Prescott College Kino Bay Center for Cultural and Ecological Studies€¦ · · 2018-04-26Kino...

Prescott College Kino Bay Center for Cultural and Ecological Studies

Protecting priority species and habitats through the integrated application of science, education, information exchange and community participation

Annual Report 2016/2017

Letter from the Director: Lorayne MeltzerDear Kino Bay Center Community,

Once again, I am moved to begin this report by recognizing the cumulative contributions of the 1000’s of people who have invested their time and energy in the mission, vision and work of the Center. Improved outreach and communication over the past two seasons has helped us reconnect with many of you, and build stronger relationships with others.

In 2016/2017, we began the implementation of a five-year strategic plan with continued support from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, Programa Pescadero (FONOR). Through this process we reached a milestone in the professionalization of the Center toward financial, operational and programmatic sustainability. The results detailed in this Annual Report are directly tied to the strategic goals and targeted first-year outcomes. All of our programs are inextricably linked to each other and the results reported by one program depend on the strength of the others. In this report, the “Highlights from the Field” illustrate that interconnection.

The Center has always excelled at bringing people from different cultures and institutions together to engage in inspiring and equitable discussions, and we pursue this vision with intent. Given the current political climates on both sides of the border, these dialogs are more important than ever. Our work connects a wide diversity of individuals collaborating to make big and small contributions toward collective change.

Thank you to all the students, educators, researchers, staff, community members, consultants, advocates, science communicators, donors, administrators, advisors and friends who make up the Prescott College Kino Bay Center community and have made this work possible over the last 26 years. I am pleased to share with you the progress we have made over the last year.

Warm regards,

Lorayne MeltzerExecutive Director and Prescott College Faculty

ContentsDedication....................................................2

Background and Mission...................3

Biocultural Context..............................4

Visitation and Use Summary...............5

Experiential Education.........................6

Conservation Research

Marine Mammals...................................8

Shrimp Trawler By-catch..............10

Waterbird Monitoring..................11

Wetland Conservation and Community Projects.............................14

Environmental Education...............17

Indigenous Community Partnerships..............................................19

Communications....................................22

Development and Administration.......................................23

Our Supporters.........................................24

Prescott College Kino Bay Center - Page 1

Dedicated in memory of Horacio Cabrera


It was with great sadness this year that the Kino Bay community grieved the loss of Horacio Cabrera Santiago who had served as the Prescott College Kino Bay Center Wetlands and Community Projects Coordinator since 2015. For the past 15 years, Horacio was devoted to conservation in the Gulf of California on a wide range of topics from environmental management policy, sustainable fisheries, community engagement in conservation, environmental education and the management of conservation non-profit organizations. Horacio graduated from the University of Sonora with a degree in Engineering and Ecology and Master’s in the Use, Management and Preservation of Natural Resources focusing on the Ecology of Arid Zones. His Master’s thesis won the Dr. Bernardo Villa Ramírez prize during the VIII National Congress of Mastozoology.

His abilities, vision and characteristic enthusiasm allowed him to create important links between community members, academics, government agencies and conservation organizations for collaborative conservation. He was instrumental in bringing together diverse actors in the formation of the Grupo Especializados de Trabajo en Humedales to create a sustainable management plan for Laguna la Cruz. Undoubtedly, Horacio leaves a great legacy in the field of conservation in the Gulf of California. He was a fighter within and for the community, always humble and seeking the common good for both the environment and the people. His capacity, passion and warmth have been an inspiration to all of us in the Kino Bay community and beyond. The Kino Bay Center is committed to carrying his work forward.

Background and Mission

The mission of the Kino Bay Center is to protect priority species and habitats through the integrated application of science, education, information exchange, and community participation.

The Center’s vision is to promote and model collaborations between people from different cultures and institutions to co-create solutions to complex conservation challenges.

Prescott College is a private liberal arts institution of higher learning in Arizona offering B.A., B.S., M.A. and Ph.D. degrees. The Kino Bay Center for Cultural and Ecological Studies (the Center) is Prescott College’s field station on the central shores of the Gulf of California in Sonora, Mexico. The first Prescott College classes arrived in the Eastern Midriff Island Region of the Gulf of California in the 1970’s, bringing with them a commitment to experiential education, environmental sustainability and social justice. These field courses formed the foundation for the establishment of the Center in 1991. The Center provides training and support for students, scientists, educators and community members, and builds platforms for collaborations between different cultures and institutions to co-create conservation solutions - one step at a time - for the long-term. The Center’s community-based conservation work is informed by both science and traditional ecological knowledge, and in each step of the process, we facilitate leadership for civic engagement and experiential education.

