History

The Society Amigos del Lago (Friends of the Lake) was founded in 1990 by Natalia Gómez de Cuevas. Its mission and goals are to help save and preserve Lake Chapala and its rivers and basin, and in so doing:

• achieve a healthy environment
• restore the lake, in terms of water level and water quality
• foster environmental awareness
• develop a sustainable economy
• preserve Mexican cultural heritage

For 12 years, Amigos del Lago worked quietly to fulfill its mission. However, as threats to Lake Chapala increased, we recognized the need for greater activism to build public awareness and participation to bring about change.

Our public relations campaign has included countless newspaper articles and participation in special events, such as “Hands around the lake”, which involved 22,000 people and got worldwide attention.

We built this website, which we are constantly expanding and updating. We are working closely with universities, government agencies and international organizations and corporations. We are working on specific projects, such as environmental education, erosion control, reforestation, lakeshore cleanup, wildlife protection, and lobbying to strengthen environmental protection measures.

We have also became a member in the Living Lakes organization, in order to obtain their advice, support and help.