Another day at Estacion Biologica Laguna de Apoyo

Every day brings something new to us at Estacion Biologica Laguna de Apoyo. Observations of flora and fauna, studies being conducted, scuba diving, cultural activities. People teaching, and others learning, Spanish, culture, biodiversity, the environment, volunteering.

New friends are made easily, because we are small and we share with people who visit. People come and go, from Nicaragua and beyond. Some to learn, others to give. Everyone ends up doing a little of both.

Bella, our faithful canine, hangs with the gang in front of Estacion Biologica Laguna de Apoyo. Foto Jeffrey McCrary.

Estacion Biologica is not at all pretentious or upscale. We have a simple place, and we are doing simple things: planting trees, studying the environment, birdwatching, sharing our knowledge of the language and culture, and collaborating with the neighbors and the government of Nicaragua to make Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve a great place for nature, for decades to come. Our visitors are welcome to pitch in. Our prices are very low, but we are comfortable, and we eat very well! Special food options can always be arranged: gluten- or dairy-free, vegetarian, or vegan.

This is how Spanish homework ends some evenings. Photo Andras Dorgai.

We are perhaps best known in some circles for the Spanish courses we offer, at Apoyo Spanish School. Each year, we impart at least one hundred fifty course units of a week each, custom-designed to fit the abilities and needs of each person. Our students are often travels who want to engage with locals better. Many, however, are learning Spanish for professional reasons, using their language skills in Nicaragua or other nearby countries in their jobs.

Early morning in Lake Apoyo, while clouds cover Pacaya, above the rim of the crater. Photo Andras Dorgai.

Undoubtedly, the best part of spending time at Estacion Biologica Laguna de Apoyo is the lake. Mornings, the lake can be calm and smooth as glass, without a soul to be seen near the water. As the day progresses, however, locals and tourists may come for a dip. There is no water body anywhere that is as comfortable and naturally clean as Laguna de Apoyo, for a great swim. Visibility underwater during a scuba dive may be as much as 10 meters on a calm day.

All ages get involved when monkeys are to be seen. Everyone becomes a kid again! Photo Jeffrey McCrary.

Our property at Estacion Biologica is humble, but blessed with great trees and often with lovely wild animals. Golden-mantled howler monkeys, known locally as mono congo, are over our heads these days, perhaps two hundred days each year. We thank effective conservation policies enacted as part of the management plan that our director, Jeffrey McCrary, coordinated for the Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources. Several years ago, there were fewer monkeys and they were found in more limited locations than currently.

Apoyo Spanish School students gather for some extra tutoring from Bela. Photo Andras Dorgai.

Volunteers come to Estacion Biologica to participate in specific projects, or in whatever is most needed. One example is the Murrieta family, who recently spent a couple of weeks engaged in all kinds of environmental conservation activities, including the planting of 56 new trees in a reforestation plot in the hillside behind Estacion Biologica. The evenings were filled with discussions ranging from poetry and literature, to politics and saving the environment, to our favorite places in the many cities each of us had lived or visited.

Visits to Estacion Biologica are often a family affair. Photo Jeffrey McCrary.

Each day at Estacion Biologica brings a new, unexpected blessing. The people in these photos are just a sampling of the blessings that have come our way in the most recent months. We are grateful for every hand lent and each voice raised. Please come by or write us!

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Laguna de Apoyo Morning Yoga

Anyone up for some morning yoga? Andras is conducting yoga classes at Estacion Biologica, and you are invited to join it. It's a great way to start the day, by reminding your body of its center, and awakening the relationships between the mind and the body. Starting 6 am, each Monday and Thursday.

Yoga is a great way to start the day, anywhere, but it's best in the jungle. Photo Andras Dorgai.

A hurried day can easily combine with distractions to keep a person from relaxing, feeling oneself, and reducing the effects of all the noise from without and within. Yoga also can get the blood flowing to parts of the body that might not be getting enough attention, without impacts and strains of many sports.

Visitors to Estacion Biologica and students of Apoyo Spanish School can start their mornings with a yoga class. Photo Andras Dorgai. 

The yoga class began on the first morning with sun, following several with impending rain or storms. There was no wind, so the trees were silent, except for the grunts of monkeys raiding the fruits of a couple of Cecropia trees in the yard. They occasionally howled, and a neighboring dog barked. Bella, our own dog at Estacion Biologica, insisted on mixing with the yoga class, too, but she eventually accepted to stay on the margin. Scrubbing of clothes on a wash stand down the way could be heard, as well.

