Miguel d´Escoto Brockmann speaks on his term in the General Assembly of the United Nations

The President of the Board of Directors of FUNDECI, Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann, speaks on his term as President of the General Assembly of the United Nations, in New York.

A New Moth Report for Nicaragua

The planet earth has perhaps four million species of animals, plants and other living organisms, of which we have documented a small proportion. Even of those documented species, not much is known about many of them. Our knowledge of what these species need to continue to survive in healthy, stable populations is vital to prevent drastic loss of biodiversity.

The twenty-first century will be characterized as the century of massive species extinctions due to the intereference of man over nature. Many of the effects of man until now have had localized effects on species, whereas this century will see many species crash completely, never to be found in nature again.

Our group has been conducting monitoring of several groups of flora and fauna in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve during the past three years, and during this period, we have documented many species not previously reported in the reserve, and in some cases, not even reported in Nicaragua. In particular, the moths of Nicaragua are poorly reported, in spite of noble and effective work of several scientists such as Jean-Michel Maes. Our group has made several first reports of moth species in Nicaragua, and here we present one more.

Ventral view of Lirimiris truncata. Photo by Pablo Somarriba.

Lirimiris truncata is documented from Mexico to Venezuela, but it there is no record of it found in Nicaragua. It is a member of the family Notodontidae, of which only eleven species have been documented in Nicaragua. Its larva have been found on trees such as Cordia alliodora (Black Laurel) and Guazuma ulmifolia (West Indian Elm), both of which are abundant in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve and the Pacific eco-region of Nicaragua.

Dorsal view of Lirimiris truncata. Photo by Pablo Somarriba.

The trailing edge of the forewing of this species, like many in its family, is "hairy". Some of the species in this family are called "kittens" because of this effect. The adult moths in this family do not eat, but they have elaborately feathered antennae. This species also has a characteristic opaque band along the leading edge of the forewing. Its colors are not bright nor are its patterns particularly rich like some other moth species. Furthermore, this individual had lost many of its wing scales upon capture and handling.

Antennae of Lirimiris truncata are prominently feathered up throughout the proximal three-quarters of the antenna length. Photo by Pablo Somarriba.

We have made first record documentations for more than one hundred species of moths and butterflies for the Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve, and dozens of these records are first records for the entire country as well. We still have much to do in this work, however. Our biodiversity studies depend on donations and volunteers. Would you like to help us study and protect the biodiversity of Nicaragua? Please contact us if you would like to help.

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Agua

Lake Apoyo can be smooth as glass, particularly during the rainy season. Photo by Claiire and Andy.

The single most important attribute of Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve is water. Estacion Biologica would never have been created if not for the aquatic environment of the unique, endemic fishes of Lake Apoyo. Since then, we have learned many other great things about this place, but water is always where we return. If you have never seen Laguna de Apoyo, then you must. The Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve is among the most accessible places for nature tourism in the country. Four kilometers wide and 180 meters deep, blue and clear. Laguna de Apoyo is magic, a special place for the creatures that live in it as well as those who visit it for a day or a lifetime.

Photo by Mette Kolbe.

Laguna de Apoyo is located in a volcanic crater. During the rainy season (June through December), the crater interior surrounding the lake is especially green and lush. It lies on the Ring of Fire, a string of volcanos which circumscribe the Pacific Ocean. Volcanos lies further to its north and south. Volcano Mombacho is peeking above the Apoyo crater edge here.


Photo by Alexander Holm.

Patches of hues can appear in the lake when observed from above, along the crater rim. Its depth and width permit large fluctuations in water temperature and surface movement.

Photo by Jeffrey McCrary.

During the rainiest months, the lake surface may appear very still, approximating a mirror. The lake level fluctuates seasonally, rising during the rainy period and dropping again during the dry season.

An essential use of the lake is its enjoyment by visitors. Temperatures of 27-28 degrees year round make it ideal for playing, swimming, scuba diving.  

