Galápagos ...

The Trip of a Lifetime

from GALAPAGOS TRAVEL

Land Iguana (Isabela Island)

Conservation

After visiting the Galápagos Islands, most people take with them very special feelings and memories of this magical location. There are some of us who want to go one step further - they want to give something back to these wonderful islands.

Scholarship Program

Wanting to give back was why we initiated the GALAPAGOS TRAVEL Scholarship Program, a joint venture with the Charles Darwin Foundation. The Charles Darwin Foundation and their Charles Darwin Research Station are vital parts of the Galápagos National Park, yet it is woefully under funded; their annual budget is under $2 million, and they have 60 employees, a visitor center, tortoises to raise and care for, and baseline research to conduct. Under the terms of our program, GALAPAGOS TRAVEL will be funding Ecuadorian Graduate Students to conduct 2 year research programs in the Galápagos, the results of which will be a published thesis.

Our first two students, Milton Yacelga and Washington Tapia, have completed their theses on marine iguanas and giant tortoises, respectively. The results so far are quite fascinating, not only in terms of conservation data, but also, for example, as far as shedding new light on basic iguana behavior - in this case, that the hatchlings migrate to a safe feeding ground, much as sea turtles do. Our third student, Paola Buitron, is nearing completion studying the fragile (and possibly threatened) populations of land iguanas on North Seymour & Baltra Islands, and also investigating the recent increase of infertility. Our newest student, Fernando Garcia, is beginning fieldwork mapping the distribution and nesting zones of the endangered giant tortoises of southern Isabela. In our opinion, the future of Galápagos is in the hands of Ecuador, and the islands need environmentally-sensitive and educated Ecuadorians (such as these excellent graduate students). To date, we have contributed and/or raised $84,000 for this program.

Many of our passengers contribute to this special program, and any assistance you may wish to offer would obviously be greatly appreciated. Checks should be made out to the Charles Darwin Foundation, Inc. and sent to our office. The "memo" line should indicate "GALAPAGOS TRAVEL Program." This is fully tax-deductible. All donors who give $25 or more will become recognized by the Darwin Foundation as a "Friend of Galápagos" and will receive a 1 year subscription to Noticias de Galápagos and the Galápagos Bulletin, the journals of the Charles Darwin Foundation (which carry articles on Galápagos science and conservation). Annual contributions will extend the subscription to both publications. We will keep all donors notified on the progress of this special program.

Low Impact Tourism

GALAPAGOS TRAVEL is dedicated to preserving the ecological integrity of the Galápagos Islands. We promote sustainable low impact tourism and feel that nature-oriented tourism should remain as the main economic activity of the Galápagos. Further, we perceive that the truly unique and rich natural resources of the Galápagos are threatened by commercial fisheries and by introduced species of plants and animals. For a detailed description and analysis of these problems, we refer you to information offered by the Galápagos Coalition. We feel that a necessary condition to support the growth of future tourism is increased protection for the islands and its natural resources. This protection refers to both legislative action and the enforcement of these laws. To this end, GALAPAGOS TRAVEL has co-founded the INTERNATIONAL GALAPAGOS TOUR OPERATORS ASSOCIATION. Our mission is to have a unified, strong voice - one that will be heard by the world press, the concerned public, and the Ecuadorian government.

Scouting Program

GALAPAGOS TRAVEL also helps fund a local chapter of the Scouts. The Nueva Era Scout Foundation provides conservation education and recreation activities to local boys and girls in San Cristobal. Following is a letter from the president of the Scouts, William Puga, detailing their group's activities and accomplishments.

Greetings from San Cristobal! We have been very busy over the last few months, and the garua doesn't seem to be putting a damper into our growth nor our spirits.

On Friday July 7, 2000, we celebrated the realization of a several year old dream with the opening of the Cinema Paraiso and Rincon Scout at the Playa Mann. With several hundred members of the community of San Cristobal in attendance, we watched films on both Friday and Saturday nights under the stars and next to the crashing waves. In addition, in collaboration with the Charles Darwin Station, we began a recycling campaign and community cleanup with the youth of San Cristobal. We are very proud of these achievements, and we are grateful of your support, and the support of your passengers, that has helped us along the way.

As part of our Mejor Imagen project for San Cristobal, we have recently been approved to initiate a plan to install trash cans throughout the malecon (waterfront walk) and other areas where garbage can potentially spill into the marine reserve. The campaign also includes an educational component that will involve the Scouts and the community at large.

We have decided to allot a significant portion of recent donations towards the rent of the Environmental Awareness Center (EAC) and its staff of volunteers as we feel that these two items represent the backbone of our success. With the opening of the Bar Scout at the Playa Mann, we have begun to generate cash flow that will help us become more self-sufficient. Until then, however, we cannot share how much we appreciate your support in our efforts towards conserving the Galápagos Islands through education and community action.

In addition, the Environmental Awareness Center that you visited several months ago is now adorned with murals of the marine reserve, other Galápagos wildlife, and a map of the world, thanks to a group of recent volunteers here in San Cristobal.

Our English language courses continue to surpass our expectations, as our base of students is well over 120 students from ages 3-50. Like all of our projects, English classes serve as a medium for messages of conservation and the importance of Galápagos.

We have also granted a scholarship to Patricia Munoz. Patricia is a Scout leader who has been working with us for the past several years, as both leader of the Cub Scouts and dance groups. She has recently graduated from high school, and was accepted into a top dance academy in Quito. We decided to allocate a portion of your donation towards helping her further her dance studies for several reasons.

First, we feel strongly that dance has been a popular medium that has allowed us to attract the community's interest in order to convey messages of conservation, while building self-esteem of girls and boys in the community. Second, it is very difficult to find young people in San Cristobal who are willing to donate their time to community service, due to a number of economic, cultural, and parental influences. Thus, as a means to encourage more participation amongst the youth of San Cristobal, we felt that Patricia was the ideal candidate and more than deserving of our help in pursuing her dance studies. Third, the agreement of her scholarship is under the condition that Patricia comes back to the community when not studying to be an active leader in the Scout's dance groups and activities in general. Her stipend is $70 per month, which covers her tuition.

We are currently working on a brochure, and possibly a video, for you and your boats. We are always thankful for your continued support, and we think you would be proud of the work we have achieved in San Cristobal. Wishing you the very best, and looking forward to seeing you again in the future. As always, if you have any further questions, comments, ideas, etc. please don't hesitate to contact us.

Best Regards,

William Puga President, Nueva Era Scout Foundation