Laguna de Apoyo in view

As the largest volcanic crater lake in Nicaragua, Laguna de Apoyo has a lot to see. There are lots of angles and facets, and the perspective changes from hour to hour. Here are a few photos shared by our friends to give you an idea of the different ways people see the lake.

Sunrise is a great moment to be on the lake. Vera Neumann

Usually at dawn, the lake is relatively quiet. During the rainy season, that may mean the volcanic crater lake is so smooth as to reflect the mountains on the opposite side. During the dry season, when winds blow constantly, the lake is just less choppy at dawn, whereas real waves may kick up during the day, as strong gusts build. Throughout the day, constantly changing, the water is never the same.

Lake Apoyo may show patches of different colors, when viewed from above, as in this photo taken from Catarina. Ad Konings.

Because Laguna de Apoyo is extremely deep, reaching 178 meters depth, masses of water with different flow patterns may occur. And, of course, there are fish down there, interesting ones. At all times, the lake is a beautiful blue, but the shades of blue may vary in the patches and may also be muted by whitecaps during the strong winds of the dry season, from December through April.

Sometimes views of the lake are sharp and clear, and other times there may be clouds or haze, but the view is always worth a smile. Jessica Lopez.

The forests surrounding the lake serve some very important environmental functions. The first is that the trees sustain the loose, volcanic ash-laden soils on the steep slopes surrounding the lake. Apoyo is a volcanic crater some 23,000 years old, with the water table emerging through the bottom of the crater. The interior sides of the crater are rapidly eroding. in areas where houses have been built or the land has been deforested for whatever reason. In some places where the trees have been cut, the land has given way in dramatic landslides.

Another important function of the forest is to retain the water in the ground. When the sun and wind reach the soils, as in deforested areas, the ground dries and compacts, drawing water out of the water table below and reducing the capacity of the soils to recharge water into the water table during precipitation. 

The forests of  Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve are also very important habitat for a wide variety of terrestrial mammals, most notably two species of monkeys and over 225 species of birds. Although the forests of Apoyo are not extensive, they are contiguous with forests of Mombacho and Volcano Masaya, linking a corridor which together makes an important contribution to the biodiversity of the region. 

Any visit to Laguna de Apoyo must include swimming. Photo Lucy Lia Real.

The best part of the lake for us bipeds is that the water is warm, clean, and inviting. We get into the lake to feel what only being in a natural water body can bring, a sense of renewal. It is no surprise that religions often use water in spiritual renewal rites. Laguna de Apoyo will inspire the most spiritual aspects of anyone, particularly when one gets away from the handful of tourist traps near the entrance.

Stormy weather can be dramatic in Laguna de Apoyo, worth seeing at a safe distance. Photo Jen Moran.

GAIA is dedicated to keeping Laguna de Apoyo pristine, through working with scientists, tourists and locals to make the best choices for development in the area of the lake. We coordinated with another NGO, CLUSA to develop the management plan now in place in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve, in which our personnel were deeply involved in the community involvement in all the negotiations.

GAIA scientists have discovered five species of fish in Laguna de Apoyo, all of which are only found in this lake.

A serene moment at Laguna de Apoyo calls for yoga. Photo Jen Moran.

Laguna de Apoyo deserves your involvement and needs you to help ensure the lake is never destroyed, so that humans and wild nature can find harmony. Please contact us if you would like to join us. We want to year from you.

Loving Laguna de Apoyo means leaving only a shadow behind. Catherine Bard-Dechesnau

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Animal Rescue XVI: Macaws in Estacion Biologica Laguna de Apoyo, Nicaragua

Life is good when you are caring for injured animals. Click on the photo to learn more about Bumbelina and Midorna, our most loved members of Estacion Biologica. Photo Jen Moran.

Everyone likes pet animals. Animals bring happiness to our life in a lot of ways, by showing affection, their physical attractiveness, and by humoring us with their actions. Animals like dogs and cats have evolved thousands of years in the presence of humans, to the point that they are incapable of living distant from us. It might even seem that we are co-dependent on them, too, sometimes we can't live without them. 

