HOMERO ARIDJIS SUPPORTS THE CALIFORNIA GRAY WHALE COALITION

MEXICO'S MOST FAMOUS POET

"And God created the great whales
there in Laguna San Ignacio"

The Coalition is proud and honored to have the support of Homero Aridjis and his wife Betty.  

Homero Aridjis is, unquestionably, Mexico's most famous poet and a leading Latin American environmental activist.  Homero and Betty founded the International Group of 100 which was instrumental in the successful campaign
against the planned Mitsubishi salt mine in the San Ignacio Lagoon.

His exquisite poem, Eye of the Whale, dedicated to Betty, is unmatched in its understanding of the Gray whale.

Homero received the Global 500 Award from the United Nations Environment Program on behalf of the Group of 100, the Jose Maria Morelos Medal in Michoacan, the Natural Resources Defense Council Force for Nature Award, and
(with his wife Betty Ferber) the Green Cross Millennium Award for International Environmental Leadership given by Mikhail Gorbachev and Global Green.

Homero has  been an editorial page columnist at the Mexican newspaper Reforma since 1994, writing about environmental, political and literary topics.
Homero has served as Mexico's ambassador to the Netherlands and Switzerland.
For six years he was President of International PEN, the worldwide association of writers. From April 2007 until the abolition of the post in January 2009 he was Mexico's ambassador to UNESCO.
 

SIGN THE PETITION

"I request that the new US Congress take all necessary steps to fund a comprehensive review of all the major threats facing the California Gray Whale."

"A growing number of Gray Whales in the sub Arctic waters are contaminated. As bottom feeders, these whales are vulnerable to toxic pollution.  Recent data from our worldwide sampling of sperm whale blubber - The Voyage of the Odyssey - show that many whales are polluted to levels that make their meat unsafe for human consumption-a sufficient cause to discontinue whaling."

DR ROGER PAYNE

"The California Gray Whale is an indicator species of the sub Arctic and Arctic Oceans.   With major changes taking place in the polar marine ecosystems, ensuring ongoing research into the major threats facing these majestic whales is critical.  In the light of these changes, Gray Whales deserve the highest legal protection."

DR SLVIA EARLE




"Gray whales face many pressures, such as lack of food, coastal development and increasing ocean noise.  They need better protection."

JEAN-MICHEL COUSTEAU

"And God created the great whales
there in Laguna San Ignacio"

HOMERO ARIDJIS

"the possibility that we might drive these magnificent creatures into extinction is unimaginable and unacceptable."

DARYL HANNAH

"Life began in the sea.  So goes the whale...so goes mankind.  An effort to save the whales benefits us all."

BEAU BRIDGES

"Thanks for leading the fight to save
the Gray Whales"

ED BEGLEY JNR




"The Gray Whale is the marine mammal symbol of California.  It deserves to be protected and honored.  I support the creation of a "Whale of a Day" tribute to this magnificent animal."

PRINCE FREDERIC VON ANHALT

"The Gray Whale faces a myriad of threats from climate change to sonar testing and oil exploration. They need our help and the California Gray Whale Coalition is a leading advocate for this important keystone species."

PEDRO NAVA

"When we fully understand and begin to meet the threats to the California Gray Whale, we will be addressing the problems that face North America's entire Pacific coastal ecosystem."

LYNN WOOLSEY

"Saving the Gray Whales from extinction is an absolute must.  This magnificent, intelligent species cannot be allowed to perish from this earth.  If we ignore their plight we ignore the eventual impact on all species, including our own, of the rapacious practices of mankind."

SARA WAN

"Gray whales need our immediate attention! Due to climate change, their Arctic food supply is diminishing and the numbers of mother-calf pairs on the long migration are the lowest in years."

DICK RUSSELL

Grateful thanks to Baja Eco Tours for these images.