Our History

Today, the Keep Loreto Magical movement includes conservation leaders, scientists, community volunteers and other local groups and organizations who share our passion to conserve Loreto’s natural resources and ensure a sustainable future.

As we work towards that future together, we are grounded in our history and profoundly grateful to those who came before us, whose past work has enabled us to reach farther and achieve more.

The Loreto Bay Foundation

Keep Loreto Magical owes a large part of its history to the accomplishments of its predecessor, the Loreto Bay Foundation (Fundación de Bahía de Loreto A.C.). In fact, some of the early trailblazers from the Loreto Bay Foundation continue as KLM contributors and advisors today.

In 2004, the Villages of Loreto Bay in Nopoló were built as “green-growth” developments, with the goal of fostering economic growth, while ensuring that natural assets continue to provide the resources and environmental services on which the community’s well-being relies. The developers and new homeowners were strongly committed to environmental sustainability and community philanthropy. They actively promoted sustainable growth, resource conservation, and community infrastructure improvements for the benefit of all Loretanos.

To ensure adequate funding for these goals, the escrituras and fideicomisos (property deeds and trust documents) of every home in the Villages of Loreto Bay included a contractual requirement that 1% of all gross sales (and re-sales) would be donated to the Loreto Bay Foundation. Like KLM, the Loreto Bay Foundation was fiscally-hosted by The Ocean Foundation, who also lent their expertise in community-based projects. That 1% funding obligation was, and still is, a requirement of the Fonatur master development agreement for the Villages of Loreto Bay project.

From 2004 through 2009, the Loreto Bay Foundation received USD $1.2 million through this 1% mechanism, which allowed the foundation to make grants in and for Loreto. This included support for environmental conservation, arts and culture, health and emergency services, spaying and neutering street animals, support for schools and internados, and much more.

Here are just some of the things funded by the Loreto Bay Foundation…

Our Work is Community Inspired

Following the initial success of the Loreto Bay Foundation, the inspiration to form Keep Loreto Magical also grew out of community concern, voiced by Loreto Bay residents. At the time, those voices were focused on the threat posed by mining companies seeking to develop extraction pits and conduct mining within the municipality of Loreto. Sites for copper, gold and silver were being explored for potential expansion within the fragile mountain, desert and marine ecosystems, all connected by the surrounding watersheds and aquifers.

Water is the most precious resource in a desert environment. Thus, residents were rightfully concerned about channeling the limited water supply into mining activity and away from the water sources needed by surrounding ranches, farms, towns, desert flora and fauna, as well as creating toxic mining runoff into the Gulf of California and the Loreto Bay National Park.

A collective of local residents was already expressing concern for their water supply by spearheading public forums about the dangers of mining, collecting signatures from concerned citizens, and building partnerships to monitor mining exploration. In 2015, homeowners from the Villages of Loreto Bay came together and asked Cecilia Fischer to spearhead community outreach and education about the mining concerns. Local funding allowed Cecilia to collaborate with Mark Spalding from The Ocean Foundation to create a grass roots outreach program including ranchers, farmers, townspeople and Loreto Bay homeowners. The cooperation between all these groups continues to create successful ongoing opposition to mining within the municipality of Loreto.

Expanding Our Programs

Building upon our successful education and awareness campaign to protect the water supply from mining interests, we expanded our mission to encompass environmental sustainability and community-based conservation projects. The name, Keep Loreto Magical, was decided on in 2016 to brand the new program. The Ocean Foundation agreed to be our fiscal host, conferring its status as a charitable not-for-profit organization to Keep Loreto Magical.

As our programs and work expanded, so did our need for more funding. We raised funds through generous donor support and introduced our first annual fundraiser in 2017, called Noche Magica. Today, proceeds from our Noche Magica Gala, along with individual donations and grants, continue to support and sustain our work.

In 2019, it was recommended that The Ocean Foundation create a more formalized management structure for Keep Loreto Magical through an advisory board. Today, the Advisory Committee provides guidance on activities and priorities for the organization, which has expanded over the years to achieve KLM’s conservation goals.

Today, our programs reflect our commitment to our mission statement of environmental conservation and community empowerment to keep Loreto magical.

Who then are the “Magic Keepers”?

As an organization, the Keep Loreto Magical Foundation is a community of conscientious people living in, or regularly visiting, the municipality of Loreto, Baja California Sur.

We are donors, scientists, conservationists, volunteers, aquaphiles, beach cleanup organizers, dune restorers, bicycle path builders, wildlife rescuers, ranchers, farmers, customers of “farm-to-table” local harvests, or all these roles and more. Alliances with other local, regional, national and international organizations are regularly sought as well. We know that, together, we can take good care of this place that gives us so much. Please join our efforts or join our donors to keep Loreto magical!