Photo by Louise Davidson.

How clear can it be? Visibility for SCUBA can be 8 meters, always above 5 meters. Some days, you can read the newspaper at your feet.

Photo by Louise Davidson.

 Rumors abound among the locals regarding the Laguna de Apoyo and its magic. Some insist there are mermaids.


Photo by Louise Davidson.

Under the surface, a celestial blue can be found, which seemingly, goes on forever. In some perspectives, the lake seems infinite. The depths are unreachable, except for Alfonsina.


Photo by Louise Davidson.

Nicaraguans love Laguna de Apoyo, and they visit in large numbers especially on weekends. But the lake is often waiting for one, with only the sky and sounds of nature around. Swimming can be very peaceful in the morning. 

Photo by Louise Davidson.

Photo by Louise Davidson.

 Fish are watching you from a distance, but your presence is not unwelcome. To get a closer look at them, go SCUBA diving!

Photo by Louise Davidson.

 Some people are best seen through water.

Photo by Louise Davidson.

We are very concerned about saving the water of Laguna de Apoyo. The lake is being polluted by us-all of us. We want to leave this glorious monument of nature to our children. 

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One-on-one Spanish language training at Apoyo Spanish School

Laguna de Apoyo Spanish School "Proyecto Ecologico" is operated by FUNDECI/GAIA and is the oldest continuously operating Spanish language school in Nicaragua. We provide Spanish language and culture instruction for groups both small and large, as well as for individuals. Individual classes allow for customized instruction so the student covers the topics that are most appropriate given his or her current level and interests.

We are located inside the Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve, so classes are held in a natural environment. Classes might be interrupted by a group of howler monkeys overhead, or a unique bird calling from nearby. We are along the shore of Lake Apoyo, a beautiful, clear lake, and among a handful of residences and small tourist enterprises with the jungle behind and overhead.

Aura and her student, Hester, are very animated during Spanish class at Proyecto Ecologico. Photo by Jeffrey McCrary. 

Fresh air and greenness all around make a special learning environment. Our students learn with local teachers who were trained by us. Our school has trained the teachers of most schools in the country, in workshops on one-on-one and small group intensive language pedagogy. Our teachers can convey the principles of grammar and conjugation in Spanish, and they also can discuss issues of local importance: politics, the environment, local wildlife and nature, and the life of ordinary, rural people in Nicaragua.

Something was funny during Spanish class today.  Photo by Jeffrey McCrary.

Our students develop a study plan with their teacher in one-week blocs. During the week, each student's progress will be monitored and the study plan will be altered accordingly. Given that every student learns at a different rate, we have found letting the student's learning pace drive the study plan makes for better progress. Our teachers have developed a multilevel skeletal study plan which can be adapted to a student's particular interests and needs. Our study guides have been "pirated" by several other schools in Nicaragua, a clear demonstration of the success of our methodology.

Leslie and a student hold class in the shade of large trees. Photo by Jeffrey McCrary.

Each program includes a set of after-class activities, and volunteer work. We believe that we should give back to the community and the earth, humbly and gratefully. One afternoon each week is dedicated to reforestation of the Reserve. Spanish students are welcome to participate in volunteer work on a greater scale as well, and we have needs of several kinds-there is something for everyone to do.

Leslie teaches Spanish with Dave in Laguna de Apoyo. Classes cover politics, cultural issues, and the environment. Photo by Stephan Beekhuis.

We teach Spanish language courses at all levels, from beginner to the advanced student. Our students are interns and volunteers, newly arrived residents, and vacationers, from throughout Europe, Asia, and North America. If you would like to know more about studying Spanish with us, please contact us!

Leslie and David pause to smile for the camera. Photo by Stephan Beekhuis. 

Click here to read one of the many blogs written by our Spanish students.

