by Richard Joyce Marcela Gutierrez, Paso Pacífico's agronomist, has been eagerly awaiting the rainy conditions that will allow planting of thousands of trees in the Paso del Istmo. "Because of El Niño, the rains are coming later this year, so we might plant in early July." With a degree from EARTH University in Costa Rica and ample experience working in her native Nicaragua, Marcela is leading the effort to restore forests...
by Richard Joyce Paso Pacifico Meliponiculture Intern A lean man past middle age, Francisco Cerda still goes to work most days of the week at a limestone quarry in Las Mercedes, an area of the Paso del Istmo near the Costa Rican border. His house is rustic and similar to many in the region. Approaching it, we pass a well, an outdoor shower, and a large basin for washing clothes. Scrawny...
In 2013 Paso Pacifico made a commitment to the Clinton Global Initiative to strengthen economic development and restore coastal environments. To achieve this goal, Paso Pacifico has begun a partnership with local women in the fishing village of Ostional in order to develop a women’s shellfish farming cooperative. This past month Paso Pacifico volunteer Angie Gerst from British Columbia, Canada, conducted an exploratory study to document the current economic and...
by Sarah Otterstrom I grew up spending lazy summers along the shores of northern lakes in the Inland Pacific Northwest. Maybe this is where my love of “biodiversity” was born. If anything, it was where I first learned to recognize the magic of the natural world. At the lake, my cousin and I built a tree fort with a plush carpet made of fresh moss and we decorated the ceiling...
Marcos inspects a Melipona beecheii worker captured at a flowering bush on the property of a beekeeper. It is dry season in Paso del Istmo, with trade winds wicking moisture from the Pacific slope forests causing upwelling of nutrient-rich water offshore. Deciduous tree species are dropping their leaves and tree crowns full of yellow or purple blooms dot the landscape. The dry season blossoms bring increased bee activity and with...
In October of last year I had the opportunity to travel to Nicaragua to learn more about Paso Pacifico and its work in the Paso del Istmo. The trip was a crash course in all things Paso Pacifico. In just five short days we patrolled beaches with the Sea Turtle Rangers, climbed trees looking for endangered Yellow-naped parrots, met the Junior Rangers at the Karen Warren & Susan White...
Primates in Fragments: Complexity and Resilience Primate Populations in Fragmented Tropical Dry Forest Landscapes in Southwestern Nicaragua The lack of information on how primates respond to habitat fragmentation across a variety of ecosystems and regions hampers conservation efforts in the fragmented landscapes where populations are most threatened. We investigated the status of primates in the highly fragmented forests of southwestern Nicaragua, a region containing some of Central America’s few remaining...
Limpieza Internacional de Costas, este 21 de Septiembre. Ayudanos a limpiar las costas.Estaremos en: Casares San Juan del Sur Corinto Paso Caballo Ostional Brasilon Playa Escondida Jiquiliste La Flor Rio Ostayo Rio La flor Laguna de Asososca y otras playas No te quedes en casa e inscribete o inscribe una playa. Te esperamos este 21 de septiembre.
In case you missed it, the August Edition of our Connections Newsletter is online. Read about: Paso del Istmo Reforestation Partnership Conservation & Sustainable Tourism Program (CSTP) CSTP Coverage in La Prensa CHICABRAVA all girls surf camp Surf Industry & ESPN Coverage of the Waterman's Ball Entomological Museum of León, Nicaragua Butterfly Surveys Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Initative Billion Baby Turtles T-shirts
PuruKai's Billion Baby Turtle t-shirt sales support sea turtle conservation in Costa Rica. Our friends at SEETurtles and WIDECAST will save five baby sea turtles for every shirt sold. Most of our friends know that the Billion Baby Turtles project supports sea turtle conservation efforts like ours. Billion Baby Turtles funds, at work all over Central America, go towards paying local residents to patrol important turtle nesting beaches, protecting...
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