Felipe is our one and only full-time employee. He is 22 years old and has been working or volunteering at Campamento Tortuguero Ayotlcalli for 7 years. Yes, that means he started volunteering at the very young age of 14!
Growing up in the nearby community of El Coacoyul, Felipe always knew about the sea turtles nesting in the area but it wasn’t until his aunt, who was volunteering at the camp at the time, invited him along that he got hooked. He has been with Damaris and the Camp ever since with growing responsibilities along the way. Currently, he lives onsite in our volunteer cabin and works full time doing so many of things that are needed day-to-day .
Whether he is patrolling at night, reburying the nests, managing the corral and nest locations, cleaning out nests after hatchlings have all emerged, working with our guests at the hatchling releases, or just generally working around camp, we can count on a smile.
Felipe has gained so much knowledge about the turtles over the years that the volunteer team can always rely on him for a guidance, training, and keeping things on the right track.
In addition to his interest and work with sea turtles, Felipe is going to school to learn English. The schedule of three hours each day in addition to his Camp responsibilities keeps him busy.
If you love the turtle release pictures on the Camp’s Facebook page, chances are Felipe was the one who caught that magical moment. After the turtles are released and they’re making their way towards the water, Felipe is always on the lookout for a good shot of a hatchling, the sunset, or our guests.
When asked to tell us something we didn’t know about him, he told us his childhood nickname is ‘Polvora’ (loosely translated as firecracker, thunderbolt, or gunpowder). He earned this due to his interest in boxing, which his father did as a hobby.
The Camp is really fortunate to have such a dedicated person as one of the leaders of the team.
Did you know that for as
little as $5 per month,
you can become a Sustaining Member,
helping to continue
the mission of Ayotlcalli.
Did you know you can adopt a nest and give it as a gift to that special person in your life?
When you adopt a nest, we will email you a personalized certificate recognizing the name of the adopter along with the unique nest number.
The adopter will receive email updates from us with pictures of the nest when rescued, then inside of our corral and finally, of a release including hatchlings from their nest. We will let you know how many eggs were collected, who the volunteers were that relocated the nest, and more.
What a unique and wonderful gift to give someone that really cares about our mother earth! Please support the work that we do.
Wishing you a wonderful Holiday Season and peaceful and prosperous New Year.
The Ayotlcalli Team.
$25 – Adopt a Nest (Golfina & Prieta)
$50 – Adopt a Nest (Leatherback)
Did you know that for as
little as $5 per month,
you can become a Sustaining Member,
helping to continue
the mission of Ayotlcalli.
Are you racking your brain trying to think of a great holiday gift for a co-worker, friend, partner, family member or other loved one? Does that someone special appreciate the importance of conservation and environmental awareness over material wants? Or maybe that someone special is you and you want to treat yourself to a feel good moment that will last all year?
We have the perfect solution! Give the gift of a Campamento Tortuguero Ayotlcalli Sustaining Membership. For as little as US$5 per month, you can make a real difference and feel good through the whole year about the positive impact you are making on our sea turtle populations, beaches, oceans, and planet.
When you choose to give the gift of a Sustaining Membership, please note the recipients name and email address when you checkout through PayPal. We will send you a special membership welcome email that can be included when you present the Sustaining Membership gift to your loved one.
Please, please, please consider giving this gift that gives back!
We wish you peace, love, and joy this Holiday Season and throughout 2019.
The Ayotlcalli Team.
Did you know that for as
little as $5 per month,
you can become a Sustaining Member,
helping to continue
the mission of Ayotlcalli.
Juan Sinhue Flores Ocampo, Flutist Born in the state of Toluca, Juan started his flute studies at the Escuela de Bellas Artes in Mexico city at the young age of 13. By the age of 17, he was performing with the Ensamble de Flautas del COMEM.
He has performed as a soloist with the Orquesta de Cámara de la Universidad Michoacana, the Orquesta Sinfónica Juvenil del Estado de México, and with the Orquesta de Cámara de la UAEM. He has performed with the Filarmónica de Toluca as well.
In addition to performing, Juan has worked as teacher of music and organized music festivals.
Edgar Gutiérrez, Tenor Edgar graduated from the Conservatory of Music in the state of Toluca where he is originally from.
He has participated as a soloist with the Orchestra of the Fine Arts Theater, Mining Orchestra, Symphony of Torreón, Philharmonic of Honduras, Symphony of Guatemala, Symphony of San Luis Potosí, Symphony of Hidalgo, Youthful Symphony of the State of Mexico, Philharmonic of Toluca and Chamber Orchestra of the UAEM.
