Sailing for Climate- a post from Jess Reilly

A second post from friends at the Sailing for Climate Blog… 

The Pernicious Effects of Warm Water
by Jess on November 25, 2015
Climate Change, Coasts and Oceans, Mexico, Research, Sailing, Travel
“At night, it looked like another city,” Isabel tells me as she gestures out her office window toward the sea. “There were hundreds of lights. But now, what do you see?” she asks me.
“Nada,” I reply.
Isabel Soto Gonzalez runs the daily operations at the marina in Santa Rosalía. She tells me that the harbor (where we are docked to diagnose our faulty batteries) used to be full of calamareros, squid fishermen. This floating city of light just outside of the harbor pulled in thousands of pounds of Humboldt squid every night. This mysterious six-foot-long predator is known for its massive size and an ability to rapidly change color from white to red. It has a beak so sharp it can cleanly shear a finger off a careless fisherman.
To catch squid, boats ply the nighttime waters with bright halogen bulbs directed on the water’s surface. This attracts plankton and little fish, which in turn lures the night-feeding squid. These days, panga fishing boats zip in and out of the inner harbor, or dársena, but mostly during daylight hours. The fishery for the giant squid supported hundreds of boats and over a thousand people—until the squid disappeared in the winter of 2009 and never returned.
“Too many fishermen?” I ask. Hundreds of boats in one area sounds like too much pressure on one species.
“I’m not sure. The squid supported all those boats for years. Then they just disappeared so fast.”

read the rest of this post over on the Sailing for Climate Blog-
http://sailingforclimate.com/warm-water/ 

About Sailing for Climate
Adventures in climate research by wind and water
In a 39-foot sailboat, Jess and Josh travel to remote and rural communities throughout Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean, to study adaptation to (climate) change through the lens of both science and story.
By traveling under sail, they connect with the natural cycles of the sea and gain access to remote areas.
They share the coastal challenge of living by the whims of the water and are subject to the same conditions as the people who rely on the ocean for sustenance, both physical and spiritual.
Learn more about their Mission, Route & Sailboat…
http://sailingforclimate.com/the-route/
http://sailingforclimate.com/our-boat/

CREATIVITY RISING! with Dave Zaboski- DEC 3-6, 2015→

Puente Retreats 2015- Creative Rising! With Dave Zaboski

This is a creative healing.
It is a journey to the source of your human potential and permission to engage in the infinite magic of creation.
To create is your birthright.
It is why you are here: to make manifest the wonders of your heart, spirit and mind.
Creation is a sovereign pact between your imagination and your divine soul.
Renew that pact.
Heal your creative soul.
Join Creativity Master and former Disney Animator Dave Zaboski as we explore art as a spiritual path through a hands on deep dive into the wilds of your imagination and the treasures that await you there.
Through both traditional and esoteric practices we will expand your conscious artistic self expression and touch the sacred in ourselves, our community and our world. 
In this interactive workshop you’ll learn:
• The Five Key Attributes used by Empowered Creators to create anything they choose
• How to restart, refuel and never be blocked creatively again
• A deeper connection to your own true voice and a clear signal to how you serve the world
• Secrets from the Disney Masters on how to create a Culture of Collaboration
• Sustainable practices for carrying what you learn back into the world for good
With heartfelt guidance you will draw, paint, sculpt, write and manifest in myriad ways.
This experience is for creators of all levels.
If you've ever been stopped or stalled on a project or have had big ideas you'd like to bring forth,
this gift that you give to yourself will unhook you from past wounds and blocks thus illuminating a path to true freedom in your personal and communal life.

Don’t miss this rare and profound opportunity to step into what’s next for your life-
http://www.puenteguidance.com/creativity-rising-dave-zaboski/

Navigating Baja – Dispatch #8 Swimming with the Ocean’s Largest Fish

A humpback whale flukes off the coast of La Paz., Mexico; Photograph by Max Lowe

From the National Geographic Series Navigating Baja
Originally Posted by Hayden Peters in The Adventurists on April 13, 2015
Travelling with Adventurists Max Lowe, Austin Kino, Hayden Peters and Catherine Yrisarri.
A ten-day adventure along the Sea of Cortez in Baja California, Mexico.

