Hi, Everyone,
I hope you are having a wonderful summer. Due to vacations as well as the heat and humidity, we are taking a hiatus from our normal schedule of Cabinet meetings. The Vecinos board is still working on ongoing projects, and we are beginning to think of the coming year. Through the generosity of so many of you we are almost at our goal of road completion by the beginning of this year’s High Season. Donations are still being accepted for completion and maintenance of the road.
Today we had a really great breakfast meeting with the Director of the new Akumal PROFEPA Office, Rodolfo Belchis. He is very excited to work with us for the enforcement of the protection of the our bays, lagoon, and mangroves. The breakfast marks the beginning of work on two new projects.
One is the creation of a private entrance road coming into Akumal Norte which will pass over some mangrove land. Normally, this construction would be prohibited; however, pipes/lines running under the new road for sewage, water connections, and electricity make this project feasible because it is for the “good of the community.” Therefore, this project will be issued the necessary construction permits. We’re in the beginning stages of the project and it will take time to come to fruition.
We all remember our first visit to Akumal Playa; its magic drew us back time after time and eventually many of us became homeowners. Many of us rent our homes or condos; however, the number of additional people this brings in doesn’t add significant stress to the natural resources, and we do give back to the community. Now larger facilities and outside tour companies are encroaching more and more on all areas of Akumal Playa. The magic that drew us here is being tainted. If this keeps up, we will slowly become another Tulum or Playa Del Carmen. This past Sunday we had well over 1500 people in Akumal Bay and 1200 in Yal Ku Lagoon. Today a third snorkel tour company began building giant entrance piers for their new location on Yal Ku Lagoon. This overload of our natural resources will eventually cause great harm to the lagoon, bays and mangrove. And to what end?
So is born the second important project of the Association: the creation of the Akumal Norte Preservation and Conservation Center. This is a major project requiring your help and support. As we created the projects to restore our road and engineered the new water system once more we need to move forward to protect this paradise from over exploitation. At full implementation, the Center will work to conserve our mangroves, parks, sea and land animals, with a museum preserving the history of this area. A large parcel of land has been made available on a 99-year lease from Frank Hatch and Lennie Maitta. The building when completed will house classrooms, a community center, a laboratory, Natural History Museum, and administrative offices for Vecinos. This project is being created to preserve Akumal Norte’s resources and the same magic that drew us all here.
If you have experience writing grant proposals or in creative writing, we can use your help. Most of the writing can be done from your home and emailed in. Please write to me at the address below and let me know your experience and what you would like to help with. We will be creating educational materials for all aspects of the resources, animals, and history here in Akumal.
Thank you for your support,
Dan
Dan Freeman, President
Asociación de Vecinos de Akumal Norte A.C.
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