The Turtle Conservancy's biannual board meeting was held this fall in the beautiful town of Alamos in Sonora, Mexico. The three day gathering included members from the TC's board and other Mexican conservation stakeholders. The delegation surveyed the 1000-acre protected area that the TC contributed to a 17,000-acre protected area managed and created by Nature and Culture International. The preserve protects six species of turtles and tortoises, including the Goode's Thornscrub Tortoise named after TC co-founder Eric Goode, along with a healthy population of jaguars, military macaws, beaded lizards and many other tropical and subtropical species. We had a productive and beautiful three days spending time in the field and discussing Mexican land stewardship with representatives of international and regional NGOs. We are deeply appreciative to all who traveled to the meeting, including:

Anders Rhodin
Russ Mittermeier
John Mitchell
Cullen Geiselman
Craig Stanford
Julian Sands
Peter Paul van Dijk
Mercy Vaughn
Cristina Melendez
Valer Clark ( Cuenca Los Ojos Foundation )
Diana Hadley ( Northern Jaguar Project )
David Welborn ( Nature and Culture International)
Taylor Edwards ( University of Arizona )
Lydia Lozano ( Nature and Culture International )
Jennifer MacKay ( Nature and Culture International )
Wolfram Heise ( Niparaja )
Gamaliel Castañeda ( University of Durango, Gomez Palacios )
Carlos Castillo ( former regional director for CONANP )
Juan Carlos Bravo ( Wildlands Network )

And a very big THANK YOU to Nature and Culture International and their staff for hosting us!