Andras and yoga students on the deck at Estacion Biologica. Laguna de Apoyo makes a great place to practice yoga. Photo Andras Dorgai.

Practicing yoga is good everywhere, although some places call out. If you are visiting Laguna de Apoyo, you are welcome to visit Estacion Biologica Laguna de Apoyo, and practice yoga on our deck. Yoga teachers, experienced people, beginners, and curious are all welcome. You won't need anything special, just come as you are. Our wooden floor is soft enough for most poses, and some cushion can be improvised if you do not have a yoga mat.

Yoga class ends with a moment of relaxation. Photo Pablo Somarriba.

Time for breakfast, then on to Apoyo Spanish School! Or to whatever plan each person has for the day. Some people are Spanish students, others are overnight guests, and others come from nearby hostels just for yoga, or also a great, vegetarian breakfast afterward.

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Petroglyphs in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve, Nicaragua

The Apoyo Volcano exploded in what may have been the most powerful of all the volcanic blasts of the quaternary epoch in Central America, around 23,000 years ago. No humans were around to see it, however, as the first direct or indirect evidence of humans in the area seems to be less than 15,000 years old. We can imagine the awe of the first people to look down into the lake seated at the bottom of the crater. Although the name "Apoyo" matches a Spanish-language word, it actually is a precolombian toponym referring to clear water.

We know nothing of the message or messengers who inscribed on the rocks in Laguna de Apoyo. Photo Pablo Somarriba.

The precolombian people of the region around Apoyo, particularly on the sides of the Pueblos Blancos to the west, and Masaya to the north, did not die out or migrate away. Precolombian roots are seen in the faces and the traditions of the area. Furthermore, in Masaya and a few other areas, some people maintain official indigenous representation, according to registrations with the government from more than a century ago. The precolombian culture was largely erradicated by the Spanish conquest, but these relics give silent testimony to a society that still lives.

Indigenous people of the area left etchinngs in several rocks in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve. Photo Pablo Somarriba. 

Students at Apoyo Spanish School can visit the petroglyphs found in different locations near us. The messages have not been deciphered, so each person can imagine and hypothesize about the meanings behind each etching. Some are small, others are a few meters wide. The centuries have passed since these designs and messages were left behind, but thankfully, we are still able to enjoy them.

Possibly an Insect? Turtle?   Photo Pablo Somarriba.

The hundreds of years of separation from their prior society has left the native Nicaraguans of this area disconnected from the reasons, language, and messages behind these treasures. Someday, hopefully, there could be a rescue of these petroglyphs for the benefit of the people who continue to live in the area. It is no surprise that many petroglyphs are found here, because of the abundance of rock and the marvelous place that is the interior of the Apoyo crater.

Students of Apoyo Spanish School sit above a large petroglyph in the Apoyo crater. Photo Andras Dorgai

There are a few nice walks on public-access trails in the crater that pass by petroglyphs. These walks can combine great views of landscapes, birds, monkeys, the incredible diversity of plants, and these relics from another era.  Some of the trails lead to communities along the edge of the crater, so a walk could terminate with a nice beverage while looking across the lake.

This petroglyph has been carved on the top of a flat bedrock. Photo Andras Dorgai.

If you would like to make a hike to see petroglyphs, please contact us. We would love to take you for a hike that can combine birds, monkeys, useful plants, petroglyphs, and majestic views.

A petroglyph in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve. Photo Andras Dorgai.

Chilling imagery left behind by the precolombian ancestors in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve. Photo Andras Dorgai.

A spooky petroglyph with ann oddity behind. Photo Andras Dorgai.

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Learning Spanish in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve

There are several aspects to learning Spanish that are all important. The first, and most vital, is to learn as much as possible, to become as fluent as one can be, to make understanding the magical world of Nicaragua more open and understandable. So many people, especially tourists, come to Nicaragua without understanding much of the language, bumbling their way through the country, dependent upon the translation skills of someone else.

Once a person can manage the most basic of the Spanish language skills necessary to survive as a backpacker, tourist, or worker without the aid of others, doors begin to open. Suddenly, Nicaragua consists of more than Granada, Leon, and a few beach towns. There are places to go, things to do, and increasingly, as one learns to speak the language, people with whom to share. As those who live in Nicaragua for long periods can attest, the best that Nicaragua has to offer is off the beaten path. It is at once the geography, the landscapes, and the people. The key to the most intimate levels of sharing culture is language.

Spanish classes at Apoyo Spanish School are held in the natural setting of Laguna de Apoyo. Photo Jeffrey McCrary.

