Timothy "Timoteo" Irwin Means Heinemann (March 13, 1944 – August 13, 2019) was an American Mexican

ecotourism Ecotourism is a form of tourism involving responsible travel (using sustainable transport) to natural areas, conserving the environment, and improving the well-being of the local people. Its purpose may be to educate the traveler, to provide funds ...

pioneer and

environmentalist An environmentalist is a person who is concerned with and/or advocates for the protection of the environment. An environmentalist can be considered a supporter of the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that se ...

, who advocated for the protection and preservation of the Baja California peninsula and its wildlife. He was a catalyst for the

Federal government of Mexico The Federal government of Mexico (alternately known as the Government of the Republic or ' or ') is the national government of the Mexico, United Mexican States, the central government established by its constitution to share sovereignty over the ...

's designation of

Isla Espíritu Santo Isla Espíritu Santo is an uninhabited island in the Gulf of California, off the Mexican state of Baja California Sur. It is separated from Isla Partida by a narrow canal. Together, the islands are part of La Paz Municipality and are both a ...

as an area of ecological significance and national protected area in 1994, declared subsequently part of a

Biosphere Reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or o ...

and

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

. In 2007, Mexico named the

Archipelago a national park.

Biography

Timothy Irwin Means was born on March 18, 1944, in Beaver Falls

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

to Melvin Wayne and Flora Agnes Heinemann. His father was an electrician, who worked as a lineman for an Arizona phone company and later at the

Hoover Dam Hoover Dam is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the U.S. states of Nevada and Arizona. It was constructed between 1931 and 1936 during the Great Depression and was dedicated on Se ...

. His mother was a homemaker. Means pioneered adventure trips to

Baja California Sur Baja California Sur (; 'South Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California Sur ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California Sur), is the least populated state and the 31st admitted state of the 32 federal ent ...

in 1974, to help spur visitors into conviction and action. With an emphasis on

mindfulness Mindfulness is the practice of purposely bringing one's attention to the present-moment experience without evaluation, a skill one develops through meditation or other training. Mindfulness derives from ''sati'', a significant element of Hind ...

, over the years he introduced thousands of visitors from around the world to the Baja wilderness through which he supported many research and education programs focused on marine and desert conservation. To further the preservation of the wild Baja

desert A desert is a barren area of landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About on ...

and to promote sustainable fishing in the

Gulf of California The Gulf of California ( es, Golfo de California), also known as the Sea of Cortés (''Mar de Cortés'') or Sea of Cortez, or less commonly as the Vermilion Sea (''Mar Bermejo''), is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean that separates the Baja Ca ...

, in 1990 he became a founding member of the Natural History Society Niparajá A.C.. For 45 years Means worked with fishermen, filmmakers, scientists and politicians to draw attention to the depletion of sea life and loss of wild lands posed by

overfishing Overfishing is the removal of a species of fish (i.e. fishing) from a body of water at a rate greater than that the species can replenish its population naturally (i.e. the overexploitation of the fishery's existing fish stock), resulting in th ...

and development, working with American and Mexican environmentalists and patrons to help preserve

. Means became a Mexican citizen in 1993.

Death

Tim Means died in San Diego on August 13, 2019, five months after his 75th birthday from

diabetic ketoacidosis Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a potentially life-threatening complication of diabetes mellitus. Signs and symptoms may include vomiting, abdominal pain, deep gasping breathing, increased urination, weakness, confusion and occasionally loss of ...

References

External links

Baja Expeditions
History. {{DEFAULTSORT:Means Pues, Tim 1944 births 2019 deaths American conservationists American businesspeople Activists from Pennsylvania People from Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania

Biography

Death

See also

References

External links