The Center is run by Prescott College in cooperation with Prescott College, A.C. (the Mexican non-profit organization) and with the active consultation of the Kino Bay Center Executive Council. Each year, the Center hosts over 1,000 researchers, students, resident fellows and community visitors from dozens of institutions and community groups from Mexico, the United States and other parts of the world. We are pleased to update you on our progress in the 2016/2017 season.


Biocultural Context

Mexico makes up approximately one percent of the earth’s land area but is home to ten percent of global biodiversity. The Eastern Midriff Island Region of the Gulf of California contains important marine, coastal and insular habitats and supports a unique, diverse and globally important assemblage of fish, invertebrates, waterbirds, reptiles and marine mammals. The islands are well protected, comparable to the Galapagos in rates of endemism, and provide reproductive habitat for nesting waterbirds and sea lions. The islands and nearby deep trenches contribute to upwelling and tremendous marine productivity. The Sonoran Desert ecosystems bordering the sea support plant communities of extreme cultural importance to the Comcaac, as well as populations of big horn sheep, desert tortoises, migratory birds, bats and insects. The Comcaac and Mexican communities are inextricably connected socially, culturally and economically to the ecology of this region. Principal threats to these systems come from habitat degradation (development, introduced species, pollution), overfishing, climate change; all of which are linked to socio-economic and political factors affecting the region.

4


Visitation and Use Summary

The Center continues to grow as a place that supports and brings together diverse groups of people from varied backgrounds to contribute to science, conservation, education and community empowerment in the region. Though usage has fluctuated since 2010 there is an overall trend of growth, and in 2016/2017 the Center reached an all-time high number of visitors.

The Center supports Prescott College students, researchers, NGOs, educational groups, Conservation Fellows, volunteers and community members in different research and learning activities. This year, the Center hosted a total of 1,597 people from Mexico, the US and abroad, accounting for 7,093 total user-days. This year the Center hosted 12 Prescott College courses with 74 students that accounted for a total of 1,785 user-days. We continue support senior projects and independent studies facilitated by the Center; this academic year eight students conducted Senior Projects or Independent Studies, accounting for 160 user days.

We increased visitation by non-Prescott College university and high school groups and hosted six external courses this year with 184 students accounting for 62 user days. The Center continues to provide a range of research and logistical support, and this year hosted 32 researchers from seven institutions. In addition, the Center’s Environmental Education and Community Leadership facilitated 15 field trips and guided visits of the Center, reaching over 200 people from the local communities.

This year the Center facilitated and hosted 15 workshops, meetings and capacity-building events both on-site and in the local community. Throughout the 2016/2017 season 11 fellows, resident researchers, interns and volunteers conducted on-going conservation activities at the Center and in the local communities.

Kino Bay Center use during 2016/2017 reached an all-time high

100

400

700

1000

1300

1600

1900

Tota

l num

ber o

f visi

tor p

er a

cade

mic

yea

r


2016-2017

Categories Number of People Days of stay

Researchers 32 198

Prescott College 74 1785

Fellows and Volunteers 11 2247

IS/Senior Projects 8 160

External Groups 1014 1573

Workshops 136 202

Museum, Gov, NGO's 132 536

Community Members 161 161

Others Visitors 29 231

Totals 1597 7093

Experiential field-based education allows university and high school students to build on their theoretical classes by working along-side researchers, resource users and community members. During field courses and independent studies, students also contribute to the Center’s programs. In 2016/2017 the Center supported approximately 143 students from Prescott College and other universities and high schools in a variety of classes, independent studies, senior projects and graduate studies. This year, Prescott College courses focused on a variety of topics including marine conservation, island biogeography, plant biology, Spanish language immersion, wilderness leadership, field methods, research methods, sea kayaking and GIS. See the previous section on station use for more information.

Programs: Experiental Field-Based Education

Courses and Independent Studies • Wilderness Exploration and Landscape Studies

(WELS) I: Expeditionary Technical Skills for Coastal Exploration

• WELS II: The Ocean Classroom • WELS III: Teaching and Facilitation Methods for

Adventure Educators• Marine Conservation: Global Perspectives• Marine Conservation: Gulf of California Case Studies• Marine Conservation: Conservation Practicum• Sea Kayaking and Marine Natural History• Coastal Ecology of the Gulf of California• Spanish Intensive and Cultural Immersion • Gulf of California Semester: Field Methods for Plant

Ecology• Gulf of California Semester: Geographic Information

Science• Gulf of California Semester: Island Biogeography:

Seabirds and Plants• Independent Study - Plant Ecology• Senior Project - Botanical Garden Interpretive Display• Independent Study - Research Application of Drone

Technology• Independent Study - Sonoran Mental Health Culture• Independent Study - Spanish for Outdoor Leadership

and Translation• Senior Project - Bivalve Research in Laguna la Cruz

Hands-on learning to build the capacity of students and young professionals


I began teaching in Kino my first year at Prescott College in 1989. It’s no exaggeration to say that working at the center has changed my life. Hav-ing taught there for almost three decades, I’m consistently amazed at the biological and cultural richness of this remarkable place, and there’s no question in my mind that the Midriff Islands region of the Gulf of Califor-nia is globally significant, and deeply special. When I first started spending time in this wonderful place I was struck by how little information was available on basic natural history. The Center plays a crucial role in build-ing understanding - across disciplinary, national, and language boundar-ies - deepening compassion, and ultimately creating a constituency for this place.

- Tom Fleischner, Prescott College Faculty Emeritus and Executive Director of the Natural History Institute

Students and Faculty Contribute to Conservation ResearchIn the spring of 2017, Prescott College students and faculty from the Gulf of California semester course designed a collaborative research project with the Comcaac Conservation and Management Group to study and document the extent of eel grass beds (Zostera marina) in the Infernillo Canal. Led by Dr. Lisa Floyd-Hanna and Dave Hanna, the students used Landsat imagery combined with ground-truthing to determine the extent of the eel grass beds and document base-line data for continued monitoring of this species. The Comcaac Conservation and Management Group had recently received training in the use of drones and learned the application of this technology by working with the students and faculty to produce a series of high resolution drone images of the eel grass beds.

The Infernillo Canal, which is part of the Comcaac managed territories, contains the largest eel grass beds in the Gulf of California and represents the southernmost extent of the species. Eelgrass is the base of a complex ecological community, and a vital food source for species such as the brant and, federally endangered green sea turtle, as well as habitat for economically important fish species. Eelgrass is also valued for its carbon sequestration properties, improvement of water clarity, stabilization of sediments, and filtration of nutrients and pollutants.

This project engaged Prescott College students and indigenous conservation leaders in collaborative research with a direct impact on future conservation efforts in the region. Globally, eel grass beds serve as important indicators of ecological health, and this site at the southern extent of the range may be particularly susceptible to the impacts of climate change. The data collected will provide an important base-line for future ecological monitoring of this key marine habitat. Like all of the work at the Center, this project brought together Western science with local knowledge and technical skills to promote collaborative conservation in the region.


Highlights from the Field

Programs: Research and Conservation

The Center’s continuous monitoring and photo identification of individual cetaceans provides valuable information on the biology, diversity, distribution, movements and behaviors of 17 different species documented in over 1,000 sightings. Our Fin Whale photo identification catalog for the Eastern Midriff Island Region contributed photos of over 342 individuals to the inter-institutional catalog of the Gulf of California; this represents 36% of the total catalogue for this species in the Gulf, exemplifying the importance of the region for cetaceans.

With our cumulative data since 2009, we are analyzing trends in diversity, abundance and spatial and temporal distribution for publication. One technical report on the occurrence, diversity and richness of cetacean species in Kino Bay and the Eastern Midriff Island Region is in progress and a conference presentation is planned for early 2018. This year, the Center’s Marine Mammal Program completed a draft of an article for publication on a rare white dolphin sighting entitled “The white Bottlenose Dolphin: First record of a bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus leucistic in the Gulf of California, Mexico.”

Marine Mammal Research: Achieving conservation and scientific understanding of cetacean species and habitats in the Midriff Island Region through long-term research, information dissemination and collaboration with communities and regional research institutions.


• Conducted 16 outings totaling 106.4 effort hours this season

• Documented 30 new marine mammal sightings

• Contributed 342 individuals to the inter-institutional Fin Whale photo identification catalog of the Gulf of California representing 36% of the total database

• Produced a paper on a rare white dolphin sighting

• Completed temporal and spatial analysis including GIS mapping of all historic sightings

• Communicated with collaborators to discuss significantly lower numbers of fin whales present in the region this season


Marine Mammal ResearchTemporal and spatial analysis including GIS mapping of all sightings has been completed through June 2017. The changes in the diversity and richness of five cetacean species from 2009-2017 has been analyzed and tables displaying these data have been produced. Five tables to be used in future publications have been produced to show the relative abundance of five common species in the region.

In addition to 30 new sightings this year, 1,207 historic marine mammal sightings from our work since 2009 have been added to our photo ID database, and temporal and spatial data of sightings have been analyzed. Over 3,300 identification photos were taken for five species this year, adding to the cumulative total of over 58,000 photos since 2009. The 2016/17 data show significantly lower numbers of fin whales using the region during the winter months.

