Grupo Ecologico de la Costa Verde is a non-profit that has protected endangered marine turtles and their nesting areas for over 30 years on the beaches of Bahia de Banderas. Their founder Frank Smith is honored as an iconic environmentalist and change agent in the San Pancho, Nayarit area, for saving over one million turtles from extinction. This organization has been featured in multiple books, articles and scientific studies as a prime example of how to operate a volunteer marine turtle conservation group.

Grupo Ecologico somehow manages to attract over a dozen volunteers per year from around the world, patrol the beach nightly for poachers, educate the community’s children, protect nesting turtles and incubate hundreds of hatchlings all on a shoestring operating budget of less than $50,000 USD per year. But the cost of subsidizing housing for volunteers has almost doubled in the past few years. The rental fees for the “Turtle Camp” area which includes a huge incubation nursery, utilities, maintenance for the dune buggy and 4×4 that patrol the beach, and their many other expenses have increased over 30% since 2020.

Travler has supported Grupo Ecologico since 2018 with technical, strategic, operational and financial assistance. We and other sources are trying to raise an additional $18,000 USD per year to keep this exemplary program running, and to help onboard a new Co-Director of the project.

Please consider contributing to our work with Grupo Ecologico with a tax-free donation by clicking the button below.