forced to raise prices this season. As reflected on the website we had to raise prices $5.00 (USD) per night. All of the wonderful food and ammenties have remained the same, with several improvements. The Navopatia field station remains not only a principal education and research site but also the best ecotourism value in Sonora. We hope to see you this year.
A great passing
Hello-
A sad time at the Navopatia Field Station and the area as a whole. On February 22, 2008 Ruben Mendivil Cota passed away.
Everyone who came to the station was touched by Ruben. He was a teacher with endless patience and skills that could never be counted. He became much more than a friend to many of us. All who tried his world famous ceviche went back for more. He built every building at the field station and performed all the maintenance every year.
Ruben is survived By his wife Lupita, son Rubencito, daughter Bianka, and his granddaughter Mariana. We would like to start a fund to help the family through the difficult years ahead. Please donate on the AWA website under the support us tab and say your donation is for Ruben.
The Station closes with Semana Santa and will reopen in December. Nothing will ever be the same but we will continue.
Check back here later for updates of the last few months of activity at the field station.
January has been busy!
January was a busy month at the field station this year. The 2008 interns arrived and quickly got to work at a dizzying pace. Bird surveys and vegetation sampling have been proceeding well with new species of plants and birds recorded for the area. Including, Cassin’s Sparrows, Lincoln’s Sparrows, and a Parasitic Jaeger. Boa Constrictors have been around the station brightening our days, and there have been some amazing swims and paddles with the Dolphins.
The field station has had visits from people from the Huatabampo municipio, Pronatura Noroeste, and CONANP (Commision Nacional de las Areas Natuarales Protejidas), in order to discuss the proposed reserve with the people of Agiabampo.
Thank you to everyone who has helped support AWA through the program- “ one percent for the planet.” If you are not familiar with this fantastic program visit our website under the ” Support us” page. Personal donations such as these are what helps keep our organization work going.
It has been getting busy at the NAvopatia Field Station recently. We have had a fair number of guests ejnoying the birds and frequent dolphin encounters. Or staff Biologist, Lydia Lozano, has arrived from Culiacan and is getting things ready for the field season. It has been chilly over xmas and New Years but we expect things to warm up. Stay tuned for more news.
The first pulse of the 2007-08 MoSI (Monitoreo Sobrevivencia Invernal) bird banding program went well. We banded 47 birds of 14 species, up slightly from last year. There were even a few recaptures from last winter. The species banded this week were:
Orange-Crowned Warbler
Bell’s Vireo
Verdin
Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher
Hammond’s Flycatcher
Northern Cardinal
Northern Mockingbird
White-crowned Sparrow
Brewer’s Sparrow
Rufous-Winged Sparrow
Cactus Wren
Broad-billed Hummingbird
Ladderbacked Woodpecker
Gila Woodpecker
The Field Station will be ready for guests in December. January will be busy and mostly booked so come down now. For availability call 647-108-3712 (from a land line in Mexico you must dial 044 first, from the states use the prefix – 011521 then the number) Our phone issues should be solved soon allowing us to once again check messages and (sometimes) get to the phone in time to answer it. You can also email navopatia@gmail.com , please give us a little time to respond. The weather and water are beautiful, we hope to see you soon.
The Field Station is soon to be up and running. Sallie and Adam retuned to find that the summer hurricanes did minimal damage. Ruben and Lupita look forward to seeing everyone again even though Ruben has again lost quite a bit of weight. Joaquin passed the summer well also.
Shorebird migration does not seem to have hit yet, however there are plenty of birds moving through. There were a few new clearcuts on the road out to the coast but none near the proposed reserve. Thanks to everyone for their support and more news will follow.