The roles he has performed are Ramiro, Nadir, Alfredo, Duca, Count of Almaviva, Nemorino, Ernesto, Rodolfo, Coronation Mass, Mozart’s Requiem, Verdi’s Requiem, Ninth Symphony, Coral Fantasy, Rossini’s Stabat Mater.
He has taken classes with Julio Julián, David Portilla, Claude Corbeill, and Belem Rodríguez among others. He is currently a student of Bernardo Villalobos.
Advance Tickets available through Ayotlcalli Volunteers for MX$350 or at the door for MX$400.
If you have any questions about tickets or the concert, contact Patty Sullivan (755-136-9607) or Wendy Dublanica (+1 508-212-2568).
Advance Tickets also available online for US$20. Tickets purchased online can be picked up at the door on the evening of the concert.
Did you know that for as
little as $5 per month,
you can become a Sustaining Member,
helping to continue the mission of Ayotlcalli.
Luna Sophia, Mezzosoprano Alexicoa Rebeca Bobadilla Oropeza, originally from the state of Mexico is known in the artistic medium as “Luna Sophia”.
At the age of fifteen, she played the role of Sandy in the musical Vaseline. She began violin studies at the age of seventeen with private teachers. She also participated as a member of choirs with Juan Carlos Guerrero Zamora and Noé Martinez.
As a singer, she has performed at the Tepic opera festival with sopranos Laura Alonso Padín, Silvia Andrea Guillot, and baritone Pablo Atahualpa Méndez. She has performed in Zihuatanejo in a concert sharing the stage with the Mexicarte ensemble.
Sara Alicia Estrada García – Soprano Originally from the city of Toluca, Sara entered the Conservatory of Music of the State of Mexico in 1997 for a Singing Degree.
She has taken singing classes under the tutelage of Julio Julián, David Portilla, Jorge Pérez and Ricardo Sánchez. She is currently a student of the prestigious baritone Arturo Nieto.
In 2002, she formed part of the Octeto of the Mexican Institute of Culture, with which she toured Torre Vieja España at the Habaneras International Competition, winning third place.
In 2006 she sang the solos of Requiem by Mozart with the Chamber Orchestra of the UAEM, and also participated in the Zarzuela Luisa Fernanda in the role of Duquesa Carolina.
She has performed with various choral groups, and is currently a member of the Discantus choral ensemble of the Autonomous University of the State of Mexico and the Choir of the Symphonic Orchestra of the State of Mexico.
Advance Tickets available through Ayotlcalli Volunteers for MX$350 or at the door for MX$400.
If you have any questions about tickets or the concert, contact Patty Sullivan (755-136-9607) or Wendy Dublanica (+1 508-212-2568).
Advance Tickets also available online for US$20. Tickets purchased online can be picked up at the door on the evening of the concert.
Did you know that for as
little as $5 per month,
you can become a Sustaining Member,
helping to continue the mission of Ayotlcalli.
Juan Carlos Guerrero is currently a pianist with the Orquesta Sinfónica of the state of México and has been since 2002.
He has a degree in music with a specialty in piano from the School of Fine Arts of the State of Mexico, and 6 years of organ in the Superior School of Sacred Music of Toluca.
He has received numerous recognitions and diplomas among which are ones from the Autonomous University of Querétaro, the National Council for Culture and the Arts, LA OSEM and the UAEM.
Juan has studied with Edison Quintana, Jose Miramontes, Víctor Urbán, Zulfia Potchitjanova, Manuel De La Flor, Gerardo Durán, Juan Fernando Duran among others.
Whether as organist, pianist or choral director, he has performed in numerous national and international forums, as well as the most important orchestras and recitals, among others: in France, Spain, USA, Portugal, China, Cuba, Panama, Canada and in Mexico; Querétaro, Puebla, Veracruz, Michoacán, Guanajuato, Colima, Tlaxcala, Oaxaca, Nayarit, Guerrero, Jalisco, San Luis Potosi, Zacatecas, Aguascalientes, Mexico City, etc., in dozens of municipalities in the State of Mexico.
He participated in the Forum International de Musique in Paris France where, among other works, he played music by the Mexican composer Felipe Villanueva.