These two macaws have been rescued from the pet trade, and we care for them at Estacion Biologica in Laguna de Apoyo. Photo Jen Moran.

We humans have a disconcerting tendency to interfere with the other species with whom we share this planet, however. It isn't enough that we eat some, use others to make housing, clothing and utensils. We like the idea of having animals around us, doing our bidding. We see a beautiful animal such as a macaw in the forest, and we think, "I want one". Even the precolombian people were known to capture these majestic animals and keep them as pets. It is difficult for us to accept and appreciate animals in the wild without giving in to the urge to dominate them, by capturing or killing them. 

Feather-plucking is one of several responses to years of captivity for animals that were never meant to be in cages. This bird can never return to the wild, so we are giving her the best treatment we can. Photo Jen Moran. 

Our fascination with wild animals has some perverse consequences. We insist on demonstrating our strength and courage by dominating wild animals by riding wild bulls and roping calves in rodeos, for instance. Ernest Hemingway wrote long and eloquent of his fascination with hunting animals and with the bullfight, a continuing tradition in Spain and Latin America, in which the bullfighter is pitted in a life-and-death struggle with a large, angry animal, albeit armed with deadly lances. We all know this to be an unfair fight, but millions are thrilled when the animal is conquered violently. 

This bird's broken wing has doomed her to a long lifetime in captivity. The pet trade in wild animals is extremely cruel, and should never be supported. Please do not ever pay for a wild animal! Photo Jen Moran.

Among most of us today, bullfights and rodeos are not popular. But our fascination with wild animals is such that having a wild animal as a pet is common and few people criticize this practice. However, unlike dogs and cats, wild animals suffer greatly in captivity, in ways that we may ignore as pet owners. 

These two birds are best friends and inseparable. Both are severely psychologically and physically scarred by their handling in the pet trade. Photo Jen Moran.

The pet trade in wild animals has been devastating to wildlife in Nicaragua. Today, very few people have ever seen a macaw in the wild. Nicaragua has two species, the Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao) and the Great Green Macaw (Ara ambiguus). Until about 1983, a flock of Scarlet Macaws was easily spotted flying over urban Managua, during the day, returning to roost in the Chiltepe Peninsula before dark. The pet trade took that flock away. Along the Pacific region of Nicaragua, all of which is native habitat for this glorious animal, only perhaps ten or fifteen animals remain, in the northwest corner, in the Cosiguina Peninsula. It is sad that one can not enjoy these majestic animals by birdwatching, but rather, we have to watch them through the bars of cages in zoos and the homes of wealthy individuals. 

Although both these birds suffer dramatic psychological effects from captivity, they are dying for attention. Our Eco-Warrior Volunteers at Estacion Biologica Laguna de Apoyo help with their care. Photo Jen Moran.

Most of the wild animals we rescue at GAIA end up getting released into the wild, if all goes well, and they have their opportunity to live and die in the forest, not in a cage as subjects of the whims of humans. These two animals, however, will never return, thanks to the horrible abuse they have received in captivity. We are giving them the wildest experience possible, with cages that look to the forest, lots of space, and as diversified a set of experiences as we can manage. We hope that through our small efforts, Nicaragua is a better place for wild animals and humans, alike.

These macaws will love you!! But they still bite! Photo Jen Moran.

Would you like to help us care for rescued wild animals? Please consider volunteering with GAIA or making a donation. We need spare cages, money for food and veterinary costs, and volunteers to spend time serving them! Please contact us.

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Catarina, Nicaragua

Tourism is finally happening to Nicaragua. What seems to us here as a lot of foreigners can be seen in a few places, particularly Granada and San Juan del Sur, which both don't even feel like Nicaragua any longer to the rest of us. Foreigners are also exploring the more uncommon places, so that it is not uncommon to see visitors from afar in Bluefields or Matagalpa, and sometimes even in the rural areas, for the more adventurous type.

