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= A Glimpse into the Gulf Region of the Sonoran Desert  =

Animal Species: Leatherback Sea Turtle (Dermochelys Coriacea)


The largest of all living turtles and is the fourth-heaviest modern reptile behind three crocodiles. It is the only living species in the genus Dermochelys and family Dermochelyidae. It can easily be differentiated from other modern sea turtles by its lack of a bony shell, hence the name. Instead, its carapace is covered by skin and oily flesh.

Cultural Significance:
The Seri people, a tribe found in Mexico, find the leatherback sea turtle of significant cultural significance because it is one of their five main creators. The Seri people devote ceremonies and fiestas to the turtle when one is caught and then released back into the environment.

Ecological Trouble:
Leatherbacks have slightly fewer human-related threats than other sea turtle species. Their flesh contains too much oil and fat to be considered palatable, reducing the demand. However, human activity still endangers leatherback turtles in direct and indirect ways. Directly, a few are caught for their meat by subsistence fisheries. Nests are raided by humans in places such as Southeast Asia. In the state of Florida, there have been 603 leatherback strandings between 1980 and 2014. Almost one-quarter (23.5%) of leatherback strandings are due to vessel-strike injuries, which is the highest cause of strandings. The Seri people have noticed the drastic decline in turtle populations over the years and created a conservation movement to help this. The group, made up of both youth and elders from the tribe, is called Grupo Tortuguero Comaac. They use both traditional ecological knowledge and Western technology to help manage the turtle populations and protect the turtle's natural environment.



Plant Species: Desert Fig Tree (Ficus Petiolaris)
Baja California has two native species of figs from the Moraceae Family: Ficus Petiolaris, which grows from the Cape Region to the Tinaja de Yubay region, in Central Baja, many of the islands, and parts of Sonora; whereas, Ficus brandegeei has a smaller range from the Cape to a little north of Loreto, only. They are both pretty similar, with the largest difference being that the Ficus Petiolaris does not display its branches and leaves with long ¨hairs¨, meanwhile, the Ficus brandegeei does. Both varieties are called Higuera ("Fig" in Spanish), Zalate or Amate ("you love you" in Spanish), or the Desert Fig in English.

Ecological Significance:
The Baja Ficus grows usually on cliffs or in the cracks of rocks. Trees and plants such as the Ficus, help to breakdown or weather stone, creating soil in its wake. Ficus Petiolaris, as well as three species of cacti in the Baja region (Pachycereus pringlei, Stenocerueus thurberi, and Opuntia cholla) feed on dense layers of microscopic bacteria and fungus that cover the rock surfaces. Then release valuable minerals such as potassium, zinc, magnesium, copper, iron, manganese, and phosphorus during this chemical weathering process. This process provides an indispensable supply of inorganic nutrients for other plants that do grow in the soil. In Baja, a tea made from the leaves and small branches is used as an antidote for rattlesnake bites in cattle and mules. A wash is used to treat cuts and infections. This is probably due to the facts that the milky white sap of this tree is natural latex that is toxic, a known allergen and is photosensitive. It is also shown to contain anti-inflammatory and antiseptic chemicals as well.

Geology:


The peninsula of Baja California is located in the northwestern part of Mexico; it covers an area of 71,777.589 km2. This peninsula extends to almost 1,300 km from north to south and is a land of steep mountain ranges and coastal valleys. Mexicali is a city just south of the US border, and the capital city of Baja California. The Gulf of California (also known as The Sea of Cortez) separates this peninsula with mainland Mexico and the maximum distance between the two is 250 km. The Pacific Ocean lies on the west of Baja California. Several NNW to SSE trending mountain ranges are present on this peninsula, and Picacho del Diablo is the highest peak on the Baja California peninsula, measuring 3,096 meters (10,157 ft). It is alternately called Cerro de la Encantada, "Hill of the Enchanted", "Hill of the Bewitched". The peak is located in the Sierra de San Pedro Mártir, part of the Peninsular Ranges. Desert areas comprise about 65% of the peninsula. The largest desert in Baja California is the Vizcaíno Desert, located in the west-central part, that has been designated a protected Biosphere Reserve by the United Nations. This peninsula has a variety of types of geological environments like coastal wetlands, sandy beaches, over 100 islands mostly located along the Gulf coast.

