Nicaragua's Nature Stewards: The Junior Rangers

Dear Friends,

Thanks to your support for this campaign, our Junior Ranger program has been going strong and children who started the protect during the pandemic were finally able to complete the curriculum and celebrate. 

Here are a few updates since we last wrote:

At last! IWe were able to graduate a group of 107 children from our Junior Ranger program in celebrations held in five communities. These resilient kids had started their Junior Ranger learning journey in 2020. During the first year of the pandemic, the children showed their patience as they participated in remote lessons. Then, in 2021, we were able to resume in-person lessons and the children showed their enthusiasm for engaging with their natural world. Thanks to the Kathryn B. McQuade Foundation for their support, which augmented yours in advancing this program throughout the pandemic. 

Thanks to you, the Junior Ranger program continued in 2022, and included new ocean curriculum with the help of the Benedict Family Foundation. Early next year we will hold a graduation celebration for the 2022 cohort, thanks to your support and that of the Woolley Family Foundation. We are proud of the Junior Rangers for sticking with the program and are oh-so-grateful to you for helping the children succeed. Thank you! 

We hope that you have a wonderful New Year! We look forward to celebrating more about the accomplishments of the Junior Rangers with you. Thank you again.

Warm regards,

Sarah

Dear friend, 

We hope you’ve had an awesome summer. We’re excited to update you on what we’ve been up to since our last report! Our Junior Rangers had an eventful summer filled with workshops and hands-on learning thanks to your donations.

In April, kids in Cardenas and Sapoa continued their coral reef learning and spider monkey monitoring with our enthusiastic park rangers. Our Junior Ranger program's curriculum also heavily focused on coral reef ecology. In May, our women rangers taught curriculums based on echinoderms and fisheries.

The kids were ecstatic to learn about different environmental topics! These topics included insects, mammals and primates, and celebrations like International Day of the Forest and International Water Day. Since our last report, our educators have held 50 workshops in Cardenas and Sapoa. But the learning fun doesn't stop there!

In July, our Junior Rangers got hands-on and participated in a 7 day cleanup that garnered a total of 1273 lbs of trash in the span of a week. These cleanups took place across five different beaches in Nicaragua and our Junior Rangers played a big role in keeping spirits high and excited about clean seas! The Junior Rangers also took a field trip to the Mosi station at Mono Bayo Reserve.

Our Junior Rangers are enthusiastic to close out their summers with more learning! We are so thankful to our donors that are keeping these kids excited about doing their part to protect local wildlife. 

In gratitude,

Sarah

Dear Friend,

Our Junior Rangers have been keeping busy since our last update. We’re excited to share with you how we’re putting your donations to use, and why we still need your help.

• In early December, the Junior Rangers in the communities of La Salvia and El Rosario carried out educational activities as part of their migratory bird curriculum. This included a ‘Festival of Kites’ with the motto “sing, fly and soar like birds.” The children let their kites fly across the beach to represent the migratory birds that fly across their communities.

• The following month, 5 rangers and 15 Junior Rangers in Ostional participated in the Christmas bird count by making observations in the mangroves and wooded areas. Over 70 community members participated, and by the end of the count, they had made a total of 3,155 observations with 166 species counted. Some of the species included the ruddy woodcreeper (Dendrocincla homochroa) and the keel-billed toucan (Ramphastos sulfuratus). We are so glad to have participated in our 7th annual Christmas bird count. Thank you for making this possible!

• If you’ve been keeping up with us, you know that recently we welcomed cyclist and birder Koen de Geus who is journeying across Latin America to raise money for birds. The kids accompanied Koen from Mono Bayo all the way to Ostional where they showed him the beauty and importance of mangroves, and also helped him release his first sea turtle in Ostional. The Junior Rangers had a blast during this unforgettable visit and showed their appreciation by making handmade cards for Koen!

• In February, four communities celebrated the launch of new environmental workshops by releasing baby sea turtles in Ostional. The Junior Rangers also took field trips to Pochote where they participated in activities and games related to different themes of wildlife conservation! In total, 205 kids took part in celebrating the opening of these new workshops, filling kids with excitement for the new topics to come.

Because of you, our Junior Rangers have had an interactive and memorable last few months. Your support makes the Junior Ranger program possible. It makes a real difference in the lives of kids who will grow up to be kind and caring environmentalists.

In gratitude,

Sarah

Dear Friend, 

Since our last update, our Junior Rangers have participated in major global events including World Migratory Bird Day, Global Big Day and the International Coastal Cleanup! Read on to learn all about the amazing work you’re supporting.

• Our Junior Rangers took part in World Migratory Bird Day and displayed their passion for the beautiful birds of Central America. The children excitedly went out to observe the migratory birds and learned so much! They also attended educational workshops that helped spark their interest further.
• The children in the Junior Ranger program participated in a cleanup that resulted in 2.75 tons of trash being picked up along the coasts of Nicaragua. The International Coastal Cleanup had over 700 participants and took place across 22 different sites. We were blown away by the immense excitement surrounding keeping our coasts clean!
• Our Junior Rangers helped Nicaragua rise in the ranks on Global Big Day by documenting their observations on ebird. 11 Junior Rangers helped our team document 276 species ranking us #2 out of all the teams. Global Big Day was started in 2015, a year in which we documented 50 species across 3 birding routes. We've come so far!
• Our rangers helped save two baby parrots from a life in captivity by helping them return safely to an adult ranger who knew what to do. Click here to read more on this amazing story.
• The rangers attended an interactive and educational bat workshop led by Paso Pacifico and biologists from the Programa Conservación Murciélagos Nicaragua. The kids had the opportunity to learn from female wildlife biologists.
• With your help, our team was able to purchase new Junior Ranger t-shirts for the kids! The kids are excited to attend their lessons in their new shirts.
• The rangers participated in the first ever Festival Regional Loros Mesoamericanos competition which brought in a wide array of talent. There were two categories for the rangers to participate in that allowed them to express their support for the parrot. 

Thank you for your amazing support! You have allowed our Junior Rangers to participate in global events and make a difference in their community and around the world.

Sincerely,

Sarah

Dear Friend,

In our last update, we mentioned that a record number of junior rangers (over 240!) were enrolled in our program. Since then, our rangers have taken part in global events, workshops and a field trip to the beach. Below are some updates on the program’s activities, all of which were made possible by your generous donations:

• Our junior rangers took part in the City Nature Challenge and, along with other Paso Pacifico volunteers, photographed over 141 species (ranging from plants to fish) in the forests and wetlands of Ostional, Nicaragua. Some of the photographed animals included the American crocodile and a white-nosed coati. You can read more about our participation here.

• The rangers also took part in the semiannual Global Big Day birding challenge. Our 41 volunteer birders spent their time documenting birds from dawn to dusk. We’re proud to share that for the third consecutive time, our team identified the most species (211) out of all the teams! The junior rangers helped boost Nicaragua to 4th place as having observed the most species in Central America.

• In Northern Nicaragua, the rangers held celebratory activities for the macaw after a successful nesting season, thanks to the community and supporters like you. The celebrations included meals made by parents and piñatas for the children. 

• Last week, teachers and rangers held a workshop for the communities of La Salvia and El Rosario about the conservation of limpets, proper disposal of garbage, and recycling in the school and home. The workshop had 128 guests including children and their parents. 

• This week, 31 junior rangers had the opportunity to visit the beach for a life-changing field trip.  For half of these kids, this was their first time visiting the beach in their life, making the hands-on learning experience all the more exciting. 

We wanted to thank you for investing in these children and their education. With your help, our junior rangers are painting a bright future for themselves and the animals around them.