One of the most attractive municipalities in Nicaragua is Catarina, and tourists from near and far are making pilgrimages to its "mirador". One of a handful of towns called Pueblos Blancos, this small town is perched on the edge of the Apoyo volcanic crater, giving it a fabulous view of the lake. The overlook has numerous offerings of restaurants, ice cream, horse riding, and lots of park-style space with benches just to sit and admire the incomparable views in the fresh breeze.

On a typical Sunday, Nicaraguans pour into Catarina from Managua, seeking a respite from the city life in family style. Most Nicaraguans have never actually touched the water of Laguna de Apoyo, but they have probably sat on the crater's edge and watched vultures soar in the breeze, with the lake before them, Mombacho Volcano to their right, and Granada plainly visible on the opposite side of the crater.

Family visits to Catarina may even include pets. Photo Jeffrey McCrary.

Although Estacion Biologica Laguna de Apoyo is not exactly a short walk from the urban center of Catarina, its municipal territory extends along the shore of the lake, to and beyond our place up to about a kilometer further to the east. The urban center of Catarina sits precisely on the edge of the Apoyo crater, which is also the limit to the conservation zone of the Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve. We are happy with being part of this lovely, dynamic city, where we can participate in programs to protect the environment and culture of the area and help our community to prosper. 

Volcano Mombacho lies immediately to the south of Laguna de Apoyo, part of the landscape of the town of Catarina. Photo Jeffrey McCrary.

Catarina offers more than just a gorgeous view of Laguna de Apoyo. Its history is rich, including being the residence of the first Liberal Party president of Nicaragua, Jose Santos Zelaya. A train carried him home to Catarina from Managua each weekend, passing along the base of what is now the Catarina overlook. In those days, the United States foreign policy often contradicted Liberal intentions, and Zelaya was eventually forced into exile by an invading US Marine force. Another historically important Liberal, Benjamin Zeledon, fought against the US Marines who were occupying Nicaragua, and was killed in battle in Catarina, where his remains now rest. The politics of Nicaragua are rich and very colorful, and a visit to Catarina should be accompanied by a review of the role of these heroic agents. 

Many plant nurseries are found along the roadsides of Catarina, using rustic bamboo and ceramic containers made by artisans from the area. Photo Jeffrey McCrary.

Nicaraguan mission architecture is epitomized in the churches of the Pueblos Blancos, including that of Catarina. No gold is found in these churches, but rather combinations of wood and adobe, with vaulted ceiling and natural colors. Many Nicaraguans take advantage of a weekend trip to Catarina to visit the many plant nurseries, which supply many gardens with ornamentals and even coffee, tomato and other production seedlings.

Gaia director Jeffrey McCrary making official donation of a motorcycle tire to support the Catarina Police. Photo Mar Espinoza Smith.

The Gaia Program at FUNDECI works closely with the government authorities in Catarina and other municipalities that encompass the Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve. The reach of the National Police for such a small town as Catarina must be wide, because much of the outlying areas of the town are completely rural. Extensive stands of forests in the area, filled with precious hardwoods, are the targets of wood smugglers. The Catarina Police take seriously their mandate of protecting the natural resource base, which requires mobility to enforce effectively. We recently donated from our funds a new tire for use on the only motorcycle assigned to the Catarina Police station. 

Gaia Program Director Jeffrey McCrary inspects timber and cut wood confiscated from illegal traffickers by the Catarina Police. Photo Mar Espinoza Smith.

Throughout Masaya Department, in which Catarina is located, numerous carpenters are found, many of whom work in remote locations. Illegal wood is trafficked through numerous informal carpentry shops, threatening the natural resource base of Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve and other areas nearby. The police are constantly vigilant to inappropriate movements of wood in the area, and they often capture vehicles with loads of wood lacking proper registry. FUNDECI/GAIA supports their activity by providing logistical support, including fuel and recently, we donated a tire for their motorcycle. By collaborating with the Nacional Police in Catarina, we work to make Nicaragua a better place for all, including those who wish to visit the Catarina overlook and see wild nature, not deforested spots where trees were cut and its wood stolen.

