Field Notes from Playa Del Carmen

October 4, 2020

Taking a trip to a beautiful shoreline south of the boarder.

Having returned from a recent trip, Peter shares with Tyler his take on the Yucatan Peninsula and the Riviera Maya, the most popular International tourist destination in Mexico.  Tourism on this 80 miles of shoreline from Cancun to Tulum is booming with big time beachfront development but, as on all shorelines, challenges are emerging.  Nearshore water quality is declining, some reefs are suffering, resorts this year were overwhelmed by Sargassum, and state regulators in Quintana Roo are concerned about interference with public beach access and damage to critical mangroves.  Get a first hand account of this dynamic and mostly beautiful coastline on this episode of the American Shoreline Podcast.  And as a bonus, Peter and Tyler take a look back at the 2019 and share hints on the new show coming next year to the American Shoreline Podcast Network.  Viva Mexico on ASPN!

Show Transcription
This transcription was generated by a computer. Please excuse any errors.
Peter Ravella & Tyler Buckingham

Peter and Tyler joined forces in 2015 and from the first meeting began discussing a project that would become Coastal News Today and the American Shoreline Podcast Network. At the time, Peter and Tyler were coastal consultants for Pete’s firm, PAR Consulting, LLC. In that role, they worked with coastal communities in Texas, Florida, and North Carolina, engaged in grant writing, coastal project development, shoreline erosion and land use planning, permitting, and financial planning for communities undertaking big beach restoration projects. Between and among their consulting tasks, they kept talking and kept building the idea of CNT & ASPN. In almost every arena they worked, public engagement played a central role. They spent thousands of hours talking with coastal stakeholders, like business owners, hotel operators, condo managers, watermen, property owners, enviros, surfers, and fishermen. They dived deep into the value, meaning, and responsibility for the American shoreline, segment-by-segment. Common threads emerged, themes were revealed, differences uncovered. There was a big conversation going on along the American shoreline! But, no place to have it. That's where CNT and ASPN were born.