No. 45 - www.bajagoodlifeclub.com February / febrero 2011

B A J A G O O D L I F E C L U B M E M B E R S G U I D E

w w w. B A J A G O O D L I F E C L U B . C O M

BAJA CALIFORNIA

When Do YouNeed an FM-3 or FM-2?

The International Band Lineup at 2011 Blues & Arts

Baja Love Ride is Now From Bull Ring to Arches

New Baja Tours for Members

BAJA LOVESDOGSA look into Baja’s dog problem and the people and organizations trying to solve it.

Valle de los Gigantes

New Coastal Hwy

2D

8

Bahia Asuncion

Bahia Tortugas

Bahia de Sebastian Vizcaino

Bahia Rosario

Bahia Blanco

Bahia Maria

Bahia Santa Rosalillita

Bahia de Los Angeles

Bahia San Luis Gonzaga

Bahia Colonet

BahiaTodos Santos

Bahia las Palmas

Bahia Muertos

Bahia la Ventana

Bahia de la Paz

Bahia Santa MariaBahia Magdalena

Bahia San Nicolas

Bahia San Basilio

Bahia de Concepcion

Bahia Santa Ines

Bahia San Rafael

TijuanaTecate

Yuma

Hermosillo

Santa Ana

Nogales

Carborca

San Quintin

El Rosario

Guerrero Negro

SonoytaLukeville, AZ

La Paz

Loreto

Santa Rosalia

Gulfo de Santa Clara

Mulegé

El Coyote

San Ignacio

Todos Santos

San Jose del CaboCabo San Lucas

LA BOCANA

PUNTA ABREOJOS

PUNTA PRIETA

PUNTA FALSAPUNTA

EUGENIA

Lighthouse

BAHIA TORTUGAS

Santa Rita

CIUDAD CONSTITUCION

Ciudad Insurgentes

Rosarito Beach

Ensenada

Puerto de Santo Domingo

Bahia Almejas

Puerto Penasco(Rocky Point)

Guaymas

Tucson, AZ

San Carlos

Colonia Vicente Guerrero

Colonet

Villa Jesus Maria

BAHIA ASUNCION

La Purisma

Baja California Sur

Baja California

SonoraG

ULF O

F CALIFORN

IA(Sea of Cortez)

Bahiade Ballenas

Bahia San Hipolito

Bahiade Ballenas

San Felipe

MexicaliLos Algodones

Puertecitos

Valle de Guadalupe

La Bufadora

Santo Tomas

Maneadero

SAN PEDRO MARTIRNATIONAL PARK

National Astronomic Observatory

CONSTITUTION OF 1857NATIONAL PARK

Cataviña

PuntaPrieta

Santa Rosalillita

Los Barriles

Pescadero

SIERRA DE LA LAGUNANATIONAL PARK

Vizcaino

Isla del Carmen

Isla Danzante

Isla Monserrat

Isla Santa Catalina

Isla Santa Cruz

Isla San Jose

Isla San Francisco

Isla Espiritu Santo

Isla Cerralvo

Isla Santa Margarita

Isla San Marcos

Isla Tortuga

Isla Angel de la Guarda

Isla Tiburon

Isla San EstebanIsla San Lorenzo

Isla MiramarIsla Lobos

Isla EncantadaIsla San Luis

PACIFIC OCEAN

PACIFIC OCEAN

San Vicente

La Mision

Punta Estrella

Laguna Percebu

Ojes Negros

Heroes de la Independencia

Valle la Trinidad

Calamajue

Rosarito

LagunaOjo

de Liebre

San Juanico

San Javier

PuertoSan Carlos

San Miguel (1797) Guadalupe (1834)

1791

1780

Santo Domingo (1775)

1774

53 miles

29 M

18 M

23 M

35 M

get gas if southbound

get gas if northbound

77 M

64 M

Bahia LA turnoff

40 M33 M

91 M

46 M

46 M

86 M

12 M

80 M

133 M

70 M

49 M

19 M

48 M

Chapala

!

Santa Maria (1767)

San Borja (1762)

Santa Gertrudis (1752)

1728

Guadalupe (1720)

1705

1720

16991697

San Juan Malibat (1705)

Delores (1721)

San Luis Gonzaga (1737)

1720

Santiago(1721)

1730

Santa Rosa (1730)

El Descanso (1767)

San Fernando (1772)

LEGEND:- Page of city map & directory

- Pemex Gas and/or Diesel

- Airport

- Highway Sign

- Marina

- Mission Site - Jesuit (17) (1683–1767)

- Mission Site - Franciscan (9) (1768–1773)

- Mission Site - Dominican (1) (1774–1834)BA

JA C

ALIF

ORNI

A

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lovingly,john & Rachel Pack

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JOIN THE BAJA GOOD LIFE CLUB TODAy

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STEVEN FORMAN, AKA “DOGMAN”Steven forman has gone through many

phases over his years of dedication to the dogs and recently has taken some hard loss-es, but it has not deterred or derailed him, to the contrary, it appears he’s come full circle; back to the basics of spay and neutering.