Long term data makes it possible for us to work with collaborators to examine potential causes for this concerning trend. The Center is currently collaborating with a CICESE Master’s student to analyze Fin Whale abundance and a paper is currently in production. A Bottlenose Dolphin catalog is being updated in collaboration with a PhD student from Arizona State University.



Shrimp is the most important fishery in Mexico in terms of value, exports, and employment. The Center has run an ongoing shrimp trawler by-catch monitoring project since 2003, documenting high rates of by-catch, in-cluding over 200 species of fish, invertebrates and turtles, including many juveniles and protected species. Since 2003, Prescott College faculty have lead students to conduct on-board surveys to describe species composition and trends within the by-catch. This project emphasizes training, scientific publication and consumer awareness as key strategies for addressing the high ecological and economic impacts of shrimp trawling in the region. Our data inform efforts in broad-based information dissemination and regional management.

• Data was collected on four trawls during one night. The by-catch rate was 74.51%, which is significantly lower than in previous years, most certainly as a result of the deployment for the first time of the “fish-eye” by-catch reduction device.

• Education forums were conducted with nearly 200 students from five regional school groups through guided visits at the Center.

• One student paper was produced using these data and long-term data from previous years.

Shrimp Trawler By-Catch Research: Increasing awareness and conservation actions to address the ecological and economic impacts of shrimp trawling in Kino Bay through collaborative scientific research, consumer education and information dissemination to a range of audiences.

In 2016, Prescott College students and faculty recorded a decrease in by-catch rates to 74.5% compared to 88% average over the history of the project. This reduction is likely due to new fish-exclusion devices that were implemented on all shrimp trawling nets.


Prescott College is the only organization conducting long-term waterbird monitoring in the Eastern Midriff Islands Region. The Waterbird Monitoring Program began in 1997 with a study of the Double-crested Cormorant colony on Isla Alcatraz. Since that time, we have achieved the designation of Laguna la Cruz as a Wetland of International Importance (United Nations Ramsar Convention), the declaration of Laguna la Cruz and Cardonal as Important Bird Areas (IBAs) by Bird Life International and have published 11 peer-reviewed articles on the diversity, population sizes, and breeding ecology of waterbirds in the region.

This year, we performed 21 weekly nesting and productivity surveys on Isla Alcatraz. Data suggest a recovery from the poor breeding years of 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 (which was probably due to the effects of El Nino conditions impacting food availability).

• The peak of 1184 active Double-crested Cormorant nests is below the 11-year mean of 1,262 breeding pairs, but significantly higher than 2013/2014 and 2014/2015.

• 87 Cormorant nests were monitored for productivity analysis resulting in a productivity rate of 0.68 per breeding pair. This is lower than the rate of 0.84 last year, but higher than 2013/2014 and 2014/2015.

• This year, nesting Pelicans returned to Isla Alcatraz for the first time since 2012. The number of adult birds recorded peaked at 327 in May and the highest count of active nests was 240 in April. This is the second lowest total of adult birds counted after the 139 in 2009.

• A high count of 250 Yellow-footed Gull nests was slightly below the 2009-2016 average of 274. This continues a pattern of improvement and stabilization since the 2014 El Niño year where only five nests were productive.

• With only two successful American Oystercatcher broods in six documented pairs, reproductive success was low. However, two fledglings are the record for the island and occurred in 2016 and 2013.

Waterbird Monitoring: Protecting nesting and migratory birds and their habitats on Isla Alcatraz, pelagic waters and wetlands of the region through monitoring, research, outreach and collaborative resource management efforts.




Waterbird Monitoring


A total of 54 surveys were completed in esteros Laguna la Cruz, Tastiota, Santa Rosa and Cardonal during 2016/2017 between 30 September and 17 June. Species richness remained relatively consistent with past years and followed the usual pattern of rising to a mid-winter peak. Highest total counts, for all species, were 6,996 at Cardonal (April), 5,982 at Laguna la Cruz (December) and 3,106 at Tastiota (January). At Santa Rosa, the highest count was 70 birds in October. One of our strategic plan goals this year was to review, analyze, communicate and apply historic waterbird data.

WMP fellows continued collaboration with the Comcaac Birding Group from Punta Chueca through 12 completed surveys in Santa Rosa (increasing from one visit per month to two) and one survey field trip completed in Tastiota. One monitoring session was also completed in January 2017 that involved an Elder from Punta Chueca who attended to teach traditional songs about the birds of the estuary. A final research project was completed by the group regarding cultural connections to the birds of Santa Rosa, and shared at the end of year gathering in June 2017. The Santa Rosa bird guides were also completed, laminated and given to the Comcaac Birding Group.