Juan has collaborated with various orchestras in the country, such as the National Symphony Orchestra, the Philharmonic Orchestra of the UNAM, the Symphony Orchestra of the State of Mexico, the San Luis Potosí Symphony Orchestra, as well as numerous Camara orchestras, has also received orchestral conducting courses with the maestro José Miramontes Zapata and with maestro Enrique Bátiz and was selected to direct at the concert of young directors to OSEM. He is in charge of the choir of Escuela Normal 1 de Toluca and is a pianist of the OSEM Choir.
Advance Tickets available through Ayotlcalli Volunteers for MX$350 or at the door for MX$400.
If you have any questions about tickets or the concert, contact Patty Sullivan (755-136-9607) or Wendy Dublanica (+1 508-212-2568).
Advance Tickets also available online for US$20. Tickets purchased online can be picked up at the door on the evening of the concert.
Did you know that for as
little as $5 per month,
you can become a Sustaining Member,
helping to continue the mission of Ayotlcalli.
Sunday, 16 December, 2018 at 6:00pm Concierto de Gala con El Ensamble MexicArte y Luna Sophia
Jardin Principal del Hotel Sunscape, Ixtapa
Composed of highly talented musicians, the Ensamble MexicArte has as vision to bring the wealth of Mexican music to everyone!
Ensamble MexicArte has the fortune of having versatile musicians, with soprano Sara Estrada, tenor Edgar Gutierrez, flutist Sinhue Flores, guitarist Roberto Medrano, and pianist Juan Carlos Guerrero.
Ensamble MexicArte began their journey in 2001 and since then has performed throughout Mexico receiving rave reviews from venues and listeners. Recently they have extended their popularity to Cuba, China and the United States where they were received with great acceptance and warmth.
Advance Tickets available through Ayotlcalli Volunteers for MX$350 or at the door for MX$400.
If you have any questions about tickets or the concert, contact Patty Sullivan (755-136-9607) or Wendy Dublanica (+1 508-212-2568).
Advance Tickets also available online for US$20. Tickets purchased online can be picked up at the door on the evening of the concert.
Did you know that for as
little as $5 per month,
you can become a Sustaining Member,
helping to continue the mission of Ayotlcalli.
Don’t miss the latest news and information from Campamento Tortuguero Ayotlcalli. Stay informed about our upcoming events, profiles of the people that make the mission possible, stories of our adventures, and more. Subscribe today.
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Did you know that for as
little as $5 per month,
you can become a Sustaining Member,
helping to continue the mission of Ayotlcalli.
The following post is the summarization of an interview with Damaris Marin Smith in November 2018.
In 2011, Damaris started Campamento Tortuguero Ayotlcalli in its’ current location in Playa Blanca, Guerrero which, at the time, was a vacant piece of beachfront property.
The story of Damaris’ life, how she came to establish the camp seven years ago, and how the camp has evolved is an interesting one that took her from her childhood home in Michoacán to Houston, Texas, and then to Playa Blanca in Guerrero.
Damaris was born in a small town in the mountains of the Mexican state of Michoacán where her father was a farmer. In all, there were ten children including Damaris, the seventh child and second daughter. And she had an even bigger extended family that was so large that she says there are cousins, aunts, and uncles that she doesn’t even know.
When she was five years old, her family moved to Zitácuaro so the children could attend school because there was no school in her hometown. There, she attended elementary and middle school. After completing middle school in Zitácuaro she moved to Toluca in the state of Mexico to continue her studies. In Toluca, Damaris completed two years of high school and two more years of training to become a certified teacher at the young age of eighteen. Later, after six years of additional study, Damaris earned a master’s degree in Social Studies.
Damaris taught in Mexico for a total of nine years at all levels, including elementary, middle, and high school. The only level she didn’t teach was Kindergarten.
In 1990, Damaris went to visit her brother Armando in Houston where he was living at the time. While she was there, she learned of an alternative teacher certification program that was offered in Texas. Damaris decided to apply for the program which required taking a qualification test to be accepted. She passed the test which she credits to the fact that she was already an experienced teacher and having recently completed her master’s degree, she had many of the concepts and knowledge covered on the test fresh in her mind.
Damaris took classes at the University of St. Thomas and Southwestern University in Houston and after a year, she earned her certification allowing her to teach in Texas. While taking courses and looking for a teaching job after she earned her certification, Damaris worked for almost two years in a daycare center.
When Damaris began teaching, she taught fifth grade bilingual students, most of whom where immigrants that had recently arrived in the United States from Mexico, Central American, and South America as well as immigrants from other parts of the world, primarily Asia.
