8 More Days!

The countdown begins. This semester so far has been a roller coaster of fun! So much work has gone into this trip, and I am so excited to finally go. As part of the Comm group, I have been partly responsible for completing the coloring book before we leave. I hope that we will have enough copies for the children in Nicaragua. I am also responsible for filming the Makengue documentary while we are there. This will entail interviews with the staff, and following around a staff member for a day to document their life on the reserve. I still need to make a general storyboard for the documentary before I leave so I have an idea of what shots to take.

The other documentaries I have been working on are the AU life documentary and the process documentary. Frankie is in charge of putting footage together in post, but I am helping out by filming some of it. I am thrilled to see what it will look like after it’s edited together. I am also responsible for putting in Spanish subtitles for the documentaries. My Spanish is far from perfect so I have been asking for help from my Dominican friend. As a whole, this experience has helped me understand what is involved in marketing and communicating for a small reserve. I am sure I will continue to learn throughout the semester. This experience will definitely help me in my future career.

Time to start packing for Makengue!

The Technical

Getting closer; less than 9 days to go! It doesn’t feel real quite yet. I should probably start packing…

I’ve been working on the website and social media alongside Allie, and we’ve come up with a good plan as to what we’re gonna do. The most important part of website creation is the planning, it makes everything else run so much more smoothly.

The first thing we created was a plan listing out the necessary elements to setting up a site. We need a domain name, hosting, and then the actual site itself, which we’re building on WordPress. We chose wordpress because it can be easily customized and modified, but also simple to use for people not familiar with the system.

After talking with Angela, we decided to not make the site live (available to the public) until we had built it and shown it to Becky and Rito. This meant that we would wait to purchase a domain name and hosting.

The site is still being built, but on my servers. I’ve installed wordpress, and right now Allie and I are looking for a theme. We’d like to find one very picture oriented, because one of the draws of Makengue is the beautiful scenery.

The next step would be to plan out the layout of the sight and decide what the page structure will be. I think we mostly have that figured out. Lastly, we’ll add copy and content. We’re taking what last years students wrote as a base, but then modifying it a little.

The other thing Allie and I are working on is the social media. We have a variety of accounts from which we are going to publicize the reserve. We plan on having a single hashtag across all platforms as well, to create a unified social media experience. Lastly, we plan on also creating future content to be published after we leave the reserve so Becky has an easy job keeping the social media alive.

That’s all for now! I can’t wait to show off the site once it’s done!

We’re Getting Closer…!

It’s mid-February, which means that we are immersed in the middle of our projects. At this point, the communications group (of which I am participating), is about to head into filming the project, our lives as American University students, and eventually the final destination of the Makengue Reserve itself. On my own, I have watched several short documentaries for inspiration to the process, including several short videos of individuals presenting their cities (in Spain) to the world. We have decided to take on this format for the life at AU film, using all of us participating in the Makengue project to show what life is like in an american university, specifically in Washington D.C.

Sample drawing of a red frog for the coloring book

In addition, we are about midway with the coloring book that we will take as an educational tool for the children in Makengue. With two of us splitting the task of drawing the plants and animals, there should be about 15 pages of outlines of Nicaraguan wildlife to color in with short descriptions. It is our hope to come in with copies of the book, as well as crayons for children to use to color them in.

I have personally taken on focusing on the public service announcement portion of the project. While in Makengue, we will work with the local youth to create an awareness video for Makengue, and promoting the importance of rainforest conservation. The greatest challenge at hand is determining exactly how each group is to put together such a video. Will we come in with outlines ready in hand, or will we let the students improvise for themselves? Also, it is our hope to get our hands on some iPads for this particular project, for both the filming and editing portion of the PSA process.

I am so excited for Spring Break when we will finally be able to see what we are all working towards! I have never been to a rainforest before, nor have I participated in a project quite like this in my life. To be able to be a part of a project, and to see the process in Nicaragua actually occurring, is an amazing thought. Can’t wait!

Sample drawing of a hummingbird for the coloring book

Marketing in the Rainforest

First of all, I am so excited about our trip to Makengue!! I am in the process of collecting bug spray, mosquito nets, and everything else I will need to survive in the jungle. Last week we visited the National Botanical Gardens to get a glimpse of the types of exotic plants we will see in the rainforest, and we were able to talk to one of the directors about the Bioblitz and materials we can make and handout. Next week we will visit the Nicaraguan Embassy, so by the end of next week, we will have a good idea of all that we’re getting into!