Now with a new surgery center and weekly clinics Steven is getting back into his grove and is once again working hard to achieve his zero-pupulation goal.

Steven is on our cover this month, because of his tireless commitment to the dogs of baja. Thank you.

The photo was taken by derek wille.

ON THE COVER

BAJA GOOD LIFE ONLINE

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NEWS | FEATURES

february is for love; love your-self, your spouse, your family and friends, your pets (page 4), or any-one that means anything to you. i

know valentine’s day is only the 14th, but imagine if it were the whole month, how great would that be?

This is also the time of the year Rachel and i will do some explorative trips around baja. This year we’ve decided to start per-sonally sharing our love for baja and have created baja Select Tours, which are cus-tom tours designed with you in mind and hosted by Rachel and myself.

we will personally take you to the plac-es we enjoy most and explore places less traveled. we can design a tour just for you or your group. we have day trips to the

beach, and to the movies and overnight trips of sightseeing and shopping; just to name a few. The tours are all groups of 10 or less, so it’s just for you. we hope to find more ways for ours members to enjoy baja. more info on page 9.

february also meant the baja love Ride, but that date has changed to march 22-25. go to page 7 for the update. Next year the ride will start on valentine’s day.

This is always a fun time of the year for the two of us. we love the perfect weather, warmer waters, and making plans with old friends, new friends and family that will come to see us next month during the blues and arts.

Spring time in baja is for the truly blessed. check out this years blues and arts band lineup on page 14 & 15.

2 0 1 1 M e M b e r

www.bajagoodlifeclub.comCLUb MeMber INSUrANCe 1-877-LUV-MeX1 eXT3

5 8 8 - 6 3 9 1

4 - WWW.BAJAGOODLIFECLUB.COM

NEED MEXICAN AUTO INSURANCE? ANNUAL LIABILITy POLICIES STARTING AT $78.06 PER yEAR. CALL US TOLL FREE 1-877-LUVMEX1 EXT �.

ZAPP Spay and Neuter Street Project is making a real difference in the streets of San felipe. ZaPP (Zero additional Popula-tion Street Project) was founded in 2006 by Steve Forman and other local animal lovers. as the name indicates, ZaPP sees population growth and a lack of a government program to encourage spay or neuter practices as the primary reason for the animal control problem. They are also a no-kill organization. because there has been such a huge problem with stray animals in San felipe and nearby communi-ties, animal control officials conduct monthly “round ups”. according to forman, these “round ups” entail animals, namely dogs, being herded into pickup trucks and taken to mexi-cali where they are senselessly eu-thanized. Recently, one round up confiscated and destroyed 80 to 100 dogs whose only crime was not having a home. while ZaPP volunteers and others who care wish they could intervene and physically stop the round ups, they have no where safe to house the animals. a major benefactor has recently pulled the funding for the project; therefore

ZaPP has lost its actual facility which was 7.5 acres. This loss of the facility has made ZaPPs job that much more difficult.

The animals that roam around are called “throw away dogs”. ZaPP operates under the philoso-phy that sterilization will prevent a need for these “round ups”. ZaPP holds bi-weekly spay and neuter clinics in a rented store front. They sterilize roughly 50 animals per clinic.

because they depend entirely on private funding, the need is never satisfied. currently, when they spay or neuter, the vet who per-forms the procedure receives $30. This cov-ers the surgery and all medications and after care needed. when ZaPP sterilizes 50 animals during one session, $1500 of the founda-tions funding is needed. for those who wish to help the plight of ZaPP, volunteering your time is always one way to make a difference. However, financial support is gravely needed. ZaPP has a monthly subscription club for those who want to give an ongoing preset contribution. ZaPP also holds many fun and

unique fundraisers around San felipe. one of ZaPPs most successful and innovative ways to raise funds is through the online shoe store they run through ebay. The shoe store takes donated new and gently used shoes and auc-tions them for funds. You can send your shoe donations to ZaPP “Shoes for Spays”, 95 east Highway 98, calexico, ca 92232. information about upcoming events can be found at www.sfzapp.com .

because one organization in San felipe can-not possibly feed, house and love all strays in baja, others have naturally cropped up in communities where there is need. Marla Daily, volunteer vet Denise Jones and Lucy Gonzales have spearheaded Animalandia out of loreto. lucy and denise together used to rescue animals in need and perform neces-sary surgeries in lucy’s home. They also independently found homes for the street ani-mals. marla daily joined the women and put her expert fundraising skills to use. She and her husband, Kirk Connally have helped to se-cure on-going funding and have raised enough money to construct a building. The land was donated by locals. local architect Jesus Cor-

for an or-phaned, aban-doned or stray dog or cat in baja, life is not an easy jour-ney. Nor is it a particularly long journey. with so many

limited resources and a culture that once em-braced indifference rather than compassion, homeless animals in baja have long been subjected to abuse, neglect, disease and even group elimination referred to as “round ups”. These street animals can often pose a risk to humans also. They are likely to be infested with ticks, fleas, mange and can even pose a risk of rabies.

