Guaranteeing that oysters cultivated in this region are healthy and do not represent consumption problems, was the objetive of a training course on good practices in aquaculture produccion of bivalve mollusks, recently imparted to producers from Caborca and Puerto Peñasco. Erick Ramirez Castillo, head of pathology health campaigns against bivalve mollusks, revealed that although there is constant and permanent monitoring, this training aimed to reinforce knowledge of oyster cultivators on appropriate management of their products while assuring that the is of good healthy quality.
He detailed the curse was given to 15 cooperatives from Caborca and Puerto Peñasco dedicated to the cultivation of oysters, stretching from the area of the San Judas estuary to the Los tanques estuary.

He expressed that training has provided good results, as tests carried out at the oyster farms show that the product is apt for human consumption. In addition, he noted, there is even the possibility of once again attaining certification for export to the United States.

Ramirez Castillo expressed his gratitude for the willingness of the nearly 100 oyster cultivators of the 15 cooperatives in the region, in maintaining their activities clean and healthy, which can bolster their precense in oyster production. Manuel Humberto Paez, head of the bivalve mollusk program for the secretary of health, stressed the importance of this training to assure that oyster produced in Peñasco and Caborca is apt for human consumption.

The oysters cultivated here, he noted, have an aceptable quality, adding there are no strong contamination concerns that could affect them. He assured both residents as well as visitors may consume these products with confidence.

Local oyster cultivators participate in     national  gathering

Two oyster cultivating cooperatives from the Morua Estuary in Puerto Peñasco recently participate in the IV gathering of Experiences on Collective Manegament of Coastal Resources, carried out Nov. 5 -8 in San Blas, Nayarit, reported a press release put out by the Intercultural Center of Desert and Ocean Studies (CEDO) The press release indicates that the goal of the meeting, which brought together 24 social organizations from 9 states across the country that carry out productive activities in coastal wetlands, was to create a space for discussion, reflection and exchange among the organizations regarding their experiences, problems and alternatives in developing their activities and in searching to improved their lives and that of their families.                                                                          Maria Concepcion Garcia, Maria del Rosario Luna Javalera and Jose de Jesus Rodriguez de Santiago, members of the Sole Cooperative of Woman and the Punta Roja Cooperative, respectively, attended the important event thanks to the support of La Ventana, A.C. and the Intercultural Center of Desert and Ocean Studies, A.C. During the meeting, participants addressed different problems that threaten environmental health and, therefore, the future development of the communities residing there.                                                                                                                                                   

The release notes that it was interesting to note the similarity of problems encountered in the different states including pollution and the destruction of habitats due to industrial and tourism development, as well as concerns of deforestation, illegal fishing or ill managed dumps.

There was also discussion concerning alternatives organizations have sough to counteract these threats as well as their results reached up to this time. The importance of diversifying activities was mentioned on various occasions as well as how to take advantage of natural resources in a sustainable manner.     One of the activities detected as a tool allowing for economic benefits while at the same time respecting the environment was that of ecotourism.                                                              Mrs. Maria Concepcion Garcia mentioned that oyster cooperatives in the Morua Estuary in Puerto Peñasco last year organized the Natur Arte Ecotourism Corridor and have been undergoing training and guiding tours through the estuary (Kayak tours, talks on interpreting local flora and fauna, experiences with oyster cultivation and bird watching) in collaboration with CEDO.

Following a trip she commented, Ecotourism does function, we have already seen how it functions in other places and can work here. In order of ecotourism to function it is necessary to maintain the natural beauty of the landscape and the ecologic functions of these wetlands; to the contrary, ecotourism may be lost.  At the end of the meeting, participants, among them those from Puerto Peñasco, signed a constitutive act for the Network for the conservation and protection of Coastal Wetlands in Mexico.

Within this Network those that signed the agreement made a commitment to defend their ecosystems and work for their right to take advantage of natural resources in a sustainable manner.

Now that you’re coming to peñasco you should know exactly what you need to declare and what things are permitted in your luggage in duty free. So here’s a great guide dedicated specially to you.

When you decide to flee from stress and get to paradise, there’s important information you should know to stay out of preventable contretemps.

First of all, when you get to the border, right in front of the Mexican side you’ll have to pick between nothing to declare lane and Self-declaration lane. If you decide to go through the first one, it means that whatever your bringing to Mexican territory does not exceed the permitted limits; you’ll have to take the second lane option when you’re bringing goods that worth more than personal or family exemptions or when the amount allowed in your personal luggage exceeds.