After teaching for ten years, Damaris was named the Instructional Coordinator in her school. She continued in that position until she retired in 2017 after twenty-four years of working as an educator.
While Damaris was working as an Instructional Coordinator, her son Enrique was injured in an accident while serving in the United State Navy. Following his discharge while still recovering, Enrique traveled to Zihautanejo and fell in love with the beauty of the area and decided to move here.
During the few years that he lived here, he discovered the Playa Blanca property that would become the future home of Campamento Tortuguero Ayotlcalli. He didn’t know what exactly he wanted to do with the property but he dreamed of opening a restaurant that would take advantage of the gorgeous view even though the area was very undeveloped and the road was not even paved. With Enrique’s vision in mind, Damaris, Enrique, and the family decided to purchase the property.
Fast forward a couple of years, Enrique decided to move back to the states and the decision was made to sell the land. Just as they came to that conclusion, Damaris learned that their property (and the entire 15km) beach, was an active sea turtle nesting area.
A local resident that Damaris knew urged her not to sell and to consider creating some sort of sea turtle rescue and conservation camp. Damaris didn’t know anything about sea turtles or setting up a conservation organization but decided to go for it.
Starting in 2011, she and her family, including two of her nephews, met to start planning how to create the camp and one of the first things on the agenda was coming up with a name. Her nephew Octavio has an interest in ancient cultures and came up with the name Ayotlcalli. A compound word that combines ayotl, meaning turtle and calli which means house or temple in the Nahuatl (Aztec) language. So, Ayotlcalli, the temple of turtles was born
Starting with a group of volunteers from the local community of Coacoyul, Damaris and her team patrolled the beach on foot looking for nests and moved the eggs back to her property where they would be safe from poachers, dogs, and other hazards. In that first season, patrolling as far as they could walk and carry the eggs, they were able to relocate about 200 nests (compared with a thousand so far in 2018).
Damaris was still working in Texas and wasn’t able to be here full-time so she relied on her network of volunteers to do the day-to-day work. Key among those volunteers was a young woman who had just completed a degree in marine ecology. This volunteer took on the responsibility of running the camp with daily consultation with Damaris by phone.
The local woman that urged Damaris to start the camp also worked with Damaris for the initial three seasons, helping to establish the camp in those early days. Eventually she left to pursue opportunities in the Caribbean but her involvement helped Damaris meet people who became volunteers, some of whom are still with the camp.
In the early years, the property remained completely undeveloped and was a rugged and harsh environment in which to work. It was hot, there was no shelter, no amenities, just an empty, sandy lot. Eventually, a cabin was built where Damaris and her husband Gene could stay during time at the camp and where volunteers could seek shelter from the elements.
With no prior experience working with sea turtles, Damaris, being a self-described perfectionist, set out to become as knowledgeable and educated as possible about sea turtles and the how to properly run an organization dedicated to their preservation. Preferring to learn things on her own, she read anything she could find on the topic and attended symposiums locally and internationally where she could make a network of connections with knowledgeable and experienced people all over the world.
Resulting from her hard work, she was able to tap into that network of support to answer questions she couldn’t find through her own research or if she ever needed anything, she was able to reach out to her network for support and they are always there for her.
And, of course, she learned a great deal through her hands-on daily experiences.
Our beach is visited by three different species of sea turtles; Golfina (Olive Ridley), Prieta (Black), and Laúd (Leatherback). The Golfina turtle is the smallest of the three, with an average length and width in the 60-70cm range. They visit year-round but their peak season is July to February with the peak continuing some years to March or April as it did in 2017-2018.
The larger Prieta and largest (and rarest) Laúd usually have peak nesting seasons of October through February. The Laúd can be as large as a Volkswagen beetle and weigh up to 700kg. In all the years since the camp started and the thousands and thousands of nests hatched, Damaris is still dreaming of the night she gets to see a nesting Laúd. Laúd nests have been found by the camp and Damaris has had releases that include hatchlings from all three species but contact with a nesting Laúd has been elusive. All of the volunteers know that if a Laúd is encountered, the first call needs to be to Damaris, so she can realize her dream.
The camp’s nest count of over a thousand this year can be attributed to many factors, but one Damaris believes to be true is that the collective work of organizations like Ayotlcalli is making a difference and that sea turtles, while still endangered, are benefitting from conservation efforts.
On average, the female Golfina turtle starts to lay eggs as early as 13 while the female Prieta and Laúd females are between 15 and 20 years old. With the camp being seven years old, Damaris and her team will begin to see the camp’s former hatchlings and now adult females returning to our beach in another seven or eight years.