Cut and round wood of various precious hardwood species was recently confiscated from wood traffickers in Catarina. Photo Jeffrey McCrary.

You can help us work to keep Catarina and Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve beautiful and natural, with a small donation to FUNDECI/GAIA. We accept donations through PayPal and we can provide official receipts for your records, and documentation of the use of your funds for specific programs in conservation. Consider contributing and write us to let us know what you think of Catarina and our project. Thank you!

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.

Click on the "escudo" to contact us. 

Spanish study at The Mountain School

It is no surprise to anyone that plenty of people live in poverty in Nicaragua. Many people in northern Nicaragua, in particular, live in immense poverty, where they are dependent upon the coffee harvest to survive. But not all is negative in the countryside here. At The Mountain School, we work with rural people to improve their living and working conditions. 

We recently hosted students from the Leapnow program at The Mountain School, in La Dalia, Nicaragua. The students in this program alternated Spanish classes with activities with local children, an introduction to coffee production, the natural environment of the area, and other aspects of Nicaragua.

These students are learning what it means to make a cup of great, Nicaraguan coffee. Photo Gigi Austin.

Lots of people visit Nicaragua from far-away places like the United States these days. In fact, Nicaragua has been gaining in popularity among travelers like never before. But more is interesting about Nicaragua than just a lazy sunset on a sandy beach. The government and the civil society of Nicaragua are facing the challenges of poverty, of inequitable distribution and power, in fascinating, creative ways. Many Nicaraguans are involved in working with poor and marginalized people in Nicaragua. We at FUNDECI work at The Mountain School together with the Santa Emilia Estates and rural communities in La Dalia, in Matagalpa Department, Nicaragua, to promote better lives for the rural poor.

Most poor people in the region of La Dalia pick coffee during the peak of the season, from October through March, each year.  Unlike the poor of so many other countries, the majority of Nicaraguan rural people are small-scale landholders, which means they can alternate paid activities on the farms of other people with activities on their own land. They can farm basic staples such as corn and beans so they don't have to pay cash for them, saving the small amount of money they earn from other activities to cover the few necesities they just can't get except in the cash economy. Many of these farms are now enjoying extra income, thanks to organic certification and fair trade marketing.

Eating raw coffee beans in the hull is not recommended! Photo Gigi Austin.

As the Leapnow students learned, coffee picking is hard work. They jokingly asked how much money they would be making from their harvest, but they knew that their earnings would not be much. Experienced coffee pickers move fast and they still earn very little. Life for the rural poor is very humble, because there just isn't any way they can become wealthy, one coffee bean at a time.

This year's coffee harvest promises many jobs for Nicaraguan poor people, and profits for small-scale farmers. Photo Gigi Austin.

Picking coffee and learning about how coffee goes from the bush to the coffee cup is just one aspect of Spanish study at The Mountain School. The Leapnow students also dedicated several mornings to help the staff at the "ludo-biblioteca". This invented word means something like "fun library". This space is dedicated to the students of the nearby schools, to promote reading and creativity. These children come from homes where the parents can read little or none, and no books are ever seen in the home.

Leapnow students designed an astronomy exhibit for the local children in the after-school library project. Photo Gigi Austin.

Opening the world of imagination and information to poor, rural children ranks among the most noble of causes. The Spanish students from Leapnow gave of their time and abundant energy to decorate spaces, including a small exhibition of the wonders of astronomy. The skies are often clear in La Dalia, allowing ample views of starry nights. Hopefully, these children will see the same patterns that someone once named Orion, the Southern Cross, and Gemini. Or what if they even make their own designs among the arrays of lights?

The Leapnow students helped decorate the after-school library at The Mountain School. Photo Gigi Austin.

