* 2007 Winners of Mexico's National Conservation Award 

Welcome to the Intercultural Center for the Study of Deserts and Oceans, CEDO.  Join us as we explore the creatures, habitats and cultures of the Sonoran Desert and Sea of Cortez.

CEDO comes from its name in Spanish, El Centro de Estudios de Desiertos y Océanos. We opened our doors in Puerto Peñasco, Sonora, México, in 1980. Each year thousands of people participate in our research, education and conservation programs. CEDO maintains a biological field station for visiting classes and field researchers. Our visitor center/gift shop is open daily, and we offer eco-adventures for families and children. Make sure to come see us in Puerto Peñasco. We work closely with visitors, local communities and the government to understand and minimize human impact on local environments and species.

Northern Gulf and CEDO News  

CEDO Wins Environmental Award of Merit
On June 5, in a ceremony to commemorate World Environment Day, CEDO received the Award of Ecological Merit (el Premio al Mérito Ecológico) from the president of Mexico, Felipe Calderón, and the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT). CEDO was selected as a winner in the non-formal environmental education category, in recognition of all the education projects CEDO has undertaken and lead for nearly 30 years. This is a huge honor, so thank you to everyone who has been involved with CEDO and its education programs over the years.
- To read more and view pictures of the ceremony, click here.

 
CEDO Announces Protections for Critical Northern Gulf Wetlands
In coordination with World Wetlands Day, which is February 2, CEDO announces that Adairs Bay has been recognized as an Internationally Important Wetland under the Ramsar Convention. Click here to read more and view a map of Adairs Bay.

- View the press release here (a Microsoft Word Document)
- You can help protect critical wetland habitats by donating to CEDO's Peñasco Estero Conservation Fund here.
- To learn more on the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands and World Wetlands Day visit: www.ramsar.org. 

CEDO's Rare Vaquita Video
Watch exclusive footage of a live vaquita calf. Vaquita are the most endangered marine mammmals in the world. On May 13, 1994, a live vaquita calf stranded itself on the beach east of CEDO's field station in Mexico.  The calf came to shore that afternoon about six miles east of the mouth of Estero Morúa, near Puerto Peñasco, and later was placed in the hands of CEDO staff by visiting Arizonans, who were staying at a beach house near the estero. Eventually the vaquita calf made its way to CEDO and was placed in a large tank. Urgent calls to marine mammal experts were made, asking them what to do, and specifically what to feed it. No one had ever held a live vaquita in captivity before. Despite the efforts of all involved, the animal died after about two hours at CEDO. The prognosis was never good, as the calf was very young and the chances of survival for a porpoise that young separated from its mother are very low. This is the vaquita's story.