Todos Santos Gold Mining Meeting Update

The following was posted on the most recent Baja Western Onion:

Toxic Mining Meeting - It is imperative that we all become involved to protect our community from the international companies seeking to exploit our natural resources at the expense of our delicate desert ecosystems and fragile aquifers. You are invited to attend a meeting to update you on the status of the five open-pit mining projects proposed for the southern region of the Peninsula. We will also present information about the Desalination plant the Concordia mining company plans to develop in Las Playitas, outline future strategies and talk about how we can help to promote sustainable policies in Baja California Sur. Please invite your friends and neighbors and join us at Café La Esquina, Wednesday, May 18, at 5:30 p.m. in Todos Santos. – Elena Moreno,info@aguavalemasqueoro.com, www.aguavalemasqueoro.com, 612-145-0050

Check out the videos below from  BajaSurEnPeligro.com

Yet Another Todos Santos Weather Update

I feel completely obliged to follow up on the last weather posting since that one implied summer heat arriving way too soon. True to form, the winds returned to their normal pattern, i.e. from the northwest, and the ocean  and the air cooled considerably. Nights are back to being chilly, 60ish and days somewhat hot in the sun but nearly perfect out of the sun.

La Paz on the other hand, is another world. 60F at dawn and 100F by late afternoon. And this is May! Just imagine what August/September will be like. Sauna-city!

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Huffington Post Travel Features Todos Santos Baja

Yesterday’s Huffington Post Travel section features a story about Todos Santos from WatchBoom.com travel editor, Bob Schulman. It is well written and includes quite a bit more history than the normal travel piece. You can read it at the link below:

Todos Santos: A Sweet Story

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Todos Santos Desal Meeting Cancelled

This comes from a post in the Baja Western Onion:

Concordia Withdraws Desalination Project - In a surprise announcement made Tuesday, the Secretary of the Environment SEMARNAT announced that the Concordia Mining company has withdrawn its application for the Desalination plant in Las Playitas. The resulting aqueduct would have sent 1,000,000 gallons of water a day to the proposed Concordia/Paredones Amarillos open pit gold mining project in the Sierra de la Laguna Biosphere Reserve. The public hearings scheduled for Thursday and Friday have been canceled as a result of the announcement. 

The mining company will most likely regroup and try again. The withdrawl has been seen as an important victory for those opposing the venture. Local volunteers stepped forward to help pay for the scientific studies and legal consultants, make banners and organize the opposition.

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The End Of The Tortilla As We Know It?

With the unrelenting rise of commodity prices, the cold wet winter in Mexican corn growing states and the push to turn corn into fuel for cars, big changes are coming in the corn tortilla industry.  Will it be the end of pervasive and cheap corn tortillas? You decide.

Tijuana, 2/24/2011 Speculation on the price of corn flour and a possible increase of 100% on the price per ton for the commodity, could lead to potentially unbearable increases in the price of tortillas, closures of tortillerías in Baja, and the loss of many jobs.

Members of the masa and the tortilla industry in Baja pointed out that in Ensenada alone, as many as 5000 jobs may be at risk. In the city of Ensenada there are about 117 tortillerías; the city of Tijuana has 800; and in Mexicali, there are 400-500 registered establishments

Reportedly, in 2010 the price per ton of corn flour was in 3,400 pesos (approx. $283), but it has now increased to 6,400 pesos (approx. $533). In 2007, it was only 2,200 pesos/ton (approx. $183).

Local area masa and tortilla business owners want to meet with political leaders of the municipalities of Ensenada, Tijuana, and Mexicali, and de la Secretaría General de Gobierno (SGG) and Desarrollo Económico (SEDECO).

It was emphasized that local Baja masa and tortilla manufacturers do not receive federal or state subsidies like large companies such as Gruma and Minsa, together estimated responsible for as much as 90 percent of corn flour production in Mexico. Local manufactures also said, these companies (Gruma and Minsa) offer products of bad quality at a price low, thanks to grants received from the federal Government, while local manufacturers of the masa and tortillas don’t have the same economic benefit.

Since 2007 tortillerías have maintained a package price of tortillas at 12 pesos (approx $1) each on average, but with possible increases, the price may increase to more than 15 pesos (approx. $1.25).

The increased cost of corn meal is considered due to the loss of crops in Sinaloa and Tamaulipas, which received lower than expected rainfall. The two states are considered the largest corn producers of region.

Source: El Linea Tijuana

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Community Meeting In Todos Santos Concerning Desal Plant For Gold Mines

I just received this notification and want to share it with all who may be interested and/or affected.

PLEASE ATTEND a public meeting on 12 May 2011 at the Cultural Center in Central Todos Santos for the project proposal Desalinization plant for the Todos Santos “Desaladora Concordia” for mining operations. The proposed desal plant for the mine located 3km north of La Pastora.

Please pass the info below along to all your friends and contacts in the area to mobilize a strong turnout!  

