DEMATAC, Complaints

Municipal
President
reacts
immediately!
_________

June 22, 2006
_________

Catemaco,
Ver.

Responding to a compliant, on June 22, 2006 DEMATAC, accompanied by an Inspector of
PROFEPA, Alfonso R. López Garcia, photographed the burning of the Municipal Dump. The following
day the inspector met with the Municipal President of Catemaco, Lic. Sergio Antonio Cadena
Martínez, to discuss the matter. The President immediately summoned the Chief of Police, the
Municipal Secretary, and the head of Public Sanitation, and gave orders to extinguish the fire and take
the necessary steps to see that it does not happen again.

Articles 110, 112, and 113 of the “Ley General del Equilibrio Ecológico y la Protección al
Ambiente” strictly prohibit the burning of garbage dumps. The Municipal Dump, at the very least,
should be a sanitary landfill, until it is economically feasible to install a separation and recycling plant.

DEMATAC will monitor the situation in an effort to avoid future burning.

ALERT!!! A DANGEROUS DISGRACE!

Sunday, May 14, 1500 hours:

A concerned citizen phoned the offices of DEMATAC to report the discharge of sewage into the “Rio Grande de Catemaco”
in the colony Tepetapan at the location of the sewage treatment plant. This plant has been in existence for several years and
has never functioned properly - if at all. DEMATAC responded immediately. The complaint was justified. Raw sewage from
Catemaco is flowing directly into the river, contaminating the water, killing fish and other marine life, and creating a
terrible stench. Fishermen work this river in the immediate vicinity. Their catch ultimately ends up on the tables of local
restaurants and of residents of Catemaco. It is imperative that this problem be solved immediately.

We are in the process of determining, and communicating with, the government office(s) responsible and if immediate steps
are not taken to resolve the problem we will file complaints with the appropriate offices and in the press.

8, april 06

We followed up on a report of illegal tree cutting in Punta de Tepeyaga, confirming the
deforestation and the felling of Mulato, Chagane, Jiote, Rabo de Lagarto y Palo de Gusano
(wormwood) trees. A Señor Joaquín Santos Santos, inhabitant of the community of Tepeya, is
the accused. PROFEPA is aware of the situation and will investigate. DEMATAC will keep abreast
of the investigation.

DEMATAC returned to the reported sawmill site in Caleria and spoke with relatives of the owner, Señor Atasca, who claim
that Sr. Atasca has the required permits and that he only uses wood from mango trees (?). PROFEPA is aware of the sawmill
and will investigate. DEMATAC will continue to monitor the case.

Visit to Punto de tepeyaga in inspect breaches for the porposed project for a highway circling
Lake Catemaco, discovering that new breaches have been cut in forested areas on cliffs of
approximately 20 to 25 meters (60 to 62 feet) rising from the edge of the lake.

Visit to the community of Caleria with representatives of Anfitrionas y Anfitriones Ecológicos de Los Tuxtlas, A. C. to
investigate an anonymous complaint of a clandestine sawmill. (Inconclusive)

ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF COMPLAINT FILED BY DEMATAC FOR DEFORESTATION
JANUARY 20, 2006

To whom it may concern,

By this document, Defensores del Medio Ambiente de Los Tuxtlas, A. C. (DEMATAC) officially denounces the felling of Jobo &
Chancarro trees by workers of Ing. Julián Méndez García on Cerro Nixtamalapan, adjoining the northern boundary of
“Quinta Las Bugambilias”, propery of Jonathan Swanson Stg. & Jessica Hitandegüi Swanson Stg.

We calculate the destruction of 10 trees in the area. According to the words of the workers of Ing. Méndez the felling of these
trees was to facilitate the planting of squash.

Photographs of felled trees attached.

Respectfully,
Jessica Hitandegüi Swanson Santiago
Presidente DEMATAC

c.c.: Lic. Sergio Antonio Cadena Martínez,
Presidente Municipal, Catemaco, Ver.
Ing. José Antonio González Azuara,
Dir. Reserva de la Biosfera – Los Tuxtlas
Efraín Flores Centeno,
Regional Representative of SEMARNAT
Ing. Tomás Martínez Marín,
Regional Representative of PROFEPA

Reforestation style Ing. Julian Méndez García
Perforaciones y Voladuras, S. A. de C. V.
Predio nominado “Los Patos”
Cerro Nixtamalapan
Catemaco, Veracruz
Jobo y Chancarro trees felled by workers of Ing. Méndez