“Fast forward to Baja a few months later. Our crew geared up, boarded our panga, and made our way out into the Bay of La Paz to search for the semi-mythical creature, the whale shark. These creatures are some of the largest in the world, out-weighing a school bus at 60,000 pounds at a length of 45 feet. As the largest—yes, largest—fish in the ocean, they somehow maintain their massive body weight by eating some of the ocean’s smallest creatures, phytoplankton”— Hayden Peters

See the video online at National Geographic Adventure-
http://adventureblog.nationalgeographic.com/2015/04/13/navigating-baja-swimming-with-the-oceans-largest-fish-dispatch-8/

Navigating Baja – Dispatch #7 Little Town, Big Fish

the small pueblo of El Triunfo and swimming with the Whale Sharks

From the National Geographic Series Navigating Baja
Originally Posted by Mary McIntyre in The Adventurists on April 10, 2015
Travelling with Adventurists Max Lowe, Austin Kino, Hayden Peters and Catherine Yrisarri.
A ten-day adventure along the Sea of Cortez in Baja California, Mexico.

“The freedom of the open road was powerful and intoxicating. Curves flow by as though we’d found a pavement river through the landscape. My companion and driver, Chris, had chosen to make Baja his home—and being on the bike with him was a window into his connection with this place. Cresting a hill, we took a more leisurely pace as we approach the small town of El Triunfo”—  Mary McIntyre

See the video online at National Geographic Adventure-
http://adventureblog.nationalgeographic.com/2015/04/10/navigating-baja-swimming-with-whale-sharks/

Navigating Baja – Dispatch #6 Surrounded by Seas

The crew checks the surf near Todos Santos, Mexico; Photograph by Max Lowe

From the National Geographic Series Navigating Baja
Originally Posted by Max Lowe of Nat Geo Young Explorers in The Adventurists on April 7, 2015
Travelling with Adventurists Max Lowe, Austin Kino, Hayden Peters and Catherine Yrisarri.
A ten-day adventure along the Sea of Cortez in Baja California, Mexico.

“Under the guide of Chris Mathias, our host and new friend we ventured away from the coast and into these hills, a thin stream turned into long refreshing pools of the deepest green and the desert landscape around us was suddenly a spring with rushing water and polished stone, we didn’t have to venture far off the beaten path to find this magic little oasis…”— Max Lowe

See the video online at National Geographic Adventure-
http://adventureblog.nationalgeographic.com/2015/04/07/navigating-baja-surrounded-by-seas-dispatch-6/

Crime and Climate- a post from Jess Reilly→

Jessica received a Fulbright Scholarship to study the adaptations and coping choices of coastal communities throughout Latin America.  I was lucky to sail from San Diego down the west coast of Mexico with she and Josh…

http://jessreilly.com/crime-and-climate/

Yessica!

This is your best one yet! Graceful syntax, potent content, curious context and optimism in fair share. As you head north, I hope to have the chance to intersect with you and josh (oct) as I'll be making my way down around the 10th. Tell josh I had a great, tho brief (two day) visit to Pt Townsend (during the blues fest) saw Jacquline from LB, visited the marine reserve and the grounds and entrepreneurship at the fort. Loved it, though talk about climate change, it was 95f!! I experienced unprecedented heat and draught on my slow trip by six wheels (new RV) and two (my KTM) from San Diego to the Olympic peninsula. Few people were as alarmed as I, and disconcertingly, many called it a "great spring/summer with little to no rain". The rivers I've paddled in years past, the Eel and Klamath, along with many others were just gravel beds with narrowing channels, the high water marks of past years barely visible 20' up the banks. British Columbia, or rural parts within more precisely, are on STAGE 4 rationing, which is deeply restrictive and more comprehensive than anything I've heard of in the states. We could be closer to calamity than we know. The veneer of civilization is thin, and disruption of the water supply could tip the balance overnight!

I'm up in Ketchum now, off to see Brother Doug P in the morning. I'm guessing you heard the fate of the Animas River thru Durango ( and on to the San Juan, thence Colorado ). Saddening at least, and extremely distressing to the people and ecosystem of the southwest. On a more regional note, a sow bear and her two cubs are on death row in Yellowstone, just west of here. Seems an 'experienced' hiker got between her and two cubs and resulted in his death. There is a social uproar at the quick and terminal conclusion. Terry T Williams and Doug are leading the protest, so I'll soon be in the midst of that likely hopeless defense of things wild, acting wild. Amid these relentless stories of insult, I still find reason to revel in the possibility of an enlightened future. Call me crazy.

I'm off the grid for two days up to a wilderness yurt on the east fork of the house river. Spent the day with Ed Viesturs and Paula today, he's been a close friend for 21 years and our connection is strong.