Blog from the Sea of Cortez: Baja Coastal Institute

Last Saturday marked our third visit to La Paz — but this trip was different. Instead of hosting public showings, we focused on a series of research and educational events organized in collaboration with our partners at the Baja Coastal Institute (BCI).

BCI is deeply concerned about the future of southern Baja California. They've witnessed the unchecked spread of resorts and condominiums along the coast between Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo. Now that this stretch is nearly saturated, developers are setting their sights on the next frontier: the coastline north toward Cabo Pulmo.

When you've built up everything between Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo, where do you go next? Why you keep going towards Cabo Pulmo!

A powerful "hospitality-industrial complex" is entrenched in the region. Children are often steered toward careers in hotels and casinos, and many local communities have come to see those jobs as the only viable economic future. BCI is working to change that narrative — to give communities a more informed and empowered voice in this imbalanced conversation. They’re doing it through research, education, and outreach.

Their research program is focused on water and fisheries — essential but finite resources. One recent white paper revealed a troubling fact: the region’s aquifers are recharged annually with about 47 million cubic meters of water, yet existing permits allow for 51 million cubic meters of extraction — and that’s without factoring in new hotels or golf courses. The risk of overexploiting water is real, and it could severely limit the future of these communities.

Their education program brings these insights directly into schools. While hospitality will likely remain part of the region’s economy, BCI wants the next generation to understand the tradeoffs and consider broader possibilities for their future. Their message: it’s okay to dream bigger.

This mission aligns closely with the goals of our Foundation. 

One moment stands out: one of their leaders was thanking us for the use of our microscopes so their students could see what was literally in the waters around them. Even this simple instrument is lacking in these rural schools. She grew quite emotional as she told us that not only can the schools not afford them, but with they didn't even want them. When a child’s future is assumed to lie in the hospitality sector, who needs to study plankton?

The idea that children are locked into limited futures before they even begin — that hit home.

We started the week with an exploratory mission into the mangroves on the south side of El Magote, the sand spit across the bay from La Paz.

Looking at a nudibranch, found in the mangroves of El Magote.
Marcos, the instructor, had an amazing ability to keep even jaded teenagers spellbound.

We then took two groups of high school teachers out on day trips on the boat, doing some research and education activities in the area north of El Magote, the big sandspit across from La Paz. There had been a fish kill there a few weeks earlier and we wanted to see if there was any causal evidence left behind. We looked at some plankton samples and did some ROV surveys, but by the time we got there, we were way too late for a forensics analysis.

Using a refractometer to measure salinity.

Plankton tow off El Magote

We also had two "docked" programs at the wharf in La Paz. BCI students traveled from their remote schools to the boat to enjoy 2 hours of hands-on experience.

A "Docked" program in La Paz with rural high school students.