Broken Wagon Films associate producer Bri Bruce shares a defining Baja moment from her past.
Viewing entries tagged
wildlife conservation
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Check out this inspirational video of Waterkeeper Alliance conservationist Julio Solis, whom the Broken Wagon Films team had the honor of meeting during the preliminary expedition.
The MoveShake film series presents the story of Julio Solis, a sea turtle conservationist in Puerto San Carlos, Baja California, Mexico. In his youth, Julio was a poacher of sea turtles until a life changing mentor shifted his perspective about his relationship with the ocean. Julio is now working to protect the sea turtles by running a nonprofit dedicated to preserving Magdalena Bay’s natural resources. His story is one of perseverance and personal growth as he works to change the tide for the future of his community.
May 24, 2016 (Day 9)
I woke well before dawn to the sound of a familiar buzz. Mosquitoes! There were thousands of them all swarming around my head and especially into, on, and around my ears. Greg soon followed suit in waking to the sound and JT was, seemingly, sleeping peacefully with his shirt swaddled around his head, just a small hole around his mouth so he could breath. He, too, was miserable.
We packed faster that I thought would be possible. At the launch ramp, the tide was low, but still suitable for an easy launch. Julio joined us for a tour of the islands and the bay. We headed for Isla Santa Margarita, the farthest island from San Carlos. In 1905, Nelson and Goldman landed on the east side where unsuccessful attempts were made to can sea turtle meat for export. We found the frame of a small house on the beach, the only remaining marker of the cannery. According to Julio, there were still ruins of the old canning facility.
Halfway across the bay, the wind picked up and the conditions began to deteriorate. The decision was collectively made to abandon the attempt to visit Isla Santa Margarita for the closer and more interesting Isla Magdalena. We first landed by an old pier, the site of a phosphorus mining operation that had been overtaken by a seasonal shark fishing camp.
Next we moved up the eastern coast of Isla Magdalena to the village of Magdalena. Here the crew was treated to a quick and informative tour of the village and a short history lesson by one of the town’s elders.
The village of Magdalena.
When Nelson and Goldman were here, the orcilla lichen business was in decline. This lichen was gathered, processed, and shipped to Europe for use in the textile business as a dye. It was very expensive and of good quality. The only business being conducted at the time of their visit was the selling of beef to visiting vessels and the shipment of sea turtles to San Francisco. We learned that in the height of the turtle business, they were processing over 100 turtles a day.
We left the village after learning that the fishermen of the island were not fishing today because the weather and water conditions were too rough. So, we ducked into a nearby mangrove lagoon to film.
We ended the day with a three-hour drive to Mulege, a shower, dinner, and bed at the Serinidad Hotel.
May 22, 2016 (Day 8)
Continued...
On the road to San Carlos, we came across yet another dead cow that had a dozen turkey vultures and a half dozen caracaras picking at the carcass. We found a spot to turn around so we could slowly creep up on them to film so as not to spook the birds. A little care was needed to get the camera in place, not scare the birds and get a good shot. We may have succeeded.
The best find along the stretch of road was a photogenic patch of creeping devil’s cactus. They look like caterpillars that very slowly creep along the ground. The back end dies while the front end keeps growing. The main stalk then sends out fine rootlets into the ground to sustain itself.
The creeping devil's cactus.
Arriving in the small fishing village of Puerto San Carlos was a little bit of a shock. The weather was cold; the wind was still problematic. We drove around town to get a “lay of the land,” scope out the launch ramp, find a camp spot, and try to find Julio Solis, the director and manager of the Waterkeeper Alliance. One of Greg’s contacts, and the Bay Keeper, Solis keeps poaching for sea turtles in check and helps educate the watermen of the area about conservation.
For more information on the Waterkeeper Alliance, visit waterkeeper.org
We camped in a nice spot next to the mangroves and back waters of the slough in Puerto San Carlos. We had a great dinner of chicken tacos with fresh veggies. We all slept fitful.
May 18, 2016 (Day 4)
The Bahia de Los Angeles Natural History Museum is curated by Carolina, a lovely and charismatic woman that has put her soul into the museum and the natural history of the area. We were pleased when she agreed to an on-camera interview. We met her at nine this morning in the museum and she was great on camera.
The Bahie de Los Angeles Natural History Musem. Whale bones in foreground.
After leaving Bahia de Los Angeles, we headed to Guerrero Negro to get the T-top welded. We were delayed a bit by a few stops to film along the way. First, we stopped to film a Goldman’s agave plant in full bloom. Next we captured some horses and a donkey wandering through the desert before coming upon a dead donkey on the side of the road, several turkey vultures feeding on its carcass. As we slowed to pull over, we noticed a large bird in the road that had been hit—another vulture. As we got closer, we realized that, astoundingly, he was still alive. JT took a moment to get a few shots of him as he rest there, most likely paralyzed or stunned, blinking and looking at the camera.
Goldman’s Agave (Agave shawii ssp. goldmaniana) in bloom pictured here with Greg Meyer, scientific director of The Devil's Road (left) and JT Bruce, director of The Devil's Road (right).
JT, director, making friends with the locals...
Turkey vulture in road. Most likely stunned or paralyzed from being hit by a passing motorist.
We decided to move on to Loreto to get the T-top welded. I knew where the welding shop was and it was getting late, so we kept driving. A short stop in Vizcaino found no sign of Taco Kenny, or rather Kenny Martinez, who runs a taco cart called Baja Tacos with his wife. I met Kenny during a trip earlier this year, and quickly struck up a friendship. We checked in with him about our return trip and our plans to climb Goldman Peak.
Camping in the desert is always a treat. We found a side road, just south of San Bruno, that lead to a small pueblo and came to a shallow bowl-like basin to camp away from the roadway. We cooked our dinner and settled down with a cocktail around a fire.
Camp at sunset, near San Bruno.
Camp at night.
May 17, 2016 (Day 3)
An hour and a half, thirty miles of wind, and rough seas was all it took to get to Isla Rasa. The tide was flooding, which meant the access to the only viable landing was underwater. We circled the island hoping to find another option. We had to get creative to get the film crew off the boat, and get all the camera, sound, and filming accessories off without getting them wet. To anyone watching, it must have been a show.
As Greg and JT stepped off the boat, thousands of birds took to flight. At times it was difficult to hear one another over the noise of their calls. On this particular island (about one square mile) three main species of seabirds nest and mate here. In fact, nearly 90% of the world’s Elegant Terns and Heermann’s gulls breed on this island. The third bird species is the Royal Tern. The terns were not breeding. They did not show up this year and there may be a good reason. Climate change and the rise in sea temperatures as well as overfishing may have interrupted their food supply and they were forced to move elsewhere to breed, lay eggs, and raise their chicks.
(More on this issue can be read on Wildlife.org's site in an article published July, 2015.)
Nesting Heermann's gull. Photo credit: allaboutbirds.org
Photo credit robertharding.com
Though Nelson and Goldman did not visit Bahia de Los Angeles or its outlying islands, we wanted to highlight the importance of this tiny island. It was the first Gulf of California island to become a wildlife preserve. In the late 1950s and 1960s, scientists recognized its importance as a seabird breeding colony and in the early 1970s it was official. Early visitors collected the massive guano deposits and gathered thousands of eggs to feed hungry miners and residents around the gulf. This had a major impact on the bird’s ability to reproduce and sustain its population.
We arrived back safely, but with only one issue: the T-top on the Zodiac cracked partially through one of the four posts. Tomorrow will require a stop in Guerrero Negro for repairs before we can continue.