This article is from the November 1999 The Mexico File
newsletter.
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Creating an Artificial Reef in the Sea of Cortez
by David Simmonds
Sea
of Cortez 1
Sea of Cortez 2
Sea of Cortez 3
David Simmonds, president
and founder of the Sea of Cortez International Preservation Foundation, has
announced that SOCIPF is making a donation to assist in the sinking of two
ships in the waters of La Paz Bay in Baja California Sur to take place in
November, 1999. The project is headed by Pronatura, the Mexican government�s
environmental organization. Mexican President Ernest Zedillo is expected to
attend the sinking.
Also deeply involved in
the project is environmentalist Tim Means, owner of Baja Expeditions, and a
twenty-five year resident of La Paz, who has also contributed some of his own
money to help fund the project. San Diego resident Al Bruton is serving as a
consultant to Mexico for this project based on his expertise and many years of
experience in similar boat-sinking projects on the West Coast of California.
Many of the normal costs for this undertaking have been reduced through the
assistance of the Mexican navy in towing and cleaning the boats to make them
safe for scuba diving and for the environment.
Rubio�s Restaurants,
Inc., a San Diego-based fish taco chain with locations in California, Arizona,
Nevada, Colorado and Utah, is providing a grant to SOCIPF through its sales of
collectible bean-bag fish at all of its outlets between November 1 and
December 31, 1999.
SOCIPF has identified this
project as a top priority at this time since it will help to bolster a
tourist-based economy for the Sea of Cortez rather than relying on the current
environmentally-destructive practices of plundering the Sea of its natural
biological resources � practices which threaten the ecological integrity of
the Sea of Cortez. An artificial reef will provide an ecotouring and diving
destination.
Interested contributors to
this project can send tax-deductible donations to SOCIPF, a tax-exempt
nonprofit foundation, to SOCIPF at 5580 La Jolla Boulevard, #306, La Jolla, CA
92037.