Without a doubt, the field station has had an outsized role in my life. The years I’ve spent there as a student, as a teacher and as the Station Manager have been the most impactful and important of my life. The opportunity to know a place in a profound way and in many different ways changed not only my understanding of this small corner of Mexico, but my understanding of the entire world and of myself. The most important work that station does and can do is to link its own programs and sometimes disparate groups together so that something larger than the sum of its parts can emerge. The station is fighting to save the most important places, communities, and ecosystems with the belief that it isn’t possible unless we can all understand each other a little better.

-Greg Smart, Prescott alum, teacher and former Kino Bay Center Station Manager



• Analyzed data suggest a recovery from the poor breeding years of 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 (probably due to the effects of El Nino conditions impacting food availability)

• Reviewed and summarized historic data for the creation of critical habitat zoning map for inclusion in the management plan for the Laguna la Cruz Ramsar site (U.N. Wetland of International Importance)

• Participated in regional meetings to standardize monitoring protocols and collect regionally shared shorebird data

• Facilitated joint surveys in Estero Santa Rosa with the Comcaac Bird Monitoring Group, including standardized protocols and traditional knowledge elements

• Presented a poster about the application of waterbird data to conservation at the Pacific Seabird Group meeting in Washington and began work on a manuscript about the Double-crested Cormorants of Isla Alcatraz

• Collaborated with GECI (Island Ecology and Conservation Group) to monitor eight Craveri’s Murrelet nests on Isla Alcatraz

• Created waterbird identification guides in Spanish for Estero Santa Rosa and in both Spanish and English for Laguna la Cruz

• Facilitated educational forums and collaborated with CONANP on management initiatives to mitigate disturbance to nesting birds during the Easter holiday


Programs: Wetland Conservation and Community-based Conservation

Wetland Conservation and Community Projects: Sustainable management of the ecological and economic estuarine resources in the region with a focus on community-based conservation of Laguna la CruzApplication of our long-term data set from the Waterbird Monitoring Program was instrumental in designating Laguna la Cruz as a UN Ramsar Wetland of International Importance in 2013. The Center’s work towards the development of a community-based sustainable resource management program for the wetland Laguna la Cruz exemplifies our broader vision of promoting and modeling collaborations between different cultures and institutions for the protection of priority species and habitats. As a designated co-management organization of Laguna la Cruz, with CONANP and the University of Sonora, the Center prepares the community with the necessary tools to manage, value and monitor the environmental services provided by Laguna la Cruz. Our current program in Wet-land Conservation and Community Projects brings diverse actors to the table and builds community capacity for participation in conservation.

This year, the Center co-facilitated the development and function of an inter-institutional collab-orative working group called the Grupo Especializados de Trabajo en Humedales (The Wetlands Technical Working Group or GETH) involving NGOs, researchers, government agencies and com-munity groups to develop the management plan for Laguna la Cruz. In 2016/2017, approximately 30 community members became active in civic engagement, participating in public comment meetings, filing complaints and generally advocating for and promoting community-based conservation efforts. The loss of our program coordinator, Horacio Cabrera Santiago in May, prevented us from fully doc-umenting all 2016/2017 program results.

An important aspect of the Center’s strategic plan is to promote community collaboration, leader-ship, involvement in management and alternative economic livelihoods in Laguna la Cruz.

Wetland Conservation

Environmental education

Planning and management

Applied science

Civic participation

Alternative economies

Programs: Wetland Conservation and Community-based Conservation

This season, the Center held five workshops on ecotourism, exchange of conservation experiences for communi-ty conservationists, environmental photography, introduction to the public consultation process and sustainable production in the estuary with approximately 100 participants total in all workshops. In addition to the Center’s work in community outreach, the Environmental Education Program taught approximately 100 classroom sessions focused on estuaries and inland ecosystems for 6th grade students in the local communities. The Wetlands Con-servation Program provided support to approximately 40 people conducting five community conservation projects specifically in Laguna la Cruz. This support has resulted in ongoing public funding for community conservation work.

