Profiling Members of Our Community
Aarón Barnett Romero
Field Assistent for the ICPP
Mónica Esquer
Community member I have collaborated with the Kino Bay Center as an assistant for the Spanish Intensive classes and received students in my house for several years. I have also enjoyed teaching students about cooking and about the sea turtle monitoring and clean-up efforts in Laguna la Cruz. As a member of several community conservation groups in Laguna la Cruz, it has been very important for me to learn about conservation, and to be able to carry the message to others. I like to build awareness in my community, and it is especially satisfying to be able to involve my children and grandchildren. Our community needs to work as one to protect our resources.
My first interaction with the Kino Bay Center was a visit to the field station in 2008. During that year I also learned about the Center’s activities in the Comcaac community. I have really enjoyed working as a Field Assistant with the Indigenous Community Partnership Program. Getting involved and leading some of the activities has helped me to acquire the knowledge and conservation tools with which I have been able to carry out conservation projects in my community.
Elise Maynard
Prescott College student
Carlos Castillo Program Advisor / Council member As CONANP’s Northwest Regional Director, I had the opportunity to receive and support the proposal from the Kino Bay Center and the University of Sonora (DICTUS) for Laguna la Cruz to be designated as a wetland of international importance by the Ramsar Convention. Since its incorporation in 2013, I have collaborated in the development of its Management Program. It has been a very enriching experience to be a Program Advisor of the Executive Council for the Kino Bay Center!
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I first came to the Kino Bay Center during my first year at Prescott College, and spent many semesters learning about the region. I knew this environment was unique. From taking Marine Biology and focusing on the ocean, to stepping back and understanding how nature influences culture and how culture influences nature - I learned that it was more biodiverse than I could even imagine. The Center is a beautiful hub for cultural diversity, conservation, and community. It has taught me to think deeply about the world around me and to be curious, looking out with awe and amazement, and looking in with reflection and contemplation.
