Each month, Juanito – one of our dedicated Forest Guardians – documents the team’s daily activities and shares photos of their work on the ground. I am so proud of their hard work. Here’s a snapshot of what they accomplished in August.
Reforestation:
The team focused on planting palm trees and bamboo. Both will help provide sustainable building materials for the future – palm leaves for roofing and bamboo for construction needs. They also propagated granadilla. Granadilla is a delicious fruit but one we rarely get to enjoy ourselves. Birds and animals are quick to snatch it up as soon as it ripens in the early morning! Adding more of these fruit trees will help feed local wildlife. As always, our Forest Guardians also devoted several days to weed whacking. They carefully cleared the fast-growing cattle grass in the reforestation zones from around the young trees to ensure the grass doesn’t overwhelm them.
Promoting Melipona Bee Populations:
The nesting areas and existing hives were carefully cleaned to help these indigenous bees thrive in a healthy environment. The team also set up three new melipona traps. These were prepared to entice princess bees from established colonies. The hope is they will start three brand-new colonies.
Construction:
Aluminum roofing was installed on the newest building that will soon provide proper housing for our Forest Guardians – complete with individual rooms for each of them. We chose aluminum because it’s durable, lightweight, and resistant to the heavy rains and humidity of the Amazon. This will help ensure the guardians have safe and lasting shelter.
Camera Traps:
The team replaced the batteries and memory cards in five existing camera traps to keep them running smoothly. They also installed four new traps in the southwestern and northeastern zones. This further expands our ability to monitor and protect wildlife across a wider area.
Hummingbird Garden:
The garden was cleared of weeds and 48 additional ornamental plants – grown in our nursery – were planted. These blooms will provide food and shelter for hummingbirds and other pollinators. Plus, it adds both beauty and biodiversity to the forest.
As we move into September, the hard work continues.
Wrapping up his report, Juanito asked to pass along a message to you:
“We thank everyone involved for their dedication and valuable contributions to our shared mission. Thank you.”