Conservation in ACTION

We have recently completed the first stage of our Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Initiative, which integrates habitat mapping, native tree reforestation, and youth education. This high-impact project is made possible by those of you in the US, and the critically important US Neotropical Migratory Bird Act. We place an emphasis on the very birds which travel from your backyard in North America to the Central American Isthmus.

Our strategic plan for bird conservation in the Paso del Istmo Biological Corridor highlights species in decline, and specificies strategies to protect and restore their habitat. We partnered with the Red de Reservas Silvestres Privadas and two of its private reserves to develop management plans which will help landowners better protect birds and their habitat. One reserve is a focal point for forest restoration, and another contains key riparian habitats in an area dominated by cattle pasture. Landowners have already adopted beneficial management strategies, constructing fire breaks and planting fruit bearing native trees. Our partners at the USDA Forest Service International Institute of Tropical Forestry (IITF) helped us monitor birds at these reserves and gain newly reported species for this area of Nicaragua.

To foster a culture of conservation, our bird education curriculum teaches the reasons for beak shape and migration, helps children value birds as they discover and observe their intricate behaviors and adaptive life histories, and trains teachers to ensure continued engagement. Thanks to Optics for the Tropics, we put 240 pairs of binoculars into the hands of students who participated in this curriculum. Part of a slingshot amnesty, new binoculars were awarded to older students for turning in their slingshots and pledging to protect birds.

Local people are the only ones who can keep migratory birds safe as they pass through their communities. That is why we were especially excited to celebrate International Migratory Bird Day for the first time in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua, with over 300 students and family members. Project partners such as the US Forest Service, the San Juan del Sur Municipal Government, the Nicaragua Ministry of Tourism, and the Nicaragua Ministry of Environment provided invaluable support throughout the event.

Pictured is a Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris), identified as a priority species for our migratory bird project. Photo courtesy of Jerry Bauer/USFS-IITF.

---

Paso Pacífico in the News

Nicaragua's been in the media a lot lately with news of the presidential election, the earthquake in Rivas, and the heavy flooding which displaced thousands of people from their homes. The spotlight on these events serves as a reminder that Nicaragua's rural poor are vulnerable to external factors.

Fortunately, the earthquake damage was minimal, but in response to urgent humanitarian needs in the wake of the floods, Paso Pacifico team members partnered with the San Juan del Sur municipal government to deliver water, rice, beans, sugar, and other relief supplies to families impacted by the flood waters.

We have always been committed to working within the community to empower entrepreneurs and restore the environment. Our work builds resiliency at the grass-roots level so that individuals may overcome environmental, economic and socio-political challenges and build a sustainable future.

Partnerships make it possible

Thank you to everyone who attended Trap Attack! earlier this month. The event raised over $3000 for our jaguar conservation project.

Funds raised will purchase camera traps, employ locals to manage the cameras, and help protect endangered areas of jungle and coastline. Under the direction of conservation biologist Miguel Ordeñana, this project will build on Robert Alexander Euwe's photographic evidence of jaguars along Nicaragua's western slope, and include community outreach to encourage peaceful coexistence between humans and jaguars.

We couldn't have done it without our event partner, RuckusRoots, an organization dedicated to engaging young adults in the environmental movement through creative expression. Christine Spehar and her RuckusRoots team provided interactive art and music, and Wolfgang Puck donated appetizers.

We're also grateful to Stephanie Taunton at the Hesperia Zoo, who helped build awareness among our friends in attendance by sharing wildlife native to Nicaragua such as the green iguana, the boa constrictor, and the spider monkey.

Even if you weren't able to attend, it's not too late to support the jaguar conservation project. Donate $10 for a camera trap today.