As part of the World Environment Day’s activities, organizations and private companies announced in a press conference that they joined efforts to protect migratory shorebirds that nest during the summer in Bahía de Todos Santos, with this goal in mind they created the campaign “La playa es de todos” (The beach belongs to everyone, in English). This initiative was launched by Pacifica, Contacto Salvaje, Ellos son la Razón and Terra Peninsular participate.
Bahía de Todos Santos in Ensenada is part of the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN) since 2017 and is considered a Site of Regional Importance due to the fact that this site houses over 20,000 shorebirds each year and is home of at least 20 species of migratory shorebirds.
Among the goals of the campaign “La playa es de todos” is highlighting the importance of the beaches in Ensenada for the migratory shorebirds and promoting the enjoyment of the beach in a respectful manner is one of the main objectives. Because of that, some of the actions that the campaign will promote are: take your trash with you, walk your dog with a leash and the prohibition of motorized vehicles.
The main disturbances that affect migratory shorebirds are caused by the lack of information of the beach users, who generate residues like plastic, glass and cigarette butts.
Also, the presence of dogs without a leash is a problem because they can prey over the nests and nestlings, disrupting their feeding and resting processes affecting their survival and reproduction success.
A free event will take place this next Saturday June, 9 from 10:00 a.m. to 14:00 p.m. in the beach in front of Pacifica organization as part of the campaign actions. Between these hours the Students Society of the Arts Faculty in Ensenada (in Spanish SAFAE) will make a sand sculpture honoring the shorebirds.
The same day an educative tour to observe the birds in the reproductive process will be created. The tour will start at 10:30 a.m. and a seasonal symbolic fence will be installed to protect the nesting area of the snowy plover (Charadrius nivosus) in the beach located in front of Pacifica at 12:00 p.m., this fence will remain installed until the end of August of this year when the reproduction season ends.
To address the dogs’ situation, the organizations Contacto Salvaje and Ellos Son La Razón will join forces to rescue and rehabilitate homeless dogs that usually form packs in the area, and are also known as feral dogs. Meanwhile, Pacifica which has already donated garbage cans for the beach, will coordinate monthly cleanups to continue promoting this initiative.
The press conference was attended by Jonathan Vargas, Bird Conservation Projects Associate of Terra Peninsular; Fernanda Escobosa, Project Director of Pacífica; Claudia Guzmán, Community Engagement Coordinator; Keyla Rodríguez, president of Ellos Son La Razón, and Marco Antonio Martínez from Contacto Salvaje.
Importance of Bahía de Todos Santos
Between spring and fall, the bay is an important stopover for shorebird migration, as they arrive at the sandy beaches of Ensenada and wetlands in the Punta Banda Estuary to rest and feed, and then continue their journey to their wintering grounds.
During the winter, Bahía de Todos Santos is home to many shorebirds, where they spend the season and wait until spring to return to their breeding sites.
The bay homes at least 5% of the snowy plover (Charadrius nivosus) Pacific coast’s population, but it is during the summer that a significant resident population breeds on the sandy beaches of Ensenada and Punta Banda.
The biggest threat that the snowy plover faces during the summer in Bahía de Todos Santos is the constant disturbance caused by human activities, which drastically affects the reproductive success of this species, considered threatened by the Mexican government.