I am in the Marketing group, so I am working closely with Dorian who is making the business plan. I’m specifically working on tourism and ways to bring attention to Makengue and how to attract them to come to the site to stay. I’ve looked into the ideas of bed & breakfasts, youth hostels, yoga retreat, ecotourism, Nicaraguan high season, college spring break trips, and church trips. Currently I am working on a Geocache for Makengue, which is a worldwide treasure hunt with random locations all over the world. We will set up the Geocache in the next week and begin to find various items to put into the chest while the organization sends us the materials. Then, we will take the Geocache with the items in it down to Makengue with us and hide it in an appropriate spot. Tourism, on a small scale, is important for Makengue so they can have sufficient funds to continue to operate. I’m hoping I can find a solution that will please the owners while offering a great experience for travelers.

While I am currently dealing with 10 inches of snow in DC, I cannot wait to be knee deep in mosquitos and alligator ponds. The jungle awaits!

My snowy woods in DC

The woods of Makengue

About Fer-de-lance and Jaguars

As our trip to Nicaragua is quickly approaching, the project development phase is about to become serious, as is our excitement!

One of the main tasks for us, the science group, is going to be the Bio Blitz. A Bio Blitz is an attempt to record as many species and organisms as possible. In Nicaragua we will try to take photos of as many plants, reptiles, mammals, birds and other organisms as possible. As we are creating a digital library with all the organisms we can find, we are trying to also collect evidence to establish Makengue as a Biodiversity Hotspot. Such a hotspot is a region with a high biodiversity, complex ecosystems with many, many organisms and most important, endangered species. If we can find those pieces of the puzzle, we might convince organizations to provide Makengue with funding to preserve such an area!

On the other hand we really want to document the organisms to create a database with species of Makengue so we can create check lists for future visitors and to connect the wildlife with the local people. Conservation only works when the local people are involved!

My ultimate goal would be to document Tapirs or Jaguars and of course to find a Fer-de-lance snake!!!

In addition to that, I think it would be really interesting to investigate the rainforest ecosystem. How do the animals interact with each other and their environment? But obviously this needs some more planning and thoughts!

As a Wildlife Freak I couldn’t be more excited!!!!!

CLASS FIELD TRIP!!!!

On February 5th, the Makengue class took a class field trip to both the U.S. Botanic Gardens and the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. Our mission was to learn more about categorizing biology and the different methods of finding and identifying different types of plants and animals. Being on the science team, the field trip was extremely informational and useful, and I would be willing to say that the whole group had fun and found the trips very interesting.

We started with the Botanic Gardens where we were led on a tour by Ari Novy, who was a walking encyclopedia of plant knowledge, plant categorizing, plant use and habitat. He was extremely helpful by explaining to us the educational value of doing a bio-blitz, and also how we can use the knowledge from our findings. Ari Novy also taught us what to look for when categorizing plant life and that plants grow in habitats, and  what this means is that plants grow together and depend on one another and we can’t simply categorize and understand a single plant without first categorizing and understanding the habitat in which it grows. If we are able to understand the plant habitat we can then see the individual plants within them, and the differences of these plants in appearance, function, and value to the habitat as a whole. Ari Novy also taught us that many plants look similar but are very different, he had us smell and feel to see what the different plants were like. Overall we learned a lot from the U.S. Botanical Gardens, and it was also a really interesting building in itself, with some absolutely beautiful plants, and some amazing ones as well.

The second place that the class field trip went to was the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. Here, we were led behind the scenes by Gary Hevel to the (and I am guessing on the name) Insect Storage Department. Here the museum had 35 million different species of insects. Gary being a beetle enthusiast was able to show us a bunch of (actually fascinating) specimens. As he showed us the specimens he explained how there are millions upon millions of different insects, many of which are still undiscovered, and that if we were to look carefully we could not only find them but be able to tell the different species apart. He then gave us some very helpful methods and tips for how to attract insects and other animals. He explained to us that each difference in the beetles, such as some having giant pincer jaws or some having super long antennas, served a different function for each beetle. This will really help us be able to understand and differentiate the different insects we will encounter during our bio-blitz. Also, it was just really cool to see a side of the museum that very few people get to see, and learn about what the museum researches and the different ways that it does that.  Also, the room itself, just being in the room where all the specimens are held and prepped for display was a really interesting experience.

