About Us
We are a collective of conservation groups and individuals from diverse backgrounds united to foster communication, education, outreach, coordination, and action for the betterment of public and environmental health on the Punta Banda peninsula.
Our mission is to promote biodiversity and reduce pollution and habitat loss, ensuring a sustainable local ecosystem.
Steering Committee
Founding Members
Hiram Moreno
Ellen Berryman
Ellen is recently retired after a 40-year career as a Conservation Biologist throughout the United States and parts of Africa. In her post-retirement she has turned to local conservation with Punta Banda Conservation Alliance.
Committee Members
Dr. Omar Clay
Omar is a professor of physics & biophysics. He has been writing, teaching and speaking on global security challenges for two decades & engaged in environmental conservation and research locally for 15 years.
Treasurer
Dr. Horacio de la Cueva
Horacio is currently a full researcher and professor at Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada (CICESE), in the Conservation Biology department. He is a founding member of Terra Peninsular AC, and a member of the Scientific Committee of the Sonoran Joint Venture.
Laura Ibarra
Laura is a PhD student at the Institute of Oceanological Research at UABC. Her work focuses on sea level rise, shorebirds, and their habitats. She is part of the collective Mujeres en Parvada.
John Kinabrew
John is a lifelong student of people and nature. He received a master's degree from Yale School of Nursing, and in Punta Banda his people skills and outgoing personality bring community memebers of different backgrounds, both ex-pats and Mexican citizens, together. He also leads a Snowy Plover monitoring project and has educated the community about the sensitivity of this bird species that nests on the Punta Banda beaches.
Iván Manríquez
Iván has a biology degree from the Faculty of Sciences of the Autonomous University of Baja California. He is currently Executive Director of Pro Esteros, where he is dedicated to science dissemination, environmental education, and promoting general knowledge of wetlands.
Liliana Ortiz
Liliana is a biologist and the Coordinator of the Least Tern monitoring and Conservation Program in Baja California, operated by Pro Esteros. She is also a student at CICESE and part of the Mujeres en Parvada collective.
Rick Copeland
Rick has 30 years of experience in bookkeeping and financial management for small businesses and nonprofits. His positive vision for humanity has sparked a life of activism, led to working with the first global computer network for progressive change, advocating for AIDS alternative-health education, and preserving the natural and cultural heritage of the Hawaiian island of Kauai. He first explored Baja in 1977 and he and his wife Camille moved to Punta Banda in 2020.
Website Team
Webmaster
John Nickel
Lead Writers / Editors
Ellen Berryman Laura Ibarra
Subcommittees
Funding
Subcommittee
TBD
Conservation Projects
Subcommittee
TBD
Nonprofit
Subcommittee
TBD
Scientific Advisory
Subcommittee
TBD
Technology
Subcommittee
TBD
Original Peoples
Subcommittee
TBD