Bats of Nicaragua

Walking to Volcano Masaya

This week we are pleased to be hosting Bat Conservation International's Board of Directors for their annual meeting.

We've been working with BCI and their scientists for over a year to study Nicaragua's bats and conduct bat education and community outreach in and around Volcano Masaya, whose caves are home to dozens of species of bats.

The bat experts assembled by BCI and Kim Williams-Guillén, Paso Pacífico's Director of Conservation, have created educational murals and conducted training workshops for the rangers of Volcano Masaya National Park.

In the caves at Volcano Masya

Thanks to BCI bat biologist, Carol Chambers, who conducted bat surveys last year, Nicaragua's count of bat species is now 100!

To learn more about Nicaragua's bats, head on over to BCI's Facebook page, where this week they're featuring several of the species found in Nicaragua.

January Newsletter Now Online

Conservation in Action 
In 2012, over 100 children graduated from our brand new Junior Ranger program. Hands-on lessons in local conservation issues culminate with a service project that children lead in their communities....

Paso Pacífico in the News
As the Seattle Times reports, "PBS' new documentary series, 'Life on Fire,' examines how humans and animals alike adapt to living near volcanoes," and includes an episode on bats and parakeets living in the crater of Nicaragua's volatile Masaya volcano where we work.

Partnerships make it possible
This year, we will continue our collaborative efforts to monitor and conserve bat species with Bat Conservation International, and this week we welcome the BCI Board of Directors to Nicaragua for their annual retreat....

Team member spotlight
2012 was a big year for Kim Williams-Guillén, our director of conservation science....

Act Now!
Donate $25 to our junior ranger program and get your very own sea turtle patch.

In Gratitude
We are grateful to all of our generous donors who helped us in 2012....

Los Murciélagos son Beneficiosos

Yesterday we unveiled our new interpretive bat display at the Volcano Masaya Visitors Center, which will help educate thousands of visitors each year about the important role bats play in protecting the natural ecosystems of Central America. We were joined by Bat Conservation International's Board of Directors, who helped make this display possible, and are in Nicaragua for their annual meeting.

Life On Fire: Phoenix Temple

La vida en el fuego: un documental (en Inglés) sobre la flora y la fauna del Volcán Masaya. 

Watch Phoenix Temple on PBS. See more from Life on Fire.

We work with Volcán Masaya Parque Nacional and Bat Conservation International to educate kids and the public about bats and other wildlife.

Trabajamos aquí con MARENA y Bat Conservation International para educar a los niños y al público sobre los murciélagos y otros animales salvajes. 

Perking Up: Coffee is Nicaragua's #1 Export

Nicaragua Dispatch yesterday:

Coffee reclaimed its former position at the top of Nicaragua’s export list in 2012, accounting for $519 million in sales last year. In 2011, coffee ranked second to beef, which last year slipped to third place. Gold came in second place last year, netting $431 million in sales in 2012, according to CETREX.

If you want to sample, Nicaragua's #1 export, check out our Corridor Coffee, a 100% Arabica coffee grown in the shade of Nicaragua's rainforest canopy. All proceeds from this coffee will help us protect wildlife and wild places in Central America.

‘Life on Fire’: living with volcanoes

The Seattle Times reports that the new PBS documentary series, "Life on Fire," will examine "how humans and animals alike adapt to living near volcanoes," and include an episode on Nicaragua's Volcano Masaya, where we work studying bats and educating park rangers, schoolchildren, and members of the general public about the local ecology.

We'll be watching!