CONSERVATION IN ACTION  

The month of June is the launch of the field season! It is the time of year when researchers and organizational partners converge on the Paso del Istmo to assist with our conservation projects. Earlier this month, eight college students from across the United States had the opportunity to learn from our Sea Turtle Rangers. These students are participants in a Broadreach course that studies sea turtle conservation programs in both Nicaragua and Costa Rica. This month, graduate student Michael Petriello from Texas A&M University is also visiting the Paso del Istmo as he documents Local Ecological Knowledge (LEK) and its interplay with environmental conflicts. Finally, we received much needed assistance from veterinary students from the University of California Davis when they visited ranchers whose livestock have been affected by jaguar attacks, and who are at the same time struggling with the increasing drought and an infestation of parasites, including ticks. The vet students provided technical training to our Nicaraguan vet Marcos Calero and they also gave medicines and recommended care for the injured and infected animals.

Now, the staff in Nicaragua is busy preparing for the Annual Board Retreat, which takes place the final weekend of June. The Board plans to review the strategic plan and identify areas where increased effort is needed. In July and August, we look forward to receiving additional volunteers and researchers who will assist on projects ranging from jaguar monitoring to surf education and fisheries research.

This month we were extremely honored to receive recognition from Secretary of State John Kerry in his opening remarks at the "Our Oceans" Conference, June 16-17. The conference was organized by the U.S. State Department and brought together scientists, practitioners, advocates, and lawmakers to discuss sustainable fisheries, marine pollution, and ocean acidification. In his opening speech Secretary Kerry used Paso Pacífico as an example of hope for Latin American ocean conservation. You can watch this part of the speech by clicking here or by clicking on the image above. 

PARTNERS MAKE IT POSSIBLE

Paso Pacífico would like to congratulate our partner in conservation Dan Janzen and our friends and partners at the Área de Conservación Guanacaste and Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad for receiving the Blue Planet Prize from the Ashai Glass Foundation. This prestigious accolade is awarded for "...outstanding achievements in scientific research..." and to indivduals who are helping "...to solve global environmental problems." Congratulations Dan and thanks for your contribution to Central American conservation.