• Formation and active facilitation of a working group for the management of Laguna la Cruz• Five workshops hosted for community capacity building• Interpretive materials created for a “thematic restaurant” adjacent to the estuary• One Prescott College senior project and one University of Sonora thesis mentored to study bi-valves

and sediments in Laguna la Cruz to trace impacts of aquaculture over time• New learning modules developed for the environmental education sixth grade curriculum, with six

classroom sessions and one field trip facilitated for over 100 students • 58 community members supported in leading 12 publically funded conservation and manage-

ment projects in Bahía de Kino and Comcaac Territories• Community-participation framework developed for the creation of a truly community-based management

program with real community ownership and benefit• Stakeholder map developed to identify all parties with interest in Laguna la Cruz• Database of proposed development projects influencing Laguna la Cruz developed to inform pub-

lic participation in the environmental impact statement process



Community Participation in Conservation: Grupo Especializado de Trabajo en Humedales

Since 2013, we have been working to promote collaborative, community-driven conservation of Laguna la Cruz. Great progress was made this year with the formation of a collaborative working group called the Grupo Especializado de Trabajo en Humedales (GETH). This working group includes NGOs, government agencies, academic institutions, and community groups all focused on the conservation and sustainable use of Laguna la Cruz. Creation of a collaborative management plan is currently underway with input from all members.

The Center’s work to build community members’ capacity to participate in conservation through conferences, workshops and community mobilization played a large role in facilitating the formation and success of GETH. In the 2016/2017 season, we co-hosted a conference to bring together over 50 members of community conservation groups region-wide to share their experiences and challenges in conservation. We also hosted workshops on ecotourism, photography for conservation, sustainable production in the estuary and the public consultation process.

In addition to community participation in the GETH, we have seen increased community initiative and communication around conservation of natural resources in the area. In April 2017, community members called for a public consultation on a large scale development project in Bahía de Kino that was attended by approximately 75 concerned citizens. Community members are also using social media such as WhatsApp and Facebook to keep each other informed about environmental concerns and to organize action. The collaborative progress we all have made in the protection of Laguna la Cruz exemplifies our mission to promote conservation through the integrated application of science, community participation, education and information exchange.


I believe that the most important thing the Center does is create consciousness. When we (the oysterculture and other businessmen in La Cruz) began to work with the Kino Bay Center, we started to participate (in the community) not just as a sector of businessmen, but as environmentalists taking care of the Laguna. We know that there are environmental groups here, but the importance of Prescott is that they have been like water dripping on a stone to shape it, helping to create a better understanding of resources.

-Carlos Estrada, Oyster Producer in Laguna la Cruz

Over 16 years, the Center’s Environmental Education Program (EEP) has reached approximately 3,500 students and teachers from the Kino Bay community of 6,000 people. Because the EEP works with so many youth, teachers, parents and community members, it has played a critical role in developing and fostering deep and authentic relationships between the Center and the community. Classes in every 4th and 6th grade group engage hundreds of students throughout the school year in experiential and learner-centered inquiry about local ecosystems.

This year the EEP revised and implemented a new curriculum in all 4th and 6th grade classes in the local community. Students and

Environmental Education: Instilling community members with a profound sense of place, knowledge and skills, and supporting them to be agents of change in the community

Programs: Environmental Education and Community Leadership


• Approximately 270 students participated in 125 classroom sessions for 4th and 6th graders

• Revised experiential curriculum focusing on island ecosystems in the 4th grade and coastal and inland ecosystems in the 6th grade

• Seven field trips this year involving 135 students

• Two local high school students implemented their professional practicum and social service work at the Center this year

• One community event was co-sponsored by our Environmental Education and Wetlands Conservation Programs this year to celebrate World Wetlands Day

• Eight students were sponsored by the Center to participate in the regional ecology club exchange in La Paz

• 198 Students from Hermosillo attended one-day guided visits of the Center to link local students and teachers to the Center’s work and information about local ecosystems and conservation opportunities

Programs: Environmental Education and Community Leadership

teachers participate in field trips with researchers and community leaders to explore the bioculturally rich surroundings including, Isla Alcatraz, Laguna la Cruz and the Sonoran Desert.

The Center supports five ecology clubs in central Sonora to develop community projects, receive trainings, participate in field trips and become civically engaged. The Center also facilitates the Ecoclubs Noroeste Network (Northwest Ecology Club Network), providing exchange experiences for young people to discuss and address environmental challenges and to provide leadership in their communities. This year, eight ecology club students were sponsored to participate in the annual EcoClubs Noroeste exchange in La Paz with other young conservationists throughout Northwestern Mexico. Professional Practicums offered at the Center gave two high school students the opportunity to develop and practice skills and explore conservation-related university and career options.


The formation of Presott’s envi-ronmental education program in the schools in the 90’s has made it so that teachers under-stand the communities in which they are working. Working with the EEP, I am always thinking about ecology and looking for ways to contribute to improving the environment. At home, in

the school, I am always trying to have habits and attitudes that can serve as an example. Knowing, loving, and under-standing our community makes us look for better solutions to our problems.

