Fire at La Flor

A few nights ago, there was a four-acre wildfire near Brasilon Beach within the La Flor Wildlife Refuge. Paso Pacifico rangers and the landowner guards put it out with very limited tools (machetes). We're told the MARENA Rangers arrived the next afternoon to check things out.

We still have two more months of a very difficult dry season and need some basic firefighting tools  (shovels, rakes, brooms, etc.) as soon as possible.

You can make a donation to purchase firefighting tools here.

OceanGybe Global Research & Outreach Expedition

Today Paso Pacifico is doing a beach clean-up with local children from Ostional in coordination with OceanGybe, an expedition of Canadian surfers.

They describe themselves as "surfers, sailors, and explorers" on "a voyage of exploration, research, and education." Their dream is "to circumnavigate the globe to document the state of the oceans and beaches we visit, search out the best waves and meet new people has become reality."

We're excited to connect with more surfers, as this year we've launched a new initiative to expand our environmental education to the local surfing community, thanks to the SIMA Environmental Fund. Adventurous expatriates have been surfing in Nicaragua for years, and surfing is increasingly popular with young Nicaraguans, particularly in many of the rural fishing communities where we work.

Documentary film maker Andy Naysmith is with the OceanGybe crew to film the day's activities, so hopefully one day we can see some footage.

Update: Spider Monkey Sanctuary

You may recall we were involved in rescuing six spider monkeys. We're still looking for donations for the spider monkey sanctuary at the Domitila Wildlife Reserve, including the following items:

• kongs
• balls
• rope
• dog-toys
• plush animal
• non-electric infant or toddler toys
• metal bowls 

They can be mailed to our office: 872 E. Front, Suite 200, Ventura, CA 93001

Cash donations can be made on our website.

Nicaragua's Spectral Bat

A question via Twitter:

"Is it true that Nicaragua is home to the world's 2nd largest bat?"
- Tours To Nicaragua (@NicaGuide)

The answer is a qualified "yes." Nicaragua is home to the spectral bat, the largest known carnivorous bat, and a member of the megabat family.

The largest of the "megabats" is the Giant golden-crowned flying fox (Acerodon jubatus), a rare fruit bat whose wingspan can be almost six feet. Nicaragua's spectral bat (Vampyrum spectrum) generally has a wingspan just under three feet, and is believed to be the largest carnivorous bat in the megabat family. There may be other fruit bats, in addition to the Giant golden-crowned flying fox, which are larger than the spectral bat, but the spectral bat is larger than all other carnivorous bats.

Pictured above is our director of conservation science, Dr. Kim Williams-Guillen (R), with the famous bat expert Merlin Tuttle (L), Nicaraguan biologists, and a spectral bat found at Nicaragua's Volcan Mombacho during a 2008 workshop on methods for surveying bat populations.

Let us know if you have other questions about the flora and fauna of Central America!

GoodSearch: An Easy Way to Raise Money for Paso Pacifico

Help Paso Pacifico every time you shop and search online by adding our new GoodSearch toolbar: http://www.goodsearch.com/toolbar/paso-pacifico

Adding the GoodToolbar is a great way to ensure that every purchase and web search you make will count as a donation to your cause.

Explore La Flor

If you're traveling to Central America and interested in the incredible diversity of the Pacific slope of Nicaragua, please consider taking a tour with Explore La Flor, an eco-tour company born of our initiative to empower communities by launching entrepreneurs and training community nature guides.

As the tourism sector grows in Nicaragua, nature tourism has the potential to provide economic benefit to local communities while also supporting conservation efforts.

Paso Pacifico provides training and business development for hospitality entrepreneurs from rural villages. After extensive nature guide training these young adults launched Explore La Flor.

Photo: Community guides in their kayaks explore 
the mangrove forest in an estuary near Ostional.
(Not pictured: the Howler monkeys sounding off in the trees.)

More photos from Nicaragua

On Flickr: Another slideshow with more photos from Liz Mering's recent trip to Nicaragua.

This set is courtesy of Suzanne Hagel and Bill Noble.