The second you start crossing the border, your vehicle wil activate a stop light. When the light turns red you’ll be inspected, if it turns green you’ll be free to go without customs inspection. The same thing goes to people who cross the border on foot; the difference I they will have to activate the mechanism manually.

It’s true you can pass by Mexican border without declaring but take very serious this inspection, there are sanctions and measures taken for those who don’t declare truthfully to Mexican border authorities. In case your car is chosen to be inspected, a customs inspector will do the examination, if he finds  goods you should have declared but you didn’t , he will classify, appraise, and give the  corresponding sanction.

Don’t worry if you findout  you took the wrong lane and you do need to declare; approach a customs inspector, ask him to classify and appraise your goods, so you do the corresponding tax payment.

YOU CAN BRING IN DUTY FREE…..                                         Items allowed in personal luggage should correspond with  your trip’s length and may vary depending on your voyage purposes; thinking about coming to Puerto peñasco, they may be:

-Goods for personal use: clothing, footwear, personal toiletries or beauty products, and wedding party items.

-2 sport gears, four rods, three speedboats with or without sails and their accessories, a bicycle, one set of binoculars and a telescope, a camping tent and camping equipment.

-1 portable radio, 1 CD player and 1 DVD player, and a pair of speakers. No more than 10 DVD’s and 30 CD’s, and five storage devices or memory cards for any electronic equipment.

-books, magazines (as rocky Life magazine) and printed documents.

-Five toys and a video game console with video games. Baby travel accessories, like baby walkers and strollers.

-one device for arterial pressure measurement and one for glucose, as well as personal use medication; in the case of psychotropics you should bring the medical prescripton.

-if you’re over 18 you may bring up to 20 packs of cigarettes, 25 cigars or 200 grams of tobacco, and up to 3 liters of alcoholic beverages, and six liters of wine.

-Walkers, wheelchairs, crutches, and canes, for handicapped or elder people.                                                                                Pets maybe introduced with their accessories, providing the zoosanitary import certificate, issued by SAGARPA.        Remember Mexico lets you bring up to 75 USD in goods per person, besides your luggage items. In this case, you better bring receipts to prove their value, if not the customs inspector will value them, as the import Mexican list indicates. This 75 USD can be extra items from the luggage list or other things youmay want, as long as they are not prohibited in Mexican land.

In case you’re accompanied by family members (wife/ husband and children) you may combine your personal exemptions when arriving in the same vehicle, but to do so you must present the corresponding commercial invoices or receipts. This additional exception does not include beer, alcoholic beverages, manufactured tobacco, and motor vehicle fuel (except the one in the vehicle’s fuel tank)

Don’t forget you may bring cash or traveler checks to Mexican territory; if you bring 10,000 dollars or more, it will be mandatory to declare them.

Now you know exactly what can you bring to Mexico. This way it’ll be sure you’ll enjoy your time at Peñasco. If you still have doubts go to   www.aduanas.sat.gob.mx

Come we are waiting for  you!

Anyone who has spent a day on the beach at Puerto Peñasco during a new or full moon, can appreciate the remarkable tides that rise and fall twice daily on the shores. The upper Gulf of California (from Puerto Peñasco and San Felipe to the Colorado River Delta) has one of world’s most extreme tidal ranges, with a sea level change of almost 9 meters( 27 feet ) vertically from the highest to lowest levels. The distance the tide drops varies tremendously and depends on the slope of the beach or the body of water. Compared to other places in the Gulf of California, the upper Gulf has the most extreme tidal range of all. When the tidal wave enters the shallow and narrow northern Gulf, it pushes the water level up really high, and as the tidal wave recedes, the water slosh down low, somewhat like water in a bathtub. Great tidal range like this occur in many places in the world with similar shallow, enclosed bays, such as the Bay of Fundy in Canada. In the northern Gulf of California, two low tides and two high tides occur each day producing a semidiurnal pattern.
There are many forces at work to create the tides. The most important are the gravitational pull of the sun and the moon on the earth, and the centrifugal force of the rotating earth. The combined effect of these two forces creates two bulges of water, one on the side of the earth that faces the moon and the other on the opposite side of the earth. These two water bulges represent high tide and the corresponding lack of bulges, are the low tides.
About every two weeks, during the new and full moon phases, when the sun, moon and earth are aligned, the tidal range is the greatest. These are called spring tides. In between new and full moons, during quarter and three quarter phases, the sun and moon are not aligned; their gravitational pulls are working at 90 degrees to each other, and the tidal fluctuations are at a minimum. These are called neap tides. During spring tides in the upper Gulf, low tides tend to occur early in the morning and late in the afternoon.
In the upper Gulf of California, the extreme tides create strong currents and dictate the overall circulation pattern for the entire region, as well as the nearshore water movements. They affect the distribution of sediments and nutrients, the movements of larvae and many living creatures. In the open sea, migration and feeding habits of mammals, fish and birds are influenced by the tides. Fishermen’s activities also follow the flow of tides, determining how, when and where they fish. On the shore, a myriad of spineless creatures and seaweeds are alternately covered and exposed to the surrounding desert by the rhythmical rise and fall of the tide. Essentially, any visitors to the seashore in the upper Gulf must adjust to the ebb and flow of tides.
  

