Nicaragua's Nature Stewards: The Junior Rangers

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.