Si no la conocen, la MIA la pueden consultar aquí:

See Information below (in spanish)

http://sinat.semarnat.gob.mx/dgiraDocs/documentos/bcs/estudios/2011/03BS2011HD009.pdf 

Esta reunión se llevará a cabo el próximo jueves 12 de mayo en CENTRO CULTURAL  SIGLO  XXI 

“PROFESOR  NÉSTOR AGÚNDEZ” UBICADO EN  CALLE  JUÁREZ Y  TOPETE, C.P. 23300,  LOCALIDAD DE  TODOS  SANTOS, MUNICIPIO DE  LA  PAZ, BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR 

(mil gracias a Marco Carignan de DAN, por estar el pendiente y pasarme el dato).

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Cooking In Paradise With Rick Bayless

Rick and his cooking show crew discovered that cooking in paradise isn’t always quite as easy as it seems. Check out their trip to Isla Espiritu Santo and Mag Bay.

Behind the Scenes Baja | Episode 6: Cooking in Paradise from Frontera Fiesta on Vimeo.

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Todos Santos Weather Update

Yes it is May. No it really shouldn’t get hot in Todos Santos until July at the earliest. But for the last two days, the winds have blown from the south bringing humid warm air. The ocean has warmed considerably too – it’s in the 70′s now. The night time lows rose 5-8 degrees F and the days got hot, not only in the sun but in the shade too.

This should pass and we hopefully will cool off again because the hot weather will come. That’s a given.

What a strange 7-10 days as we went from June gloom in late April to summer heat in early May. Where’s that marine layer when you really need it?

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Too Cool To Not Post

Ok, this has absolutely nothing to do with Todos Santos or Baja or Mexico but it’s so very cool I just had to post it!

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Todos Santos Friends Of The Dunes Update

The group that is actively trying to eliminate construction on and preserve the Todos Santos dunes recently sent out an update that you might find interesting.

Dear Friends,

We have been busy with various activities since the fundraiser in March.

Here’s a brief summery with ways you can help if you feel motivated..!

1. Dancing In the Moonlight was a success!  Thank you to everyone who

helped in some way. We raised over 20,000 pesos toward the dunes work and

had fun while doing it! We are using these funds carefully for legal costs, outreach, signage and also creating a web site called Las Tunas Ecology. This will be a central place for the dunes studies and information related to protecting and preserving our environment and will be put on all the new signage. If you wanted to donate, but have not yet, please go to Paypal. We are certainly still in need!

Donation Info: https://www.paypal.com/mx/cgi-bin (Pay Pal MEXICO in english)

Our email: todose@me.com  (Todos Santos Environmental Group)

2. PROFEPA - Numerous legal complaints were submitted listing all the apparent environmental violations on the dunes building here, a few months past now. Profepa has not responded other than sending a legal form saying they will investigate. We have followed up with photographs, calls, letters and asked to meet with them, and we are frustrated and disappointed that they are not doing their job. The new dunes house is three stories high with a 4th story tower deck! The footprint and high seawalls are outrageous and totally out of compliance. It increases wind and sand erosion greatly. There are plans for 90 more of these houses so the time to act is now to do what we can. To see “Section One” of the developers lot map go to: http://todossantosen.blogspot.com/2011/03/developers-lot-map-section-one.html

3. LEGAL/CEMDA - The good news is that some environmental lawyers we

contacted are interested to help. We met with them and they are doing some research and will make proposals. CEMDA is very active in trying to protect coastline in Baja Ca Sur already. They are funded in part by international environmental groups, and charge a low fee. They can work on a Federal level for us in Mexico City which is what we need and file forms with Profepa to make them do their job. They had some ideas that may stop more building by filing a investigation into the ‘unusual’ permit and the ‘questionable’ Environmental Impact study. More to come on this.

4. PETITION - The new Mexican officials are taking office this month and we 

wish to have the petition (now over 700 signatures) sent to them. We need help

here, to compile names/adresses and help for hand delivery in La Paz. Pls let us know.

If you have any more signatures please let us know also. Posting on facebook might get more signatures quickly! www.bestoftodossantos.com/save-todos-santos-coast-petition

We are looking for writers to help get the word out via local media at the same time…

5. Colonas Las Tunas and Surrounding Areas - Homeowners Association documents are about ready to be re registered. We have new officers and committees to advocate for the neighborhoods and environment ”from San Sebastion to Las Pastoras” to speak with one strong voice. Will send more information in a separate email soon. 

6. Outreach: SIGNAGE - The old signs in Las Tunas about the dunes have fallen down and need to be replaced. New ones are being created. Please let us know if you would like to help find places for them (private property) or help paint and install. Looking for extra white paint for new signage that we creating, please respond asap if you have any.

EDUCATION  - We have translated studies about the destruction of the dunes by building, into español and have copies to distribute if you’ve a good place in the community and contacts.

MEDIA - Looking for writers to investigate and write about what is happening. There was an article on the front page of the Gringo Gazette in March about the Todos Santos dune issue, but the issue needs more exposure . Let’s compile a list of local media sources and think about this more… We have studies and backup material available. Check: http://TodosSantosEN.blogspot.com

Best wishes to all!

Committee for the Dunes, Todos Santos

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