Mar 08 2014

EcoFarm Conference 2014

This January I had the opportunity to attend the EcoFarm Conference in Asilomar, CA.  The conference is a 3 day event which brings together various stakeholders involved in the food system industry for a series of seminars, workshops and talks . The 2014 year marked the 34th annual EcoFarm conference.

My interest in the conference was due to the wide variety of speakers and workshops available for the attendees. My particular area of interest was those topics that touched into watershed management and drought adaptation. There was a particularly interesting topics presented by Jacob Katz on his work with CalTrout. Jacob’s work deals with a private- public partnership where rice farmers provide winter habitat for salmon. This project, dubbed, the “Nigiri Project” (after the sushi form of placing a slice of fish on top of a base of rice) is a chance to replenish the salmon populations of the YOLO Bypass.

The EcoFarm conference is a great opportunity for students in various disciplines to attend. Furthermore, they offer various ways to reduce the cost of attending the conference. They offer a selection of work trade, scholarships and fellowships to qualified individuals. You can find more information on the conference with the attached link.

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Jun 29 2013

A visit to Huacas de el Sol y La Luna

Published by under Peru

IMG_4890This summer I’ve had the luck of working with Save the Waves Coalition through a fellowship from the Center for the Blue Economy. My fellowship is based in Peru and Chile assessing the economic value that surf tourism brings to the area. I am currently in Huanchaco, Peru. Huachaco is a small town that is based around artisanal fishing, as well as having great consistent surf all year around.

Yesterday was a full day of experiences and activities. The morning was taken up by a visit to a local archeological site, Huacas de el Sol y la Luna. It was a lively visit, with the company of various influential characters from Peru including the mayor of Huanchaco, the editor of the oldest surfing magazine in Latin America, Tablista, and one of the former presidents of Waikiki Club, an exclusive surf club based in Lima, Peru. The visit was led by one of the archeologist working the site, a Yale PhD candidate specializing in Chimú culture. After an informative visit, including a peak at some newly discovered artifacts not yet on display we went to a restaurant for a delicious seafood fest. The afternoon was taken up by a couple of meetings to discuss the set up and continued management of Huachaco as a World Surfing Reserve as well as some discussion of how my project, a surfonomics study, can effect the face of the surfing industry in Peru and the surrounding areas. The evening was also quite fun. It started with a delicious meal of right off the boat fresh fish grilled and stuffed with herbs and spices. The festivities of El Dia del Pescador followed the evening, in honor of St. Peter, which included a fireworks display and traditional dancing. The only downside of the day was a missed chance to catch some waves, but there is always tomorrow.

 

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May 31 2013

Introduction to Save the Waves

Published by under STW updates

 

My first week at Save the Waves has come and gone. I am lucky to work with a dedicated and unique group of people. Nick Strong-Cvetich, the executive director, does a great job introducing what the Save the Waves staff is up to currently:

STW newsletter May 2013

Here is also a picture of the staff:

STW crew

 

(Left to right: Nick Mucha, Me!, Justin Wright, Gavin Comstock, and Nick Strong-Cvetich)

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May 15 2013

Overview of Project

Published by under STW updates

 

My fellowship from the CBE will be working with Save the Waves and based in Peru and Chile. I will be working on an economic valuation study of the surf spots in these areas. The study in Peru will be based in Huanchaco, a newly approved world surfing reserve. This site boats some pretty amazing waves as well as being one of the first pioneers of surfing. The Caballitos de Totora are reputed to be the first surfing crafts, used by artisanal fishermen for hundreds of years. The project in Chile is in its earlier phase, and will be based in Pichilemu. Pichilemu is a popular surf area in Chile, visited by both local and international surfers.

I will be at each site for approximately a month, gathering data and establishing contacts. The ultimate purpose of the research project is to complete the establishment of Huanchaco as a world surfing reserve and to explore the possibility of Pichilemu as a future world surfing reserve.318                                                  Waves at Huachaco, Peru

 

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