El Matal (Ecuador) – Don’t Give Up!

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E Matal, El Matal Ecuador, geotubes, high tides, Large sand bags for coastal erosion

Oct. 27, 2014… Will the ocean claim the light post in the next few days?

When the boat returns in 12 hours, will the ocean have gobbled more of the landscape?

“Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.”
― Dale Carnegie

El Matal, Ecuador – (Manabi Province)

Words fail me.

Several people said that strong waves rolled in at high tide late yesterday afternoon (Sunday Oct. 26) and assaulted the beach in sets of five or six at a time.   Several more said that the worst happened at dawn this morning, when another high tide brought more angry waves.

Alcade (Mayor) Angel Rojas visits with locals and inspects the most-recent damage to the beach.

70 or 80 locals crowded into the corner restaurant, where Mayor Angel Rojas discussed options and patiently listened to feedback from the crowd.  As one person said, “Too little too late,” there are few options.

Alcade Angel Rojas listens to feedback from the crowd.

Large rocks, which the mayor really didn’t want to use, seem to be the only immediate choice.   The rocks and debris would prevent the fishermen from launching their boats and returning home each day.   Building a pier is one option for the long-term plan, yet it doesn’t help anyone now.

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Beach Loss Reaches Critical Status; Community Unites

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aguaji el matal ecuador, beach loss 2014, beach specialist, coastal erosion ecuador, effects from sand mining, effects from taking sand from beaches, el matal ecuador beach loss, geotubes, is it legal to take sand from the beach?, restoring sand to beaches, Sand Mining

Waving valiantly, this flag joins many others in El Matal’s fishing fleet.
At noon on Valentine’s Day, many fishermen were not with their boats – they were attending the public meeting about their vanishing beach.

El Matal (Manabi) Ecuador

Residents of El Matal and concerned citizens from nearby areas displayed a united front at the public meeting to discuss the critical status of the eroding beach.   Engineer Daniel Santata, a coastal specialist, joined the Minister of Pescadores and the Director of Risk (Portoviejo), though the meeting began without the presence of Mayor/Alcade Alex Cevallos.

Where beach restaurants once punctuated the public beach, a withering young palm stood guard while 70-plus locals gathered for the community meeting.

Because of difficulty in understanding sometimes rapid-fire Spanish, and straining to grasp what I heard through the outdoor acoustics, I apologize in advance for errors in translation.  The essence of the meeting follows.  Z