Past options to deal with a staggering increase in street animals were cruel and senseless until compassionate and motivated individuals from baja and across the bor-der decided to do something. Together and with a lot of fi-nancial backing, several incredible and ambitious groups have cropped up along the peninsula over the past few decades; all with the goal of making life better for animals that deserve love and care. battling against the ingrained

cultural differences, these fearless and pas-sionate volunteers take it upon themselves to find the resources to fund spay and neutering projects, clean and care for mange and ill animals, find homes for the homeless, and give any animal in need the love and care they deserve. against great odds, espe-cially when it comes to financing and being overwhelmed by the sheer number of animals, these groups continue to persevere and make a real difference where it is des-perately needed.

BAJA LOVES

DOGS

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tes designed and built the facility. Cathy King, former director of World Vets agreed in 2005 to run spay and neuter clinics. Now because of the efforts of a few, more and more vet-erinary professionals are traveling to loreto to lend a hand and help save those others have ignored. volunteer vets from more than a doz-en states travel to loreto to help the animals that are found wandering and in need of help. Recently, califor-nia vet Dr. Liz Bracken came on board to expand services to include her specialty—equine care. animalandia has proven that a few people with a wide array of talents and profes-sional backgrounds can come together for one cause and make a real tangible difference in the lives of ani-mals.

Baja Dogs of La Paz is an organization founded in 2006 with the purpose of reaching out a loving hand to homeless, sick or abused dogs. before baja dogs of la Paz started to make a difference, there were approximately 10,000 strays in southern baja. These animals were starving, abused and commonly injured. The group began by providing the basics of food and shelter. Then they began to perform spay and neuter clinics.

The basic philosophy of baja dogs of la Paz is to actually change the cultural views that have led to such an enormous stray ani-mal problem. They believe that stopping the circle of neglect is the first step to perma-nently changing the future of strays in baja. The organization spends a lot of time and energy trying to teach the next generation of baja residents to view dogs and cats as pets to be loved and cherished, not just street nui-sances. They run educational programs that first teach the basics—how to feed, water and respect an animal. Then, they teach the older children the basic facts of animal care such as flea and tick prevention, along with warnings about parasites. The importance of spaying and neutering is also stressed. veterinarians from canada also work with the organization to teach local vets how to perform spay and neuter clinics. To learn more about how you can help baja dogs of la Paz, visit www.ba-jadogslapaz.org .

ALMA (Animal Lovers of Mexico Associa-tion) in los barriles is a non-profit animal pro-tection group which is funded by volunteers in 2003. They do not have an actual facility, bit use vet clinics in town to do their good work. Their volunteers work several days a month in vet clinics in the area. alma is credited with

making huge strides in lowering the disease rate and lowering the overall number of strays in los barriles. over the course of a typical month, the group’s efforts help spay and neuter 25 to 50 dogs and cats. for information visit www.alma-cares.com .

The Los Cabos Humane Society is the only shelter and advocacy group in los ca-bos. They aim to save every homeless cat and dog they can. volunteers work tirelessly to provide the basics for these forgotten crea-tures and simultaneously try to find homes for all of them. volunteers host regular program to educate residents and teach children about the proper care of pets. The shelter always needs extra hands to help care the many ani-mals in their care. They encourage volunteers to come in and help walk the dogs and play with all of the animals. very few paid mem-bers are part of the los cabos Humane Soci-ety. They rely mostly on donations and local support. To learn how to help, visit www.hu-manesociety.cabo .

in the Punta band area, south of ensenada, Cantu Animal Rescue Effort (C.A.R.E.) is a shelter that is run solely on donations. They are a relatively small shelter and depend greatly on foster homes to provide care until adoptive families can be found. animals given to the shelter are medi-cally screened and cared for before being placed in foster care or available for adoption. The shelter also vaccinates and sterilizes animals. They take in many injured aban-doned cats, dogs and even horses. in or-der to help every animal that is brought to them, they hold many fundraising events throughout the year. visit www.carebaja.org to find out more about their fundrais-ing events and other ways you can help.

The San Felipe Animal Rescue shel-ter also works to treat many abandoned dogs. They work to spay and neuter animals in their care. Since they opened in 2002, they have performed 5400 surgeries. mange and tick infestation is a huge problem for the strays of San felipe. Pregnancy is a major problem also. The streets of San felipe are often the site of abandoned liters of cats

and dogs. due to traffic and lack of concern, many injured animals missing legs often roam around hungry, scared and in pain. The San felipe animal Rescue personnel could use any donated food or supplies to continue making the lives of these animals better and to treat their various needs. You can visit www.sfani-malrescue.org to learn more about what they may need most.

with the generosity and compassion these groups and others provide, looking for noth-ing in return, the homeless, injured and hungry animals that were once discarded and forgot-ten are now being helped. while it may be im-possible to give every animal a home, these groups work diligently to help one innocent creature at a time. other groups throughout baja have also helped pave the way for better treatment of stray or homeless animals. each and every one of these organizations is in con-stant need of funds and volunteers. Visit your local shelter, bring food, money, give your time, foster an animal or adopt if you can.