The Intercultural Center for the Studies of Deserts and Oceans (CEDO), is a field research station and education center with a mission to advance and share knowledge about the Upper Gulf of California and surrounding Sonoran Desert, and to promote conservation and sustainable use of its natural and cultural resources. Jointly operated by Mexican and U.S. non-profit foundations, CEDO works in three main areas: research, science education and conservation.
CEDO is located just east of Puerto Peñasco, Sonora, Mexico, a region which offers a variety of natural habitats for study.

Natural Resources in Puerto Peñasco The northern Gulf of California is an area of extreme temperatures, salinity, and tides (23 ft. maximum). Many unique organisms have adapted to these conditions, some with seasonal cycles of abundance.
On the edge of the Upper Gulf of California and Colorado River Delta Biosphere Reserve, rocky intertidal habitats (with beachrock, granite and basalt substrates) and sandy beaches dominate the landscape surrounding Puerto Peñasco. Several negative estuaries (esteros) are located on the outskirts of town.
Thirty miles to the north lies the Pinacate Biosphere Reserve with dormant volcanoes, lava fields and craters. All of these habitats are readily accessible from the CEDO facility.

CEDO Facilities
CEDO is a multi-use facility open to the public, visiting classes and other groups. CEDO functions primarily as a field station for the exploration of local habitats, but it also provides the following resources to enhance studies of the area:
- Henry Harris Memorial Library: books and articles in both Spanish and English emphasizing the upper Gulf of California and surrounding Sonoran Desert.
- Laboratory.
- Reference collections of local flora and fauna.
- Botanical Garden with representative plants of the Sonoran Desert.
- Earthship Visitors’ Center made of used tires and aluminum cans, open Monday-Tuesday and Thursday-Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m, and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (closed on Wednesday).
- Exhibits: 55 ft. fin whale skeleton as well as fisheries and historical displays.