-Yadira Cota, Local teacher in Bahía de Kino

Indigenous Community Partnerships: Promoting conservation, science, education and re-search initiatives based on the integration of Western and indigenous perspectives and knowledge

Programs: Indigenous Community Partnerships


After years of collaboration between the Center and individual Comcaac community members, the Indigenous Community Partnerships Program was initiated in 2010 to protect biodiversity and Comcaac sovereignty by connecting research, education and conservation in the region with indigenous traditions, knowledge, self-determination and conservation practices. The ICCP engaged over 40 young Comcaac and elder teachers to participate in Prescott College classes and to create and implement a Biocultural Field School focused on leadership, natural resource stewardship, language, culture, traditional knowledge and social and ecological health. Comcaac youth and elders participate both as students and as teachers in field class sessions with Prescott College and other university students. Academic credit is awarded by high school teachers for Comcaac high school students engaged in the Aprendisajes (Apprenticeship) Biocultural Field Studies program.

• Twenty-six Comaac students and interns regularly engaged in seminars, courses and field studies of the Biocultural Field School

• Comcaac community members co-hosted and led rural development field studies with 18 doctoral students

• Co-hosted a four-day gathering with over 60 biocultural educators, indigenous leaders, students, allies and advocates

• Facilitated 20 paid biocultural conservation internships and small scale enterprises

• Facilitated 20 days of shared learning between Comcaac and Prescott College students and faculty, including a collaborative research project to map the extent of Eel Grass in Comcaac territories

The Center facilitates equitable forums which promote inclusion of multi-cultural perspectives in addressing regional issues. In collaboration with Global Diversity Fund and Comcaac conservation leaders, the Center co-hosted the gathering: Colaborando ante el Cambio: Estrategias para la defense de patrimonio biocultural (Collaborating in the Face of Change: Strategies to protect territory and biocultural heritage). See the following page for more information.

Another example creating equitable forums was when Six Comcaac women also participated in a two-day workshop called Mujeres que Crecen (Women who Grow) hosted by Cobanaras this July in Obregon, Mexico. The seminar is part of a 10-month series designed to strengthen indigenous and rural women’s leadership and well-being. The Comcaac women who were selected to attend are leading local enterprises in food and conservation, solar energy, crafts, sea turtle conservation, medicinal plants and youth education. Through our work, indigenous leaders are gaining capacity to affect change in their local communities and to lead field courses and guide learning expeditions with local schools and community groups.

Programs: Indigenous Community Partnerships

The work I have done with Prescott has been a benefit on a personal level and on a community level. Before, we had groups working on conservation, but through working with the Kino Bay Center these groups have been strengthened. I feel that the most important work that the Center does is to try to promote the maintenance of

Comcaac culture, helping the Comcaac students to practice their language, or getting them involved in other cultural and environmental activities.

-Romelia Barnett, Comca’ac Community Member and Director of Comcaac Management and Conservation (Conservacion y Manejo Cmiique Iitom)



Building a Network of Indigenous Conservation LeadersIn February 2017, the Center, Comcaac NGO Cmiique Conservation and Management and the Global Diversity Foundation co-hosted a four day gathering: Colaborando ante el Cambio: Estrategias para la defense de patrimonio biocultural (Collaborating in the Face of Change: Strategies to protect territory and biocultural heritage). Through this exchange a growing network of over 60 biocultural educators, indigenous leaders, students, allies and advocates from across Mexico and the Southern US convened to discuss complex problems and share experiences, effective programs, tools and strategies for the protection of biocultural territories.

The meeting arose from the need to create networks of support and shared knowledge among indigenous communities and their allies in the face of current pressing climate and cultural changes, and the threat to communities, their rights, health,

lands and waters posed by extractive industries. The participants were hosted at the Center and gathered in the Comcaac village of Punta Chueca for workshops around the following themes: protection of territory and indigenous rights; food and water sovereignty, local economy and biodiversity; communications; and arts for transformation. Recognized leaders from indigenous communities and Mexican institutions facilitated and led discussions that inspired new strategies and networking for protection of indigenous territory. This gathering helped build a collaborative network across Mexico to protect indigenous territories and cultures in the face of modern challenges.



Communications and Information Exchange

The exchange of information is a key responsibility of any field station. We have an obligation to make our data, case studies, and knowledge available to the local community and beyond. We also have a responsibility to translate our work for audiences near and far in an effort to inform responsible decision-making regarding our project areas. Information exchange is a key element of achieving the conservation and education goals of the Center.