In addition to the work or relocating sea turtle nests to the safe corral and having controlled releases that maximize the hatchlings chances of survival, Damaris focuses a lot of attention on education. A palapa structure that is used as an outdoor educational center was built several years ago. Whenever there is a public release at the camp, the visitors are able to attend a presentation that explains the life cycle of the sea turtles, the hazards the turtles face from humans (poaching, development, and pollution), and things that can be done in everyday life to make a difference.
As a lifelong educator, Damaris believes the key to the future of sea turtles, and the environment in general, is teaching children the importance conservation. She said, “the most important thing is to educate the children because they are the future leaders and decision makers in regard to conservation.”
Damaris often hosts large school groups at the camp where the children learn about sea turtles and have the chance to participate in a release. And in recent years, Damaris also started a two-week summer camp that is open to children from local communities and focuses on educating about a wide range of environment issues.
Another form of education takes place when international volunteers come to stay and work at the camp. Damaris makes sure that each volunteer receives thorough training on the proper handling of nests, eggs, and hatchlings and learns about ways in which humans are impacting species like the sea turtles. These volunteers can then take that knowledge back to their home countries and share what they learned.
Each year, Campamento Tortuguero Ayotlcalli is required to apply for a permit to work with the turtles from La Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources) abberivated as Semarnat. The permit requires that we collect data on our activities and to report that data back to Semarnat where data from other organizations working with Sea Turtle conservation throughout Mexico is compiled into a national database that helps to determine how these species are faring.
Additionally, Damaris reports our data to some international organizations that compile data from conservations around the world that give a global view of the status of sea turtles in our oceans. These international databases give the camp some interesting benefits too, things like being able to the track the number on a tagged turtle to see where the tag originated.
Through reporting to the government and these international organizations, Damaris and the camp are playing an important part of educating the world about the health of sea turtle populations globally.
While very rewarding, running the camp is hard work too and it takes Damaris away from her family in Texas more than she would like. Sometimes she misses a grandchild’s football game or just spending time with Gene, but she is dedicated to the Camp’s mission. And, she’s happy that many family members (Gene, daughter Tanya, son Enrique, brother Armando, and others) are involved in one way or another with the camp. Even her brother Armando who she went to visit in Houston before moving to the U.S. lives at Casa de Tortuga and volunteers with the camp.
The work is hard also because it’s entirely reliant on volunteers and donations. Sometimes there are not enough of one or both and Damaris must work even harder. When the 2017-2018 peak season kept going past the normal February end, she and her right-hand volunteer Felipe patrolled together seven nights a week for two months straight. With patrols running between midnight and dawn, that made for a lot of sleepless nights.
In closing our interview with Damaris, we asked her to share something we don’t know about her. Her answer was that there are three things she doesn’t like about the beach; sand, mosquitos, and fear of the ocean. She doesn’t like the sand because of the sand fleas and she doesn’t like mosquitos for obvious reasons. And, while she’s fascinated with the ocean and loves looking at it, she finds it frightening.
Finally, Damaris shares the following advice if you have a sea turtle encounter –
If you’re on our beach, you can contact the camp to report the turtle (or hatchlings).
Do not disturb the turtle or hatchlings.
If the turtle is laying eggs, stay with her until she goes back into the ocean. Your presence will discourage poachers and dogs who won’t approach if you are there.
Erase the tracks in the sand.
Do not touch an adult turtle or hatchling.
Allow the turtle or hatchlings to go to ocean on their own. Do not try to help them even if they appear to be struggling.
Take pictures but make sure the flash is turned off.
Did you know that for as
little as $5 per month,
you can become a Sustaining Member,
helping to continue the
mission Damaris started.
Felipe is our one and only full-time employee. He is 22 years old and has been working or volunteering at Campamento Tortuguero Ayotlcalli for 7 years. Yes, that means he started volunteering at the very young age of 14!
Felipe has gained so much knowledge about the turtles over the years that the volunteer team can always rely on him for a guidance, training, and keeping things on the right track.
Did you know you can adopt a nest and give it as a gift to that special person in your life?
When you adopt a nest, we will email you a personalized certificate recognizing the name of the adopter along with the unique nest number.
What a unique and wonderful gift to give someone that really cares about our mother earth! Please support the work that we do.
environmental awareness over material wants? Or maybe that someone special is you and you want to treat yourself to a feel good moment that will last all year?
