Nurturing environmental values in BCS Mexico

Dear friends and GlobalGiving donors,

Sometimes dreams begin with a simple idea: to create a place where science, youth, and community come together to protect the sea that gives us life. That dream now has a name, and it’s becoming a growing reality: the McKee Center for Education, Conservation, and Research.

Thanks to your support, the McKee Center has become the heart of our work — a place that inspires, connects, educates, and transforms. Everything we’ve accomplished in recent months has started — and returned — to this space that makes the impossible feel within reach.

A historic return to our shores

One of the most exciting moments of this period was welcoming the Western Flyer, the iconic vessel that sailed these waters 85 years ago with John Steinbeck and Ed Ricketts. Now fully restored, it returns with a new mission: to inspire new generations.

Through collaboration with the Western Flyer Foundation, Stanford University, our local university, and government authorities, the McKee Center became the key host and partner for this historic visit. It was from here that we organized conservation and education activities that engaged students, scientists, and community members.

Students from ITESME took part in an intertidal sampling expedition alongside Dr. William F. Gilly, Dr. Unai Markaida, and biologist Pablo Zambrano, using the center as their base. Their faces said it all — curiosity, pride, and the joy of becoming part of something greater.

Innovation from the McKee Center: turning problems into solutions

Another powerful initiative is also being led from the McKee Center: our work to transform abandoned fishing nets into solid, useful materials.

With the support of Ocean Conservancy and the Global Ghost Gear Initiative, a group of local university students is using the center as their workshop and lab to melt down monofilament fishing nets recovered from high-risk areas, turning them into durable prototypes made entirely from recycled plastic.

During the Western Flyer visit, these students proudly represented the McKee Center with an educational stand, where they shared their work with fishermen, children, tourists, and local leaders. It was a powerful moment of environmental education, youth leadership, and local innovation.

Infrastructure that supports dignity and science

We know that doing research means also caring for those who make it possible. That’s why, over the past two months, we completed the construction of a septic tank and a rustic, functional bathroom using recycled pallets and materials.

This new facility is already being used by our researchers, students, and visitors during fieldwork. Importantly, it includes a shower, allowing those who dive into the sea for their studies to clean up afterward — with dignity and comfort. These improvements solidify the McKee Center as not just a space for learning, but a home for community-based science.

New seeds: growing partnerships from the McKee Center

We believe the McKee Center can become a regional hub for marine conservation and education. That’s why we’ve begun discussions with the Autonomous University of Baja California Sur (UABCS), which offers degrees in Marine Biology and Fisheries. Our shared vision is clear: to make the McKee Center a natural home for hands-on learning, professional internships, and field-based research.

Thank you for making all of this possible

Every step we take — every net recycled, every marine sample collected, every young person inspired — starts from the McKee Center. And the center itself exists because you believed in us.

Thank you for trusting in our work. Thank you for believing that, from a small coastal community, we can build science, conservation, and hope.

With deep gratitude,
The Team at Hagamos Más por Santa Rosalía, A.C.
Santa Rosalía, Baja California Sur, Mexico

Links:

• Facebook Alianza Pesquerias
• Western Flyer Foundation Page
• William Gilly