Protecting
the Marine Turtles at Colola
Colola, Michoacan
February 22 - March 9, 2012
Volunteer project: For over 14 years this project has been organized in the Turtle Camp at Colola Beach with extraordinary results. This project is the source of many beautiful stories; hundreds of volunteers from all over the world had participated. The aim of this projects is to protect the marine turtles working in tight collaboration with the local population who lives in Colola Town or as they say “the place where dreams come true”. Volunteers along with local people will realize activities to protect the turtles, and will help to ensure the survival of the turtles for the future generations. There are two species of turtles arriving to this area: Negra (Black Turtle) and Golfina (Olive Riddle Turtle), the size of the turtles vary from 1 meter to 1.5 meters long and the weight from 40 kg to 100 kg. Every turtle makes a nest of around 150 eggs. If you like nature, to spend time in an astonishing beautiful virgin beach far away from hotels and tourists, and witness the magic that nature had made for millions of years, this project is for you!
The main work consists in patrolling the beach at
night, finding the adult turtles and collecting the eggs, burying them in a
secure place (vivero in Spanish) and setting the baby turtles free back in
to the ocean. This must be carried out by night since turtles do not go
out the ocean by day (because of natural predators, it is safer for
turtles to get out the ocean in the dark). In collaboration with local
indigenous people from Colola, volunteers will seek for the turtles
taking care of their eggs and the baby turtles. Locals are very friendly
and working with them is very pleasant as they explain to the group what
to do. We need very motivated volunteers who really want to get involved
in this project willing to interact with the local people and their
culture.
There are also some extra activities to do with the local people to help
improve the town such as setting names to the streets or helping to
arrange an all purpose playground for the children and maybe some
cleaning tasks, but it depends on your initiative! Local people are very
open to participate in other activities and volunteers can also propose
their own initiatives, so your ideas will be welcomed!
Language: The official language of the project is English but some Spanish would be appreciated.
Leisure time: There are many nice activities that can be done close to Colola Beach. For example you can visit Chicuasa, a small spot protected by reefs that make a natural pool where you can go swimming every day. It is also possible to discover other towns such as La Placita or Maruata. Also if you prefer, you can visit big touristic centers such as Ixtapa and Manzanillo for the weekend.
Accommodation: Volunteers will stay at the turtle camp in a wooden construction, made of coco palm trees. It is safe and very fresh (needed in the warm weather of the beach!). There are wooden beds (no mattresses), a kitchen, a rustic bathroom and a place to stock food. There is electricity just enough to light some lamps and it is necessary to bring sleeping bag and mattress. The place is basic but functional and it is located 20 to 30 minutes walking from Colola town. Colola is a small town but it has modern services such as internet access, medical services and telephone.
Location: Colola is located on the Pacific coast of Mexico. It's a remote place that offers an excellent opportunity to be close to nature, on a virgin beach, with no tourism around. The closest city is Tecoman at 200 kilometers.
Nearest airport: The biggest closest international airport is in Mexico City.
Age range: 18 and over
Extra fee: 180 Euro
The extra fee is intended to support the hosting organization who does not have sufficient funds. It is due upon arrival on the project.
My Trip to Colola, Michoacan, Mexico:
"The paperwork wasn’t lying when they said you’d be sleeping in a palm hut! The beds are made of wooden boards, so it is behoove of you to bring a sleeping pad! The place itself is pretty secluded. Town is maybe 10-20 minutes walking distance from the camp. There are a few small stores with the bare necessities and a computer lab. Outlets in Mexico are the same as in the United States; the camp didn’t have any but the town did have a few. Don’t be surprised if you have horses, donkeys, or cows walking through the camp.
The locals work by the week; so each week you work with a different group of people. They always have at least one person there ‘on watch’. Generally, depending on who their team leader was, we would start work between 2000 and 2100. Work would last 4-7 hours. One to two volunteers are usually assigned to a local. There are four zones on the beach; two of them are collecting and two are marking. Depending on who you work with and certain zones, you can mark the turtles with a metal tattoo / tag that contains a tracking number. The collecting zones involve waiting for the females to lay their eggs, helping move her out of the hole, measuring the length of the female’s shell, noting if she has a tag, the time, zone, and digging up the eggs (anywhere from 1 to over 130) for transport. Once collected, the eggs are transported back to camp where they are buried and marked. There is also a group assigned to release. Once the babies come to the surface, you collect and count them before taking them down to the ocean for release.
Our group got up between 0900 and 1000 for a late breakfast. Some people went to the town for food, supplies, or internet. Others stayed at camp to read, clean up, nap, or enjoy the beach. Swimming is not authorized at the turtle camp; however, you could go just beyond the town and go swimming there. On the weekends we would usually go to a beach either farther east or west of camp for different scenery. There are some walls in the town that could use a nice mural or something on them… we didn’t have time. A few of us did post signs along the road marking how close the camp was (500 m, 1000m, and 1500m). Don’t be afraid to hitchhike, by far the cheapest and quickest way to get around.
The trip was an amazing time. I met some awesome people from all over- Finland, Wales, South Korea, France, Mexico, and the United States. I’d recommend this kind of volunteer project to anyone that loves the outdoors, beaches, and turtles! "
Natalie D.,
Cadip volunteer 2010
Restoration
and preservation of the historic town centre of Morelia
Morelia, Michoacan
April 4 - April 20, 2012
Volunteer project: This will be the 7th year this project is organized in Morelia City. The aim of the project is to maintain the historic Morelia’s downtown declared World Heritage by UNESCO, and to preserve all its splendor and beauty. Morelia is a beautiful colonial city built in “pink stone”. It has a really nice weather. Volunteers in past projects helped in different restoration activities and workshops to create awareness about the importance of preserving the World Cultural Heritage. The local host will be happy to have a new group because of the very good memories of past volunteers and the very good results of this project. People in Morelia are very friendly. If you are looking for a project in a very nice city with a lot of culture and history, to do something useful and make new friends, this project is for you!
Together with groups of local volunteers, the international volunteers will take part in different activities involving restoration of historical buildings, painting specific parts of the downtown area, as well as maintenance tasks such as restoration of ancient fountains. The local volunteers are looking forward to welcome the international volunteers to work together on meaningful projects but also to make friends and show them Mexican culture!
Language: The official language of the project is English but some Spanish would be appreciated.
Leisure time: There are many possibilities for leisure activities in and around Morelia. The city is 500 years old and is a very famous cultural place of Mexico. It is well known for its history that dates back to the Mexican independence and colonial times. Morelia is catalogued as a World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO. The city offers many cultural activities such as cinema, theater, music, night clubs, expositions and festivals. It is also very easy to organize a weekend at the beach, since the city is just 3 hours away from the Pacific coast. Morelia is also very close to other beautiful places: magic towns like Patzcuaro, beautiful lakes such as Zirahuen, as well as natural reserves and other colonial cities such as Guanajuato and Queretaro.
Accommodation: Volunteers will be hosted in a house with all facilities at disposal: kitchen, hot water, etc.
Location: Morelia city is located in the center of Mexico. It is very well connected by bus and is located close to big cities such as Mexico city (3 hours), Guadalajara city (3.5 hours), Guanajuato city (2 hours).
Nearest airport: The biggest and closest international airport is in Mexico City. The city of Morelia also has an international airport.
Age range: 18 and over
click
here for long-term projects in Mexico
click here
for volunteer programs in other countries
FOR FULL, STARTED AND PAST PROJECTS, CLICK HERE
