This month we are teaming up with Fashion Project to help protect nesting sea turtles in Nicaragua. Fashion Project's mission is to "raise as much money as possible for charity by creating a community where our members can donate clothing and shop for causes they care about." They are the industry leader in online clothing donation. Items sold on their site can raise up to 100x more for your favorite charity — a lot...
This spring, the Yellow-billed Cuckoo is making the journey from its overwintering grounds in South America through the forests of Central America and then up to North America. It is a perilous journey because of the destruction of forest habitat along the way. Scientists have partially attributed declines in this species to deaths that occur during migration. The western sub-species is now considered in danger of extinction and is under review...
Nicaragua has committed to reducing its dependence upon foreign oil by investing in renewable resources. Learn more about this effort in this recent video. Header photo: "Electricidad," used under CC BY-NC 2.0 from Nyall & Maryanne on Flickr.
We are working to protect wildlife in Central America and to celebrate World Wildlife Day we've put together this short video. Hope you enjoy!
Paso Pacífico is thrilled to announce that Claudia Perla (pictured above) has been honored with a Disney Conservation Hero Award from the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund (DWCF). The award recognizes local citizens for their tireless efforts to save wildlife, protect habitats and educate communities. . Claudia has demonstrated exceptional personal strength and commitment during the five years she has worked to study and protect the endangered Black-handed Spider Monkey...
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...
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