Governor Janet Napolitano and her Sonoran counterpart, Governor Eduardo Bours, announced on December 5th, that the Lukeville Sonoyta Port of  Entry will be expanded to accommodate the growing number of travelers to Rocky Point. The port was built more than 20 years ago and is not large enough to handle the amount of visitors who travel to Puerto Peñasco and return to Arizona on holidays and weekends. The announcement was made at the 2008 Fall Plenary Session of the Arizona-Mexico Commission/ comision   Sonora-Arizona in Hermosillo, Sonora. Many travelers returning from Rocky Point have experienced the 5- hour line at the Port, the Governor explained. Stakeholders on all levels – federal, state and local worked hard on the first public-private effort to ease the congestion at the Port or Entry.

This bi-national public-private partnership between Arizona and Mexico was developed by the Tourism Committee and transportation, Infrastructure and Ports committee of the AMC. The committees  worked for more than a year to facilitate the flow of traffic for visitors and widen the Lukeville-Sonoyta POE. The current POEwill be expanding from three lanes to five lanes; reducing the wait from five hours to three hours during peak times. Customs and Border Protection has agreed  to staff the port once it is expanded. The expansion is estimated to cost $2.5 million, which has already been secured through public and private sector agreements.

Enhancement work is anticipated to take less than 12 months. The Arizona and Sonora  Offices of Tourism, the Arizona Department of Transportation, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) the federal highways administration, General Services Administration and  their  Mexican counterparts, including Puerto Peñasco Convention and Visitors Bureau, parnerted with the AMC on this agreement.

The theme for this CSA Fall Plenary Session was Leaders United to Promote 21st Century Economic Development. By working together, we have a unique opportunity to put some strategies in place that will benefit the Arizona – Sonora region and develop the region into the economic powerhouse of the 21st century, Governor Napolitano said.

During this years plenary session, the following agreements were signed.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

-Professional Workers Agreement

This agreement will establish a database of skilled Sonoran Professionals, who are prescreened and eligible to receive professional employment visas.arizona companies lookinf for workers not readily available in Arizona will have access to the database.

-Anti- Human Trafficking Agreement

This will establish a bi-national human trafficking coordinating council – the first of its kind in the southwestern U.S.-Mexico border region. This council will help make legislative recommendations to toughen the states stance on human tracking.

-Health Agreement – This agreement will establish an electronic system to exchange information concerning diseases of bi-national public health importance along the Arizona – Sonora border. In addition to the agreements and border expansion, Southwestern Ambulance donated six ambulances to the state of Sonora. Approximately 500 people attend the plenary session. Governors Napolitano and Bours meet with public and private sector business leaders, legislators, policy influencers and community leaders from Arizona and Sonora to connect communities, change business and affect state policy enhancing the economy and quality of life in the Arizona – Sonora region.

A pesar de las dificultades económicas por las que hemos pasado, debemos mantenernos unidos y disfrutar de la vida que es lo más preciado que tenemos, al lado de nuestros seres queridos demostrándoles nuestro cariño. 

Son días para compartir con alegría y ese es el gran deseo que quiero compartir con ustedes, mi ilusión es que todas las familias puedan vivir estas fechas con plenitud.

Les deseo a todos una muy Feliz Navidad y una vida llena de realizaciones, estoy seguro que juntos y en unidad lograremos dar a nuestra comunidad la felicidad y el bienestar que se merece y no me queda la menor duda de que este 2009 será mejor. 

Son los sinceros deseos de su amigo: 

Heriberto Rentería Sánchez
Presidente Municipal de Puerto Peñasco