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CONSERVATION IN ACTION
Paso Pacífico recently established the Mono Bayo Reserve to protect the black-handed spider monkey (Ateles geoffroyi) and raise awareness about the role this species plays in dispersing seeds and maintaining a healthy forest. Our community rangers play a key role in managing the reserve and protecting wildlife across the Paso del Istmo biological corridor.
 Thanks to IUCN Netherlands and its grant program "Purchase of Nature," sponsored by the Dutch National Postcode Lottery, we were able to organize a ranger training and exchange in partnership with the Nicaraguan nonprofit Fundenic. During this event, we brought together 24 rangers and environmental education staff from the two organizations. This group learned about wildlife monitoring techniques, strategies for developing good rapport with neighboring communities, and what it means to be a ranger. By building partnerships and continuously learning, we are ensuring the social and ecological sustainability of our conservation impact.
The IUCN-Netherlands continued its support for capacity building-by supporting a second exchange. Last month, we received a visit from Roberto Pedraza from Sierra Gorda Ecological Group in Mexico. Roberto paid a visit to the Mono Bayo Reserve and talked with the rangers about some of the challenges they face in protecting wildlife. This conservationist spent two days with our rangers and shared best practices that he and his organization have developed over the last 30 years in Querétaro, Mexico. We are grateful to him for his time and expertise.
 Many donors have stepped in to help us improve the management of the Mono Bayo Reserve and carefully monitor the recovery of black-handed spider monkeys across the Paso del Istmo Biological Corridor. These donors include the Margot Marsh Diversity Foundation, Primate Conservation International, Inc. and the Disney Conservation Fund.
Black-handed spider monkey photo: Roberto Pedraza
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Héctor Betanco Mercado is completing his first year with Paso Pacífico. In addition to participating in normal patrols and ranger trainings, he manages the Mono Bayo property and helps care for the four rescued black-handed spider monkeys in the Karen Warren and Susan White Spider Monkey Sanctuary. He enjoys their behaviors and says that they are his favorite animals of all the species Paso Pacífico works to preserve. Héctor is good at problem-solving and is also handy with repairs around the Mono Bayo property. We appreciate the care he takes in his work and are grateful to have Héctor on the team.
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This month, Paso Pacífico's board of directors met for its annual retreat at a learning center in the coffee-growing region of Matagalpa, Nicaragua. This breathtaking center is owned and managed by Fundación NicaFrance.
During the retreat, board members and executive staff reviewed some of the accomplishments of the past year and delved into discussions about future opportunities for the organization. These include increasing marine protected areas and strengthening land protection through land acquisition and partnerships with private landowners. One retreat highlight was a field trip to Lost Canyon Nature Reserve, where we learned about the dry tropical landscape of León and the critically important efforts of one landowner in protecting an endangered iguana.
We are grateful to our incoming board member Eric Ponçon for his participation in the retreat and help with logistics. We are also grateful to our other board members who traveled from other countries to attend, and we extend special thanks to Lotte Roache who attended the retreat in her final year as board president.
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Board members and executive staff gather in front of a waterfall near La Calendaria.
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In recognition of our progress in developing artificial sea turtle eggs, the Wildlife Crime Tech Challenge has just awarded us an Acceleration Prize! This announcement was made last Thursday to a crowd of almost 700 people at Global Innovation Week in Washington, D.C. The award recognizes previous Challenge Prize winners who have made "truly remarkable progress in turning promising ideas into viable solutions positioned for scale and impact on the ground." Thanks to the Wildlife Crime Tech Challenge, Paso Pacifico was able to bring the InvestEGGator technology to fruition. The Wildlife Crime Tech Challenge is sponsored by USAID, National Geographic, Smithsonian Institution, TRAFFIC, and USAID's U.S. Global Development Lab.
 Paso Pacífico is truly honored and grateful to receive this award. We will use the prize money to further develop the technology and get it into the hands of law enforcement and conservation groups working to protect sea turtles from the illegal wildlife trade. Join our fight to stop wildlife crime through the "InvestEGGator" technology HERE.
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PARTNERS MAKE IT POSSIBLE
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Paso Pacífico is honored to have an ongoing partnership with the U.S. embassy in Nicaragua. Last Sunday was the eighth consecutive year that embassy personnel, including U.S. ambassador Laura F. Dogu, participated in the International Coastal Cleanup. Local dignitaries, schools, and community members also attended the event. Overall, nearly 250 people helped clean more than one mile of coastline that day.
We are grateful that we can partner with the U.S. embassy in Nicaragua. This event is one of 19 cleanups coordinated by Paso Pacífico this season as part of the Ocean Conservancy's tenth annual International Coastal Cleanup. We extend heartfelt thanks to Ambassador Dogu and the cleanup's many other participants. We are also very grateful to our other partners and sponsors, which include USFS-IITF, FEMSA, SIMA, CASCO Safety, local municipalities, and more. To learn more about Sunday's event, check out the article in El Nuevo Diario and the embassy's photo album.
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