Overall the field trips today were really fun and they were extremely informative. The group, the science team, and myself especially look forward to taking what we learned today and applying it to the field.

And the Countdown Begins….

31 days.

In exactly 32 days I will be standing on the plush green grass outside of the cabin located on the Makengue Reserve. I will be hidden under the dense, green canopy of the rainforest while I listen to the howler monkeys screech in the distance. When I first signed up for the project it seemed so far off in the distance that now that we are so close, it still feels unreal. But now that I have the countdown in mind, this has given me the motivation to create fantastic projects for the Biology group that will ultimately benefit the Makengue Reserve.

One of our projects will be to provide information that can help classify the Makengue Reserve as a biodiversity hotspot. The purpose of this project is that if we can prove that Makengue Reserve is a biodiversity hotspot, the reserve will become a promising area for which more universities would want to send graduate students to the reserve in order to conduct research. Futhermore, if the Makengue Reserve is classified as a biodiversity hotspot, there are several programs that will help fund the Makengue Reserve and allow it to survive as a scientific research area.

Through our preliminary research, my group found the global program CEPF. The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) is a global program that provides funding and technical assistance to non-governmental organizations and other private sector partners to protect critical ecosystems. This program focuses specifically on biodiversity hotspots. After speaking with Becky and Rito on the conference call that we had this week, I got the impression that in the future, their goal is to transform the Makengue Reserve into a research facility which will benefit future generations in their understandings of the the ecological riches that are contained within the rainforest. With this knowledge I will push to determine all of information and criteria that will need to be met (according to CEPF’s standards) in order to classify Makengue Reserve as a biodiversity hotspot. The prospect of classifying the reserve will also require us to collect as much photographic data as possible when we are at Makengue. The unique aspect of this classification is that it is a project that may take several years to complete all of the criteria. But I would like to set the foundation of this project as well as begin to make connections with CEPF this year. The foundation as well as these connections will be very important in the continuation of this project in years to come.

Once again,

31 days 🙂

Preparation! The First Weeks

Since the semester has begun, our group has started to come up with our goals for Makengue this year.  We hope to accomplish, or at least create a foundation for, these goals over the next several months.   I am in the biology group and have taken responsibility for mapping out the layout of the reserve property.  What I hope I can do is find a few of the major landmarks within the area such as ponds and get an idea of where potential trails could be made in the future.  Of course, this will be very difficult to do ahead of time without seeing the actual property, but I think that it is a good starting point.  My first challenge will be to find out the GPS coordinates of the area.  Additionally, I have been looking up several different resources for trail building that will give us a better idea on if and how we can layout these trails in the future.  So far, americantrails.org has given me the most viable information.  Some design and construction plans are complicated and require many tools, but many are very simple and straightforward.

Last year’s group of students walk along a basic, unfinished trail.

Aside from my individual progress in the Makengue project, I have really enjoyed learning more about the history of Nicaragua through class presentations of the book.  It has been interesting to learn about the political turmoil the country has experienced under the rule of leaders from the Somoza family.  What is most surprising is how the country is still suffering from corrupt leadership. I look forward to my reading and presentation with Dorian coming up in the next couple weeks!

So far, I have not packed/prepared at all for the Nicaraguan rainforest.  I keep forgetting how quickly it’s coming up—and that I don’t keep a ready supply of liquid mosquito repellant by my bedside.  I have, however, started making a list for the trip and repellant is on the top of it.  Right now, I don’t have many expectations for the trip because there are so many things that can happen between now and the time that we go.  I am only hoping that by the time we arrive, the group will have a clear set of feasible goals and will be able to get them done.  I am excited to be working with a group of people that all want to better establish the Makengue reserve and help preserve its beauty.  At the same time, I am a little nervous because I know that I need to learn more Spanish before we leave!  To be honest, I have been watching movies in Spanish over the past several weeks. I hope this may benefit me while we’re in Nicaragua, though I know I will be spending much more time in the language lab soon.