Water will surely be the binding topic of the twenty-first century, worldwide. So many people will be without, others will be pressured to share. Floods and rising oceans will harm the lives of millions. In La Dalia, water abounds, year round. Streams teaming with clear, cool water flow faster than sound, tumbling over rocks and crashing in cascades.

Water abounds in the mountains of northern Nicaragua. Photo Gigi Austin.

The Leapnow students took a cool swim in a nearby stream. Meditation in the mist of a cascade brings one ever closer to our origin. There is so much on this earth to enjoy just as it is, natural and simple. There is something of renewal about swimming; water brings us rebirth.

Spanish students enjoy an afternoon swim near The Mountain School. Photo Gigi Austin.

The Leapnow students moved on and we are now preparing for the coming week, but we are grateful for Gigi, Skyler and all the students for sharing with us these two weeks.

Please contact us and let us know what you think of our blog, or post a comment below! 

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.

Click on the "escudo" to contact us. 

Revista Estudios Ambientales

A pesar de las apariencias, las ciencias sí existen en Nicaragua y también inciden en el progreso del país. Hay docenas de científicos en Nicaragua, preparados para contribuir a estudios de varios tipos, incluyendo el campo ambiental. Para promover la comunicación científica entre científicos y los estudiosos del medio ambiente de Nicaragua, FUNDECI patrocina la revista científica Estudios Ambientales, donde aparecen contribuciones al debate cientifíco nacional. 

Haga clic en la portada para conectarse con Volumen I de Estudios Ambientales.

Foto Pablo Somarriba.

La revista Estudios Ambientales ya cuenta con un número en publicación, y un equipo editorial de mucha distinción dentro y fuera del país. En el primer número, se documenta registros oficiales de la caza del danto Tapirus bairdii, de la presencia de dos especies de peces en las aguas continentales y de la asociación de una mariposa con una especie de arbol. También hay un informe especial sobre las aguas de la Laguna de Apoyo. Mas de quince diferentes autores de varias instituciones participaron. 

La revista se presenta en español para maximizar el acceso entre los miembros de la comunidad nacional, de forma totalmente gratis y en forma digital. 

La Revista Estudios Ambientales hace el llamado para la remisión de manuscritos para su segundo numero, para ser publicado durante el último cuatrimestre del 2014. Esperamos la inclusión de muchos científicos con aportes nuevos para este número.

Foto Salvador Montenegro.

Puedes contactarnos si quieres decirnos algo sobre nuestro blog, o puedes colgar un comentario abajo! 

Puedes ayudarnos a proteger la naturaleza en Nicaragua, haciendo un voluntariado o donando para nuestros proyectos para proteger la naturaleza.

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Animal Rescue XVI: Wild animals deserve to live free

Capturing an animal in the wild to make a pet of it is doubly insidious. The pressure on some animal species by the pet trade has caused the complete elimination of their populations in large areas. Macaws are a good example of this. We care for two macaws at Estacion Biologica Laguna de Apoyo, both were wild animals that suffered capture and brutal treatment in captivity.

Bumbelina is a Great Green Macaw. Photo Pablo Somarriba.

Both the macaws have broken wings, as a result of the rough treatment given to them in captivity. These poor animals will never fly again. Because of the cruelty of the commerce in wild animals in Nicaragua, they are permanently condemned to live with humans. At least we can give them natural surroundings where they can be happy. The have large enclosures which permit them to move around and see in all directions, into the sky and the forest. They are allowed to leave their enclosures daily, and they get an ample, varied diet, with lots of interactions with people and other birds.

We kept the two macaws in a common enclosure several months. The Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao), however, has developed a common ailment among captive new world parrots-feather plucking. She plucks not only her own feathers, but also the feathers of her best friend Bumbelina, the Great Green Macaw (Ara ambiguus). We have placed a mesh divider between them, so they can see each other and even touch through the mesh, but no more plucking! Feather plucking is one of many pathological manifestations of wild animals in captivity when they should be free in their natural habitats.

