The Current
Conservation for the Next Generation • Fall 2016
the Caribbean Sea provides a spectacular backdrop for this outdoor classroom and communal dining hall at Pacuare Reserve. Sea turtles often come ashore to lay their eggs just steps away.
1 + 1 = Infinity
By Miguel Fuentes, Regional Branch Director
You learned in kindergarten that 1 + 1 is always 2. But we just discovered that when ONE education organization( EPI) and ONE conservation organization( Pacuare Reserve) join forces, the resulting new venture = infinite possibilities!
After fifteen years of collaboration and long-lasting friendship with our founders Scott Pankratz and Julie Osborn, Pacuare Reserve founder John Denham has entrusted this special place to EPI. By making EPI the new stewards, he and his fellow Pacuare trustees ensure that this 3000 acre hub of biodiversity will remain a safe haven for vulnerable leatherbacks and other sea turtles, as well as an incredible array of more than 30 mammal species and 230 bird species, such as elusive agami herons, jaguars, monkeys, and tree frogs. This shift also ensures that critical education and research programs at Pacuare will continue long into the future.
We are humbled by this show of trust and by the outpouring of support we received from all our friends during our Preserve Protect Pacuare campaign earlier this year. Your support, paired with the strong foundation laid by John Denham and by long-time Pacuare Manager Carlos Fernandez, makes all of us tremendously excited for the myriad of opportunities that lie ahead.
We plan to strengthen science, education, and government partnerships; engage local Costa Ricans in the management of the Reserve; and share our model of community-based conservation through a new suite of professional development offerings for teachers, scientists, and nonformal educators. And that’ s just the tip of the iceberg!
John Denham Award for Community Engagement in Conservation
Know a scientist, philanthropist, or NGO leader that actively engages the local community in their work? Apply or nominate someone for the John Denham Award today: ecologyproject. org / denhamaward. Deadline: November 30, 2016
As a Costa Rican, I am thankful to John Denham for the love and commitment he has shown to conservation in my country, especially to protecting endangered species. His vision and generous financial support have helped make the Reserve what it is today. It is up to EPI now to carry out John’ s legacy. We’ ll work closer with the community, the government, and researchers to continue the excellent work he and his team started. We will build on their successes and demonstrate how 1 + 1 = infinity!
ECOLOGY PROJECT INTERNATIONAL • WWW. ECOLOGYPROJECT. ORG • 406.721.8784