Conservation in ACTION Javier, a student from the fishing villiage of Ostional, shows us a big smile as the Nicaraguan muralist Lezamón paints a stunning landscape on the wall of the local elementary school. The artwork depicts the distinctive forests, coastline and volcanoes of Nicaragua and includes wildlife unique to the Paso del Istmo, such as the yellow-naped parrot, the two-toed slot and various species of sea turtles.... Partnerships make...
Paso Pacifico's Executive Director Sarah Otterstrom and Communications Director Wendy Purnell just returned from SIMA's 22nd annual Waterman's Weekend, where Paso Pacifico was honored as one of their 20 beneficiaries! The turnout included more than 675 of the surf industry's most notable environmental stewards, and the event raised over $400,000 for non-profits like us that work to conserve ocean resources. Sarah Otterstrom, Paso Pacifico's Executive Director Photo: shop-eat-surf.com Jessie Creel...
Paso Pacífico is looking forward to the Surf Industry Manufacturers Association’s 2011 Waterman’s Weekend, coming up on August 11 & 12. This annual event is a fundraiser for SIMA’s Environmental Fund and an opportunity to recognize those who work for ocean conservation. Every year, the Environmental Fund chooses 20 ocean-related, non-profit organizations as beneficiaries, and Paso Pacifico is proud to again receive this honor! The events of Waterman’s Weekend will...
Alexander Gaos, co-founder of ICAPO, our partner in sea turtle conservation, is featured in the latest issue of Conservation Magazine. They call him the Turtle Whisperer.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife service has declared May 20, 2011 Endangered Species Day to recognize the importance of protecting endangered species, to acknowledge the ongoing work of conservationists, and to commemorate the victories of the Endangered Species Act. Numerous species have been pulled from the brink of extinction thanks to the hard work of conservationists like those working with Paso Pacifico. Today, as we celebrate our successes, we must...
Yesterday, the New York Times reported on the costs and benefits of factory farmed tilapia and they zoomed in on Nicaragua. Dr. McCrary has spent the past decade studying how a small, short-lived tilapia farm degraded Lake Apoyo in Nicaragua. “One small cage screwed up the entire lake — the entire lake!” he said of the farm, which existed from 1995 to 2000. Waste from the cages polluted the pristine...
This month we're reflecting on our ELLAS program, and the commitment we made to the community at the Clinton Global Initiative Five women launched one sea turtle nursery which protected over 6500 sea turtle hatchlings and transformed the way their community interacts with turtles. 2010 was the first time in 25 years turtles hatched on the community beach, after a quarter century of all nests routinely being poached. Native tree nurseries employ...
This month we're reflecting on our ELLAS program, and the commitment we made to the community at the Clinton Global Initiative. Empowering Women Economically Throughout our existence, but this past year especially, we at Paso Pacifico have watched rural women in Central America's poorest country empower themselves economically through ecosystem services. We have watched women learn to lead tours and teach others about their region's biodiversity. We have watched them...
On Wednesday April 13th, the California Academy of Sciences and Sea Turtle Restoration Project will host the first (hopefully not the last) Science of Advocacy Session at the International Sea Turtle Society annual meeting. We look forward to hearing from these promising speakers: Dr. Darren Schreiber (UC San Diego) will give us a primer on the intersection of neuroscience, public policy and behavior change. Dr. Lekelia Jenkins (University of Washington)...
Kim Williams-Guillen, our director of conservation science, has been studying fragmented wildlife habitat and conservation corridors in the coffee-growing regions of Chiapas, Mexico. Like many others, she's been testing the theory that shade-grown coffee plantations help ensure greater biodiversity in neighboring forests than do traditional cultivation methods, where coffee is grown more intensively in deforested areas (they do). Unlike scientists who've measured biodiversity before her, Kim's focus has been on...
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