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| Clockwise from top left: Collared peccary seen in February 2023; white-tailed deer seen in December 2022; jaguar seen in November 2022; puma seen in December 2022 by ranger Marcos Calero. The peccary, deer, and jaguar were seen by our camera traps, which are supported by donors like you! |
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Donors like you helped us monitor wildlife in Central America's dry tropical forests. This spring, Paso Pacifico wildlife technicians regularly checked motion-detecting cameras. What was found is good news for wildlife!
Prey species such as deer, peccary, and paca (a large forest rodent) were frequently seen in the camera trap videos. These animals allow keystone predators like pumas, foxes, and jaguars to persist on a landscape with farms and settlements. It's been a decade since our team first rediscovered the jaguar in western Nicaragua. You will be glad to know that jaguars are still there.
Each forest mammal plays a role in supporting a healthy ecosystem. Wildlife also uniquely stores carbon; a recent study found that "solving the climate and biodiversity crises are not separate issues."
By supporting community-centered conservation through Paso Pacifico, you are helping to bring back forest wildlife! Thank you.
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| Your gifts helped document forest wildlife. Thank you! |
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Community rangers often help lead their communities in conservation. We are so grateful to work with Ricardo Hernandez, who joined our ranger team last year in Eastern El Salvador. He was born and raised in the community of Tierra Blanca, a village near Olomega Lake.
When Ricardo joined our community ranger team, he committed to fighting wildfires and protecting the forest. Living near the mountains bordering Olomega Lake, he is often the first to notify the team when a new wildfire is sparked. He is always ready to pitch in for neighborhood and waterway cleanups.
Ricardo is very knowledgeable about his area and its natural resources. As a farmer, he works toward sustainably growing vegetable crops; he recently engineered an impressive custom rainwater harvest system to irrigate his fields.
We enjoy Ricardo's great sense of humor and his willingness to share his wealth of knowledge to advance conservation. We are lucky to have Ricardo on our team. Thank you for supporting his work!
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The generosity and environmental commitment of private landowners often help power our forest conservation efforts. We are so grateful to collaborate with landowners Mardi Mastain and Robin Donaldson.
We first connected with them in 2007, when our executive director shared our sea turtle conservation initiatives with them at a community workshop. Since then, Robin and Mardi have worked to bring back the forest on their property, hiring restoration specialist Dr. Kevyn Wightman and protecting the forest from wildfires. Their property has prime habitat for all three local primate species, including the capuchin monkey pictured above. Mardi and Robin have also gone the extra mile to protect wildlife by ensuring adequate caretakers on the property. As a result, wildlife, including big cats like jaguars, have returned.
Robin and Mardi believe strongly in supporting the next generation and have given generously to our Junior Ranger environmental education program. Thank you, Mardi and Robin; your efforts are helping protect wildlife for our shared future.
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We are excited to announce our partnership with SoftServe, a leading global digital authority, to develop a digital platform (i.e. an app) for the Machete Project. This project aims to slow climate change by crowdsourcing reforestation in Central America. Once implemented, it will connect rural farmers with urbanized, tech-savvy young people, as well as help save the planet. Thank you to all of our donors who have supported this ambitious idea so far!
To learn more about this exciting partnership, please read the full press release on SoftServe's website. You can also read more about the project here.
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PARTNERS MAKE IT POSSIBLE
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If you are in Southern California, come celebrate the ocean with us on Saturday, June 10th, for our second ever World Ocean Day Ventura celebration! Hosted by Paso Pacífico and other Ventura County nonprofit organizations, this event will help you celebrate our ocean and the extraordinary life within it.
The day-long event will feature live music, games, ocean-oriented non-profits, vendors, and an incredible view of the exciting canoe races at our partner event, the Ventura Outrigger Challenge. Organized by the Hokuloa Outrigger Canoe Club, the Challenge will also include food, vendors, and a beer garden.
High tide or low tide, you’ll love it—make sure to grab your beach things and wear blue for the ocean!
We are currently looking for local volunteers. If you are interested and available, please sign up here!
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| Thank you for reading this e-newsletter and supporting our work with wildlife!
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| Thank you to all the photographers who contributed photos used in this e-newsletter. These include but are not limited to SoftServe, Franklin Ruiz Morales, Camille Pagniello, Matt Dolkas, and Paso Pacífico rangers Jairo Coronado, and Marcos Calero. |
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