CONSERVATION IN ACTION The 2021 Junior Ranger program launches in February! With 160 children from seven communities already registered, we expect a record level of participation. In preparation, environmental education staff Anna Chévez, Karen Lacayo, Yajaira Vargas, and Jarrinton García have been busy meeting with parents and officials from the Ministry of Education. We will follow WHO infection prevention strategies including social distancing, frequent handwashing, outdoor sessions and masking. We plan to implement social distancing protocols throughout the year due to COVID-19,  Like children everywhere, the Junior Rangers made the best of difficult times over the last year. Many who had signed up for the 2020 cohort were only able to participate remotely from their parents' cell phones. Yet, using social distancing, some Junior Rangers were able to attend beach clean-ups, bird counts, outdoor lessons and nature-themed craft projects. Children who were slated to graduate in spring of 2020 have been patiently awaiting their graduation celebration. We look forward to honoring them soon. Thank you to the Kathryn B. McQuade Foundation and donors like you who have made this program possible. TEAM MEMBER SPOTLIGHT We are thrilled to announce that Maryory Velado has joined our team as the national coordinator for El Salvador. Mar, as we affectionately call her, recently earned her master's degree from the Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza (CATIE) in Costa Rica. There, she studied jaguars and other predators in a tropical montane landscape. Mar also did a residency in Frankfurt, Germany, where she developed mapping skills using geographic information systems. Upon returning, Mar worked for some time as a biology lecturer at the University of El Salvador. Mar is passionate about conservation and says that from a young age she dreamed of helping wildlife and protecting nature. In her new role at Paso Pacífico, she is attentive to how she can involve local people. Mar enjoys spending time outdoors, taking frequent walks with her dog and joining her friends on birdwatching trips. Welcome Mar, we are thrilled to have your passion and expertise to lead our programs in El Salvador!  IN GRATITUDE This last year, our annual campaign focused on protecting the critically endangered black-handed spider monkey. Due to COVID-19, hunting pressure is higher than normal; we could only face this threat if donors gave extra support. Thanks to your generous gifts, our community rangers are now at work preparing fire breaks, watching for trespassers, and monitoring the spider monkeys. We are also preparing to set up new ranger protections and install protective signage at a forest area in El Salvador where a critically endangered sub-species of spider monkey was recently discovered. Because of your support, endangered animals like the black-handed spider monkey are getting a chance. Thank you! Thank you to SET NET Communications, Roberto Pedraza, Anna Chévez, Jarinton García, and Maryory Velado for providing photos used in this newsletter. Support the Junior Rangers! GIVE NOW IN THE NEWS National Geographic has released a new film highlighting the Bird Genoscape Project and our work with the southwest willow flycatcher. For years, Paso Pacífico and the Southern Sierra Research Station have worked together to protect the willow flycatcher while it visits Central America during the winter. One way we do this is by collecting genetic samples through feathers. These samples are then shared with the Bird Genoscape Project. The new film explains the impact of this international collaboration by highlighting similar efforts in the Guanacaste Conservation Area in Costa Rica. Over the past four years, through support from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service - Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act, Paso Pacífico has worked with these partners to advance protections for willow flycatchers in western Nicaragua. Now, we are working with farmers to postpone clearing flycatcher habitat so that the birds will be healthy during their migration flight. To support this effort, please consider donating via our GlobalGiving campaign. PARTNERS MAKE IT POSSIBLE In early January, we celebrated our 7th annual Christmas Bird Count. Promoted by the Audubon Society since 1900, this global event provides the chance for expert and amateur birders to discover birds within a 15-mile radius of their community. This year, the efforts of 56 volunteer birders led to a record 172 species being observed in Nicaragua's Paso del Istmo wildlife corridor. Partners are key to the founding and continuation of this beloved event, which was first launched through the leadership of former board member Dr. Frank Joyce and his family. For this year's count, we were fortunate to have additional support from the U.S. Forest Service International Institute for Tropical Forestry, the Kathryn B. McQuade Foundation, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, SET NET Communications, FUNDENIC-SOS, and Reserva Natura.  Your estate plan could provide both tax savings for you and legacy support for wildlife and communities in Central America. Please contact Executive Director Dr. Sarah Otterstrom at sarah@pasopacifico.org with any questions. Copyright © 2021 Paso Pacifico, All rights reserved.