These baby opossums were brought to us by kind-hearted folks who found them abandoned. Photo Pablo Somarriba.

We at GAIA provide shelter for wild animals that have been found injured or unable to survive in the wild without rehabilitation, and pets that owners request to return to the wild. Recently, we received two young common opossums (Didelphis virginianus). These animals were found by a Nicaraguan family who gave them lots of care while they grew. But they found that the animals were needing more space and soon should be ready to be liberated. We took them and quickly returned them to the wild. They lived a few weeks in a hollow tree on our property, before moving on to the forest behind Estacion Biologica in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve.

This White-throated Magpie-Jay (Calocitta formosa) chick was raised at Estacion Biologica and released into the wild, where he continues to live happily. Photo Jeffrey McCrary.

We have great plans to continue, to improve and amplify our capacity to handle wild animals. We need your help. Would you like to volunteer some time to care for wild animals? Or donate food or money to pay for their well-being? We need lots of cashews, fresh fruit, and materials for cages, among other things. Please contact us if you would like to volunteer or make a donation. Please help us make Nicaragua a better place for all beings.

Contact us to participate in animal rescue!

Hummingbirds III: Rufous-tailed Hummingbird chicks

Some things that happen in nature fill us with wonder. A newly born animal can be especially wondrous. Another spectacular natural being is the hummingbird, really any and all of them are magical. This week, Rufous-tailed Hummingbirds (Amazilia tzacatl) hatched at The Mountain School, giving us a beautiful gift and an opportunity to document their nesting characteristics, as well.

Tropical hummingbirds typically have two eggs. Both eggs in this Rufous-tailed Hummingbird nest hatched successfully, and were approximately one day old at the time of this photo. Photo Jeffrey McCrary. 

Hummingbirds have very small eggs, hence their chicks are inconceivably small. They are also very weak and fragile, so much so that it seems improbable that they would even accept food. These chicks really didn't even seem alive, but they were receiving food and attention constantly. FUNDECI/GAIA intern Pauline Pearse, with plenty of experience at handling chicks on nest, reviewed the chicks carefully, then returned them to their abode.

The chicks are being attended on a nest along a path at The Mountain School. The nest is only 1.2 m above ground, but deep in the vegetation and difficult to see. Photo Pauline Pearse.

Two Rufous-tailed Hummingbird nests were located, and both clutches hatched at the same time. Their small cups were located near walkways with considerable foot traffic around, both in tiny cups with lots of spider web and fine material. One of the nests contained thin strips of plastic.

Pauline Pearse holds the two hummingbird chicks (Amazilia tzacatl) approximately one day after hatching. Photo Jeffrey McCrary. 

The backs of the chicks were covered with sparse, reddish hairs, and no feathers were evident yet. Although both were small, one was considerably larger than the other, perhaps having hatched first and gotten a head start on feeding. Moss and lichens decorated the exteriors of both nests.

Rufous-tailed Hummingbird nest with day-old chicks in an ornamental plant. Photo Jeffrey McCrary.

Another nest was found in plain view, at 1.8 m above the ground on a cedar (Cupressus lusitanica) hedge along a walkway next to the communal kitchen. The chicks were also healthy and their care seemed to be vigorous.

The FUNDECI staff discussed that evening, the different threats to the nests, mainly predators which would eat the chicks, unwitting workers involved in yard maintenance, and even children who may not respect the fragility of these marvelous nests and chicks. This was perceived as an excellent educational opportunity for the children of the farm workers living in the Casas Ecologicas.

Rufous-tailed Hummingbird sitting on nest with two recently-hatched chicks. Photo Pauline Pearse.

These nests were discovered while we were engaged in another study in the area, a typical example of the serendipity that results from good work in a dedicated fashion. We left the nests to be observed another day.

We were appreciative to get the opportunity to see this bird nest at The Mountain School, in Matagalpa where it is common. This species is rare in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve.

Please contact us and let us know what you think of our blog, or post a comment below! 

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.

Click on the "escudo" to contact us.