The Mazatlan swimmer, Skarlett Villanueva Rendón, has set herself a new historical challenge: swimming to rescue Venados Island from the contamination to which it is subjected, derived from tourist activity in Mazatlan. The crossing with a cause will take place on Sunday, October 30 of this year under the slogan “Let’s save the middle island.”
After standing out in scoring competitions, aquatic marathons, crossings and triathlons, the athlete will try to attract the attention of the local population and tourists to invite them to take care of this protected natural area that attracts thousands of visitors for its peaceful and beautiful beach that has been seen affected by garbage and fecal.
With this activity, companies are also called to participate in the cleaning and care of the island on a permanent basis.
In October 2020, Skarlett Villanueva was the first to swim around the three islands located in front of the bay of the Sinaloa port with a distance of 9.5 kilometers and a time of 3 hours and 30 minutes. Now, she will set a new precedent by swimming a distance of approximately 15 kilometers, from Playa Bruja to Olas Altas, passing in front of the islands, in an estimated time of 5 to 6 hours.
The swim with a cause will start at 5:30 am on Sunday, October 30, one of the most complicated challenges in the career of the Buenos Aires swimmer. Days later, a deep and massive cleanup is planned on Isla Venados with the intention that the cleanups be maintained on a monthly basis.
As part of this citizen initiative, the management of portable toilets is also contemplated to prevent the island from being used as a public toilet, as long as the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (Conanp) authorizes its installation.
Skarlett Villanueva considers that the tourist service providers that use Venados Island could take responsibility for cleaning the beach and maintaining toilets, assigning personnel to these tasks. But she also recognizes that to solve the underlying problem it is necessary for people to collect their garbage and respect the regulations in force for the three islands (Wolves, Deer, and Birds).
Where did the idea come from?
As the years go by and the presence of tourists increases, garbage pollution also increases. In her multiple aquatic journeys through the bay, the triathlete noticed the problem.
“All this is a public bathroom and there is no one to regulate the pollution of the island (Deer) or the garbage, there is no one,” he lamented.
The concern was greater when the contamination and fecalism of this nature reserve were exposed in a video that went viral on social networks.
“So I said, how can I take care of the place where I go and train, which has given me so much?” she recounted.
In response, Skarlett’s trainer and father, Aarón Villanueva, proposed a new voyage, but this time, dedicated to the rescue of Venados Island. Once again, the 30-year-old swimmer will dominate the sea to make history by traveling 15 kilometers through the bay of Mazatlán with an environmental cause.
looking for support
Since then, doors have been knocked on to join wills with a common goal: to stop the growing pollution and overcrowding that damages Venados Island, decreed as a Reserve Zone and Refuge for Migratory Birds and Wildlife of the Islands of the Gulf of California in 1978. and as a federal Flora and Fauna Protection Area on June 7, 2000, next to the Lobos and Pajaros islands.
So far, the support of approximately 20 companies and organizations has been obtained, which have committed to replicate the message and participate in the activities that are managed in favor of the nature reserve. People and companies interested in supporting the initiative can request information through WhatsApp numbers 6691600018 and 6601160375
Source: sonplayas.com