Mountain Ranges
“La Giganta” Mountain Range (“Sierra de la Giganta”) lies to the west, extending along the center of the state of Baja California Sur, parallel to the gulf coast. The geology and topography of the Loreto region, extending from Bahía Concepción to Agua Verde, is a coastal belt consisting "mainly of a narrow belt of ridges, valleys, and pediments adjacent to the escarpment, low- to moderate-elevation ranges transverse to the coast, and narrow coastal plains”.

Volcanos
Volcán Coronado is a small stratovolcano at the northern tip of Coronado Island, 3 km off the eastern coast of Baja California in the Canal de los Ballenas. The roughly 440-m-high volcano forms a 2-km-wide peninsula at the northern end of the elongated NNW-SSE-trending island and contains a 300 x 160 m wide crater. The age of the most recent eruptive activity from Volcán Coronado is not known, although fumarolic activity was reported in September 1539 (Medina et al., 1989).

Climate:
The Gulf's climate is hot and humid, with abundant sunshine (desert with some rainfall in summer). The median temperature is 24.4 °C (76 °F). The temperatures are hot from June through October. These summer days have highs around 34 °C (93 °F) and high humidity. Such as the city of Loeto, which according to the National Meteorological Service, Loreto's highest official temperature reading of 44.2 °C (112 °F) was recorded on July 2, 2006; the lowest temperature ever recorded was 0.0 °C (32 °F) on December 15, 1987. In the spring season, the temperatures are moderate and temperate. Autumn and winter months are usually windy. The city is built on relatively flat land with an average elevation is 10 meters (33 ft) above sea level.

Main Water Resourse:
The Gulf of California is also known as Sea of Cortez in Mexico and was named after the 16th-century Spanish explorer Hernán Cortés. The Mexican government changed the official name to the Golfo de California (Gulf of California) in the early 20th century, although both names are in vogue and are interchangeably used on maps. This gulf is over 1000 km long that extends from the mouth of the Colorado River in the north to the cape at San Lucas in the south. The Colorado River Delta was once the most important wetland of Western North America now has become almost like a desert due to this river being dammed within the USA. The sea is shallow in the north because sediment brought by the Colorado River forms a huge delta that extends from land into the sea. This gulf south of La Paz becomes more or less like an ocean, with deep trenches, canyons, and tall seamounts, and meets the Pacific Ocean further south at the southernmost tip of the Baja Peninsula known as Finisterra or the Land’s End.

Fishing:


Fishing can be seen as both an opportunity and a threat if the proper precautions aren't taken. The country of Mexico has taken great measures to make sure laws are placed so that overfishing doesn't occur and disrupt marine life. Guaymas is one of the prime examples of how vital fishing can be to an economy. Guaymense fishing occupies 11,800 people in the catch and another 325 are engaged in aquaculture. It contributes 70% of the total state fisheries production, with the main species caught, sardine, shrimp, and squid. It has 175 kilometers of coastline where important bays such as Guaymas, Lobos, San Carlos (Mexico), and the Herradura are formed. The municipality has more than 83% of the docks operating in the State. The fleet consists of 359 shrimp vessels, 32 sardineras, 3 escameras, and 910 smaller vessels, for a total of 1,304. 55% of catches are traded in the State and the rest, i.e. 45% has as its final destination the domestic market and the foreign market, to the latter, is mainly sent shrimp that has a high price in the international market, which makes guaymense fishing very dependent on the conditions of this market. The population of fishermen in coastal communities has its ancestry by 80% in the same region where the community is located; the rest comes from other localities of the state and about 5 percent from other states, particularly Sinaloa and Nayarit.

Tourism:


Due to the cities' of the Gulf having some incredible beaches and marine life, they have naturally become popular tourist destinations. Tourism is one of the highest sources of income for many of the coastal cities. One example is the city of Loreto. The city is a tourist resort, catering mostly to American travelers, with daily flights from California to Loreto International Airport. Many American tourists enjoy fishing in "pangas" for "dorado" (Mahi-mahi or Dolphin Fish). Local restaurants willingly prepare the daily catch of the tourists. Loreto has a museum that coexists alongside the historic, but still active, parish. Loreto has active sister city relationships with the California cities of Hermosa Beach, Cerritos, and Ventura.

Google tour:
For a further look into more cities located in the Gulf Region of the Sonoran Desert please visit for a virtual tour: https://tourbuilder.withgoogle.com/tour/ahJzfmd3ZWItdG91cmJ1aWxkZXJyEQsSBFRvdXIYgIDgmOP-9gkM