Languages have many dimensions and interconnections. Thankfully for those who speak very little Spanish, Nicaragua is very open and friendly to visitors with little language capacity, but the "real Nicaragua" is awaiting the people who can communicate effectively. Furthermore, work requirements also demand excellent language skills. Basically, every level of accomplishment in a language opens the door to higher, richer and more complex levels.

Apoyo Spanish School is the oldest of the intensive Spanish schools in Nicaragua. It is the best place to learn, for the person who is serious about learning, regardless of the level. We have special courses for beginners, as well as tailor-made courses for the more advanced students. Advanced students can go deep into literature and technical discourse with teachers who are prepared for the most subtle issues of the language. We even teach the teachers-most of the long-lasting Spanish schools in Nicaragua have benefited from training given to their teachers by us.

The lake is just steps away from us at Apoyo Spanish School, permitting students to combine rigorous courses with relaxing swims, kayaking and scuba diving. Photo Jeffrey McCrary.

Often, people think they will go from "hola!" to giving public speeches and participating in debates in Spanish in merely a couple of weeks. First of all, learning rates differ among people dramatically. Young adults learn language more rapidly than older adults, although our experience has proven that even into the eighth decade of life, people can improve their Spanish school measurably in just a week of study. Secondly, the rates at which students learn may be limited by what the students do outside the class period. Those who insist on staying in Spanish all day, taking only brief breaks to converse or communicate in their native language during the day, learn much more than those who spend their evenings chatting with other non-Spanish speakers.

After classes, time at the lake, in the forest, visiting the nearby towns, or helping out with tasks at Estacion Biologica are all awaiting. Photo Jeffrey McCrary.

Sometimes, Spanish students in an intensive language program such as at Apoyo Spanish School may feel daunted by the concentration on verb conjugations in their Spanish class. It may be difficult for a beginner to appreciate that verbs in Spanish are much more loaded with meaning than in English. Our classes go beyond just pointing and grunting, to provide a solid foundation in the Spanish language so the student can make further progress effectively, after going on beyond a single round of Spanish classes.

Spanish classes with individual instruction may be exhausting, but a huge learning experience, which benefits the student greatly. Photo Jeffrey McCrary.

The objectives for learning a language may vary considerably among people, as well as their learning rates and their levels of management of the Spanish language when entering in classes at Apoyo Spanish School. We offer group classes for absolute beginners, in an economical program that also includes lots of volunteering, which we call the "backpackers' Spanish program". This course, at a considerable discount from the one-on-one classes, incorporates dorm stay and lots of volunteering to make the program more economical for the traveler on a budget.

Why study Spanish in a stuffy room when you can have fresh air and nature around? Photo Jeffrey McCrary.

In contrast, one-on-one classes can be had for Spanish students at any level. Teachers make a study plan with the student after an initial evaluation and consideration of the ability and level of the student. Additionally, homework is assigned to give the student direction in after-hours practice. Furthermore, the activities and informal conversations with the staff and friends reinforce the language skills learned in the day.

Among the greatest attractions in Nicaragua is Laguna de Apoyo. Come, study, and enjoy! Photo Andras Dorgai.

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Donations to Gaia

We at GAIA feel honored when people want to donate their time, money or materials to help us in our objectives to protect the wild natural resources of Nicaragua. Some people help with our activities as Eco-Warrior Environmental Volunteers, conducting lots of tasks that are important to nature such as reforestation, maintenance, and assistance with wild animal rescue. We love to share our time and efforts with people who share our opinions about the importance of protecting wild nature.

Not everyone can give a block of time to a project such as reforestation. Some people prefer to help by making a small financial donation, or provide some of the materials that are required for our operations, such as foods for animals and containers for planting trees. We want to express our gratitude to the many people who have given small, or sometimes, not so small, material or financial donations to help us do what we do. A few such donations received during the most recent days are mentioned below.

Seeds were donated by the owners of Apoyo Lodge-thank you!

The great folks at Apoyo Lodge dropped by to share with us and they shared their wealth by donating sunflower seeds. It is worth noting that Apoyo Lodge has changed hands, and the new proprietors are particularly kind and conscientious, as is evidenced by their donation of sunflower seeds for the benefit important nutrients.  Our rescue macaw has a flexible diet but, like all parrots, requires certain components, among them, seeds which carry certain small-scale nutrients that this bird may not obtain from the other foods in its daily diet in captivity.

The kinds veterinarians at WorldVets donated a surgery for Juju the kinkajou, and some juicy fruits which were readily devoured. 

