Monthly Bulletin of the Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve, Querétaro, México.

In Sierra Gorda we are in search of options that permit us to alleviate the shameless pressures of society on our beloved planet, an organism of invaluable richness and wisdom from whom we come—and who we rightly call Mother.  So many life forms are in danger of being lost, including the earth´s biodiversity and the essential processes that generate, maintain, and make life possible. 

When it is too late our society will recognize its ignorance.  The individual conscience in action can construct a great social movement for conservation only when each one of us recognizes our relationship to and our responsibility for the Earth.  As we celebrate the 22nd anniversary of the Sierra Gorda Ecological Group, we recognize our legacy in protecting life in the Sierra Gorda as a treasure.  Congratulations to the Sierra Gorda, to its inhabitants, and to the plants and the animals!  With thanks to the civil society, let´s continue to go forward!

Full steam ahead for the UNESCO-Sierra Gorda on-line diploma program.
 The first online diploma course using a curriculum co-developed by UNESCO and Sierra Gorda is entitled, “Learning and Teaching for a Sustainable Future.”  Offered through the virtual campus of the Autonomous University of Querétaro, the course has six on-line advisors from the Sierra Gorda Earth Center in Jalpan de Serra, Querétaro.  The enrollment in the course is high with 70 participants from a wide variety of institutions, and this first generation of on-line students has completed 50% of the modules.  The course has been approved by the Mexican Ministry of Public Education as officially valid at the national level for teachers to use in meeting their professional development requirements and for advancing on the salary schedule.  The course also includes a week of personal and hands-on experience at the main campus of Centro Tierra Sierra Gorda (Sierra Gorda Earth Center) in Jalpan de Serra, Queretaro, and site visits around the Biosphere Reserve such as environmental education, sanitation, and community organizing.

 
      

Sierra Gorda Earth Center and the Secretary of Agricultural Development of the State of Querétaro Offered the Course “Organic Cattle Ranching” and the Workshop “Agricultural Homeopathy”

Between March 30 and April 1, the course “Organic Cattle Ranching” was offered at the Sierra Gorda Earth Center by Dr. Fulvio Gioanetto from the Mexican company Metrocert (Mexican Organic Tradition) located in Morelia, Michoacán.   The objective of the course was to introduce the benefits of forest-pasture systems in relation to the productivity of pastures and the profitability of Mexican cattle ranching with minimal impacts to the environment.  The event was addressed principally to producers in the Sierra region, but also was attended by cattle ranchers and technical representatives of farmers unions as well as from other protected areas in the country.  The course set down the foundations of an approach to cattle ranching with low environmental impact.  We are grateful for the strategic support of SEDEA (Secretary of Agricultural Development of the State of Querétaro) in making this course possible.

 

Also with the support of the SEDEA, on May 28 and 29 the first workshop on Agricultural Homeopathy was presented by MCM Radko Tichavsky, the director of the Comenius Institute.  Tichavsky is a researcher with extensive experience and specialized knowledge about recovering the health of soils and forests, about the activities of farming and cattle ranching, and about guiding development towards use of organic certification through a homeopathic approach to agricultural production.

 

 
The Geotourism Challenge 2009 PEOPLE, CULTURE AND TERRITORY

Your comments make a big difference.  The Sierra Gorda Ecological Group is participating in the Geotourism Challenge 2009 co-sponsored by National Geographic and Ashoka-Changemakers, a collaborative competition online that seeks to identify and recognize innovations in tourism that benefit communities by contributing to the preservation and improvement of their areas by converting them to special destinations.  Please click on the following link, register, and share your comments about the proposal.  We need your support!http://geotourism.changemakers.com/es/node/21996


Come get acquainted with the mountains and forests in the northern part of the State of Querétaro.  Find out about the eco-tour packages for each season in the bulletin of the month . . . see more. 

The May 2009 issue of the Audubon Society magazine includes an article about the Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve entitled “Meet Me at the Oasis” by Scott Weidensaul, a prolific and recognized author of books such as Living on the Wind and Return to Wild America.  Discover more about the Sierra Gorda . . . read more. 

 

On June 18th,  the Sierra Gorda Ecological Group  and the Cinépolis Foundation invite you to the premiere showing in Querétaro of the film “HOME,” in the Cinépolis of the Plaza de Toros (note: there is limited capacity), to celebrate the 22nd anniversary of Sierra Gorda Ecological Group.  The film is an ode to the beauty of the planet and its delicate harmony.  Across the landscapes of 54 countries captured through aerial photography, Yann Arthus-Bertrand takes us on a unique trip around the planet, and helps us contemplate and understand it.  But “HOME” is more than a documentary with a message; it is really a magnificent film.

Cooperation between the Sierra Eco-clubs and Sanitary District #4 in Jalpan de Serra in the Campaign to Collect Used Batteries
  Eco-clubs of the Sierra have been working since December 2008 with Sanitary District #4 of Jalpan de Serra in a campaign to collect used batteries.  In their first year, they have successfully collected some 50,000 used batteries.  On two occasions, the batteries have been taken to the collection center of the Xilitla Municipality in San Luis Potosí and from there to the “battery cemetery” located in Monterrey, NL.  Since this first campaign has been successful, the eco-clubs will continue with the additional collection and disposal of other toxic materials in order to prevent them from polluting our rivers and streams.