The Seri, or Comcaac, people of the Sonora coast have had a long and important relationship with the

TheSeri, or Comcaac, people of the Sonora coast have had a long and important relationship with the leatherback.  Considered to be one of their five creator deities, the capture and release of a leatherback is cause for ceremony and celebrations.  In recent years, however, the nation has noticed the drastic decline of the leatherback population and decided to take action.  The new conservation movement, called Grupo Tortuguero Comaac, consists of both elders and youths and uses both modern technology and tradition knowledge to monitor turtle populations and research their foraging habits.  Five person teams consisting of an elder, two younger team members, and two trainees make monitoring expeditions into the Canal de Infiernillo, the center of Seri territory and a site of extreme importance for migrating juvenile turtles.  This has proven an effective means of both monitoring local turtle populations and passing traditional knowledge on to the younger generations.