Steve and the team from WorldVets donated a costly treatment of surgeries to Juju, a wild kinkajou that was found badly beaten in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve. The animal was given a chance to live by these operations, which included the removal of a foot and an eye, and closure of an open wound on one cheek. The team dropped in a couple of times to see Juju, and they brought the animal some fruit. From all appearances, watermelon ranks highly in the list of preferred foods for a kinkajou. We often receive severely injured wildlife, and sometimes the success of seeing them heal is worth it all!

Juju the kinkajou likes watermelon. Photo Andras Dorgai. 

There are lots of options for a visit to Laguna de Apoyo these days. The people who visit us often want to be involved in some way in doing something good for the environment. Part of keeping the environment safe for wild nature is patrolling to reduce vandalism, hunting, other bad things that harm the public good. We at Gaia support the local institutions in the ways we can. We had noticed the local patrol motorcycle for the police department was using a completely treadless tire, worn dangerously bald from overuse. Mark Connell, a student of Apoyo Spanish School, took note of our concern and provided a cash donation which covered most of the cost of the tire.

We compared prices and models and acquired the best fit for the job, and made an official delivery to the police representative. Now he can participate in hot pursuit safely!

Our local police representative in Laguna de Apoyo desperately needed a new front tire for his patrol motorcycle, which was donated by Mark Connell and funds from Gaia. Here, Juan Carlos presents the new tire along with Pablo and Mileidy from Gaia. Photo Jeffrey McCrary.

The next time we saw him pass by on the motorcycle, we stopped to ask about the tire, and sure enough, he had already had it mounted on the bike.

Our local police motorcycle now sports a fully new front tire! Photo Jeffrey McCrary.

We don't have any large bank accounts to fund projects without some sort of financing, which is a cruel reality for most not-for-profits that are really doing things of benefit to our society. We depend on contributions from our allies and friends. Sometimes, the contributions are small, but really, no contribution is ever to small. Every penny can be put to use in the protection of wild nature in Nicaragua. Missie and Stephen Lavergne recently gave us two (yes, two!) animal transporters-not exactly a small contribution. The transporters are in nearly-new condition and capable of handling animals of different sizes. Who said Christmas doesn't come in April? It will now be more feasible to transport animals-both wildlife and pets such as Lassie.

Lassie tries our our new large-animal transporter, donated by Missy and Stephen Lavergne. Photo Jeffrey McCrary.

The smaller animal transporter donated generously by Stephen and Missy Lavergne is just right for small and medium-sized animals. Thank you! Photo Andras Dorgai.

Lassie, our newest pet addition, was rescued from the street in Managua. For the next long trip, she now has some very comfortable conditions for traveling. Photo Andras Dorgai.

Andras Dorgai has been learning Spanish and helping as an Eco-Warrior Environmental Volunteer. Not only has he provided lots of great help, he also donated a bag of walnuts to the animals. Anyone who has been in Nicaragua knows that they can be very expensive and the cost can seem even more prohibitive when contrasting to the incomes found in Nicaragua. It is not easy for us to keep the animals fed with high-quality foods that meet their special, nutritional needs without donations. Midorna, our rescue Scarlet Macaw, needs nuts as part of her diet, so she is getting a small quantity daily.

Dorgai is passing a walnut to Midorna, part of their daily ritual. Photo Jeffrey McCrary.

Lots of others have donated items and cash recently, particularly in support of our studies of the wild natural resources in the area. The examples mentioned here are presented to demonstrate the diversity of ways to help available. We want to thank everyone who has made a donation. If you would like to donate to Gaia, please click on the "escudo" below or just come by Estacion Biologica Laguna de Apoyo any time!

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Workshop for Spanish Language Teachers

Learning Spanish requires a lot of effort over a long period on the part of the learner and accurate guidance from well-planned classes to keep the student out of grammatical pitfalls. Gaia has been training Spanish language teachers for decades, and the best school in Nicaragua use teachers that have been trained by us. We take seriously the goal of Spanish language learning and we invest in the training of our teachers to provide the best pedagogical tools for learning. Our Spanish courses in Estación Biológica Laguna de Apoyo are famous, having existed for longer than at any other Spanish school in Nicaragua.

Mayela explains Spanish class organization with workshop
participants looking on. Photo Jeffrey McCrary.