During the 2016/2017 season the Information Center continued to effectively manage information and display it within the station walls, while also expanding the scope of information dissemination with particular attention to promoting virtual dialog via social media, workshop facilitation, and information management. These efforts resulted in a number of highlights that included the implementation of a second successful fundraising campaign, two photography workshops in the Bahia de Kino community, and the publication of 2 newsletters. All of this served to extend and strengthen the networks of the Kino Bay Center community.

Communication and Information: Actively diffusing and exchanging information to connect a variety of constituencies with each other and the information needed to create change

• Updated bilingual website• Produced a video about the Center’s Fellowships Program in

support of the fundraising campaign

• Produced a video on the impact of our Environmental Education Program

• Nearly doubled the number of Instagram followers and increased Facebook engagement by over 300 new followers

• Produced two feature articles for the Prescott College Transitions publication this year increasing the visibility of the Center

• Launched a series of bi-lingual newsletters to share our work

• Four displays were installed to inform visitors about the region and work done through the Center

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyUxmX2D18I

Development and Administration


In 2016, the Center received an Organizational Effectiveness grant from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation to complete a strategic planning process and build institutional capacity and sustainability. The Center received additional institutional development support from Programa Pescadero/FONOR. Through this process, the Center’s staff and Executive Advisory Council worked with a consultant and identified administrative support and increased capacity for development activities as top priorities in order to meet strategic sustainability goals. One key accomplishment in the 2016/2017 season was to hire a Development and Communications Coordinator to allow the Executive Director more time to focus on the financial management and oversight of the Center’s programs. The Center has also made great progress toward improving its financial tracking system in collaboration with the Prescott College Business and Advancement Offices and the Mexican Accountant.

The Development Plan created in 2016, outlined six key strategies to improve the Center’s donor cultivation and ability to procure funding from a variety of sources. For the 2016/2017 season, the Center set goals to raise $32,000 through revenue generation from external groups, $20,000 through grassroots campaigns and individual donations and to maintain $170,000 in grant funding and increase new foundation funding by $20,000. The Center met and exceeded its goals in all areas of fundraising except increased foundation funding.

In the 2017/2018 season, the Center will continue with the implementation of the Strategic Plan guided by the strategies outlined in the Development Plan. The continued growth of the Center’s fundraising capabilities will be supported by the new systems of contact and donation tracking and financial management that were created this year. Much of the ground work was laid for professionalizing both our ability to procure funding as well as our ability to track and report on donations and grants. As a student facility, the Center has attracted interest from external university and high school groups and continues to serve as a recruitment tool to attract new students to Prescott College.

Funding Source Amount

Grants Received $147,123

Endowment Distribution $21,300

Crowdfunding Campaign $30,012

Other Restricted Individual Donations $6,533

Annual Fund Donations $4,169

Non-Prescott Revenue $42,312

Prescott College Tuition $100,135TOTAL $351,584

Total Income from all Sources 2016/2017Grants Received

Endowment Distribution

Crowdfunding Campaign

Other RestrictedIndividual Donations

Annual Fund Donations

Non-Prescott Revenue

Prescott College Tuition

Our Supporters

Prescott CollegeThe National Science FoundationDavid and Lucile Packard FoundationKAKATU FoundationThe Margaret T. Morris FoundationThe Coleman Family Estate The Estate of Sylvia HulmesThe Christensen FundSonoran Joint VentureMarisla FoundationWild at Heart FoundationGlobal Green GrantsCleo A. Bluth Charitable FoundationComunidad y BiodiversidadThe Leiter Family FoundationCommunity Foundation of Breat River Bendand many generous individual donors

Photos courtesy of: Melisa Chan, Maria Johnson, Horacio Cabrera, Hector Perez Puig, Kayla Sargent, Tim Tyler, McKenna Hansen, Naomi Blinick, Micah Reigner, Aileen Hardcastle, Liz Gregg, Laura Monti, Olivia Osuna


Kino Bay Center Staff and Fellows, Front row (from left): Robbie Justice, Julio Paredes, Olivia Osuna, Martin Ziebell, Vicky Yanez, Lorayne Meltzer, Cosme BecerraBack row (from left): Kayla Sargent, Horacio Cabrera, Vero Maldonado, McKenna Hansen, Laura Monti, Liz Gregg, Lily Drosen, Hector Perez

Prescott College Kino Bay Center for Cultural and Ecological Studies€¦ · · 2018-04-26Kino...

Documents

Transcript of Prescott College Kino Bay Center for Cultural and Ecological Studies€¦ · · 2018-04-26Kino...