San Francisco, Nayarit, Mexico
San Pancho - November 2006
By: Elvia & Geno Lamphiear
Frank Smith (lovingly referred to as Don Quijote) is one of the most beloved characters in all of San Pancho and is the president of Grupo Ecologico De La Costa Verde A.C.
 Frank is a retired forest ranger from the U.S. Forest Service, a great friend, a man with a passion for nature, integrity and totally dedicated to his mission of fourteen years in protecting the marine turtles. The main reason the marine turtles need our protection is because of poachers stealing the eggs and then selling them as an aphrodisiac… It is common to see Frank patrolling the beaches in his yellow dune buggy or releasing the baby turtles (usually at sunset) shortly after they hatch.
When you visit San Pancho come and visit the nursery and meet Frank. The nursery is now located on Calle America Latina. The nursery used to be on the beach, but we moved it all just in time the night before Hurricane Kenna hit our area several years back. We set the nursery up temporally in Frank´s front yard. Frank soon discovered he could control the temperature of the eggs better at this new location and so the nursery remains there to this day.
The following is a write-up by Frank Smith on the home page of the Grupo Ecológico de la Costa Verde, A.C. website (http://www.project-tortuga.org).
“In the spring of 1992 the founding members of the Grupo Ecológico de la Costa Verde, A.C. (Group) organized and built the first marine nursery. By June, a large scale protection of Olive Ridley and Leatherback turtle eggs had begun... In 10 years the population had increased from 72 to 661 nesting females in 2002.
 Millions of years before humans arrived in North America, the marine turtle had well established its nesting habitat along the coastal waters of Mexico. The oldest inhabitants of San Pancho can still recall the nights when hundreds of nesting turtles climbed the moonlit beaches to renew the custom of perpetuating their species. The palm-laden playas were free of development and offered an idyllic location for nesting. Occasionally, the coastal pueblos would gather food from the generous supply of eggs and turtles.
The growing human population, coupled with the changing demographics of the coastal region in the past one hundred years, has dramatically altered the habitat, and thus, the reproductive cycle of the turtles. Pressures from coastal development, poaching, shrimp fishing, and tourism reduced a population of thousands of nesting turtles along the San Pancho beaches to less than 72 nesting turtles per year.
A major conservation effort to protect the marine turtle began in the summer of 1991. It was then that members of the community became concerned that the local marine turtle population may soon face extinction.”
Frank gives a slide presentation about the groups efforts to protect the marine turtles every Thursday evening (7 pm) at Gallos Pizza here in San Pancho. Very informative! Frank can be reached by email at Grupo-eco@project-tortuga.org or by phone at 01 (311) 258-4100
We all appreciate your amazing efforts Frank! Thank You!!
Until next time,
Maria Elvia Garcia Palomera & Geno Lamphiear
E-mail: genolamphiear@hotmail.com
* This information is provided by María Elvia Garcia Palomera & Geno Lamphiear, owners of Calandria Realty in San Francisco (San Pancho), Nayarit, Mexico
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