January is always a busy month in Estación Biológica in Laguna de Apoyo, and this past January was no different. Among our many activities was a workshop for Spanish language teacher training, held in the shade of our marvelous trees 29 January. Mayela Blas, who herself began her career as a Spanish language teacher with us in Apoyo Spanish School, conducted the workshop with thirteen participants. Our teachers were exposed to some of the theoretical aspects of language transmission, as well as some of the practical elements of Spanish language instruction such as lesson planning techniques.

Participants in the workshop combined a power-point
presentation with the informality of our shaded patio for a
relaxing setting to learn. Photo Jeffrey McCrary.

Participants came from neighboring departments and Managua, and were given an excellent presentation by Mayela. More of these events will be programmed during the year 2016 at Apoyo Spanish School. We consider our job to teach our students and to make all the Spanish language teachers, throughout the country, as capable and responsive to the needs of the students as is possible. We have been the Spanish school that teaches the teachers for a long time, and as this workshop demonstrates, we continue to provide assistance to the entire community of Spanish teachers. In addition, we used the workshop as our moment to launch our newest project at Gaia: Managua Spanish School.

Now, Gaia provides two different options for learning Spanish, both in Laguna de Apoyo, and in the Managua area. Professionals who can't travel far from the capital may find Managua Spanish School just the right fit.

Some of the participants in the January workshop. Photo Jeffrey McCrary.

Would you like to be involved as a Spanish language teacher? Additional workshops will be conducted during the year 2016, including topics from the use of poetry and prose in teaching Spanish, how to evaluate student language progress, and teaching techniques for specific applications.

Or perhaps you would like to learn to speak Spanish. We are prepared to help you learn Spanish, from the most elementary levels to the finer points of fluency. We can provide Spanish instruction for you in Laguna de Apoyo or in Managua. Please contact us for more information.

A Day in the Life at Estacion Biologica Laguna de Apoyo

The first component of a visit to Estacion Biologica, no matter how you look at it, is Laguna de Apoyo. It is not enough to see it from afar. One must get in and live the lake in all its warmth. Laguna de Apoyo is important to conservation and biodiversity specialists because of its fish, but any visitor to the lake must simply get in and experience it. Swimming is an essential activity to any visit.

Where would you rather be?

At Estacion Biologica Laguna de Apoyo, something is always going on, beyond just being pretty. People are studying the Spanish language and Nicaraguan culture, caring for injured and rescued wild animals, studying the wild nature and social aspects of the Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve, or just relaxing and getting ready for the next big event. Meals are a great time to come by, because there is always a story to share. Come and study Spanish with us, volunteer, or just share some time and conversation.

Reading on the patio at Estacion Biologica, with macaws and laundry, just another day.

We try to live as close to nature as possible. We don't use lots of harsh chemicals, and the trees literally drape over us. Sometimes monkeys awaken us at night, driven by a full moon when they are foraging for a hard-to-reach mango. A component of the wild nature that sometimes unsettles the uninitiated is the occasional tarantula. These animals are around and eliminate small vermin, but do not bite humans unprovoked. We don't kill them, we simply encourage them to take their hunts for food outside.

The monkeys are to be experienced in any trip to Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve. The most common monkey species is the Golden-mantled Howler Monkey, but White-faced Capuchin Monkeys are also found in the reserve. Neither wants to be a pet, and wild animals should be allowed to be born, live and die in the forest, not in a cage.

Howler monkeys eat leaves and some ripe fruits.

Butterflies count among the most lovely aspects of the forest inside Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve. Some are brilliantly colored, others with subtle colors and patterns that hide them, but on closer inspection, their designs are noted for complexity and elegance.

A Hamadryas butterfly rests in its typical wings-down pose.

Any visitor to Nicaragua notes that dogs are ubiquitous and often, poorly treated. GAIA is working with the National Assembly of Nicaragua to implement better laws and regulations to enforce humane treatment of animals, both domesticated and wild. Our beloved Bella is always willing to go for a walk or some intimate discussion.

Bella is a beloved member of our family at Estacion Biologica.

The forest in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve is fabulous, but under constant threat. GAIA has planted thousands of trees and husbanded them to mature sizes. These forests are habitat to wild cats, monkeys, iguanas, and many more animals.

You never know who you might see at Laguna de Apoyo. Photo Jen Moran. 

We want you to visit, to chat and learn, and if you would like, to stay and share more. Come and visit, study Spanish, or help us save wild nature in Nicaragua. Please come by!

GAIA volunteer Jen Moran (photo credit) joins the HEAT crew in scaling a tree. 

You can help us keep nature wild in Nicaragua, by volunteering your time with us or making a small donation to support our projects in wild nature conservation.

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