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Animal Rescue IV: Rufous-naped Wrens

The Rufous-naped Wren is a common bird of the tropical dry forest ecosystem, and is abundant in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve. The species is very social, as we all know throughout the Pacific region of Nicaragua, where groups noisily forage in both forests and inhabited areas with lots of trees. As many as ten wrens can be found using the same structure for roosting, inside of which they sleep in a big pile. They spend their day in a family-flock, noisily moving through the forest understory. They are easily spotted by even novice birdwatchers.

A tree holding a nest fell recently, leaving two chicks homeless near us. The park guards who found them left us with the care of the these two chicks, which we placed in a cage (complete with the remainder of their fallen nest) and provided with food every hour at Estacion Biologica.

A Rufous-naped Wren (Campylorhynchus rufinucha) chick atop the remains of nest inside her rescue cage. Photo by Louise Davidson.

The following day, one of the chicks fell through the grating on the cage floor, and then began short flights! In spite of having practically no tail and primary wing feathers still growing out, she could fly. Encouraged by adults of the same species nearby, she moved from ground to trees, landing adeptly immediately.

A Rufous-naped Wren (Campylorhynchus rufinucha) chick alights on a rock wall following her first flight. Note the incomplete primary wing feathers and the tufts of fledgling plumage in her tail. Photo by Louise Davidson.

The Rufous-naped Wren (Campylorhynchus rufinucha) gives a look of confidence following her first flight. Photo by Louise Davidson. 

 The stronger of the pair of chicks was quickly adopted by a nearby group of the same species. We were concerned that she would be repelled or even attacked, but she was readily accepted. That first evening of liberty, he returned and perched atop the cage. We placed him inside where she again accompanied her sibling inside the nest to sleep. The succeeding days, birds from the same species would visit the cage and call them. Only the stronger of the pair of chicks would leave the cage, however, and the third day, she stayed with her new family and did not return.

A Rufous-naped Wren (Campylorhynchus rufinucha) chick chirps from her cage. Photo by Louise Davidson.

The smaller and weaker sibling stayed behind, so we began a rigorous attempt to strengthen her enough to fly.

A volunteer holds a baby Rufous-naped Wren (Campylorhynchus rufinucha)-it's feeding time. Photo by Jeffrey McCrary. 

A Rufous-naped Wren (Campylorhynchus rufinucha) chick with a piece of mango. Photo by Jeffrey McCrary.

Students at the Laguna de Apoyo Spanish School fed her every hour, with mangos, insects, and moistened dog food. She survived several days, but never was strong, and she eventually succumbed.

The Rufous-naped Wren is among the more common and easily sighted birds in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve. They are active much of the day, in ebullient flocks, and are easily enjoyed by beginning birdwatchers. If you would like to make a birdwatching excursion here, please let us know, we can provide you with a professional birding guide to find and identify the birds with you.

Photo by Louise Davidson.

Photo by Louise Davidson.

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The beauty of moths

We admire moths at Estacion Biologica. Many of them live extremely briefly in their flying, adult phase, some never feed. Most individuals never mate. They choose the night to circulate, silent and unobtrusive. Their communications must be amazingly subtle, for there are literally hundreds of species in any tropical forest, each with its own chemical language of aroma. Their visual recognition cues must be limited, yet... some species carry dazzling color patterns on their wings. Take for example, Automeris tridens; we only recently captured a specimen in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve. 

Dorsal view of Automeris sp. captured in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve. Photo by Louise Davidson.

This is a member of the group of bull's eye silkmoths, of the family Saturniidae, of which many species are relatively large and colorful. The eyespots on its hindwings are in dramatic contrast to the rust color of the rest of the wings in dorsal view. These eyespots may have a function in predator avoidance. On the underside of the forewings, there are less pronounced eyespots. 

Ventral view of Automeris tridens captured in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve. Photo by Louise Davidson.

The scales from the wings and body easily scuff off, making their majestic forms difficult to preserve. They are arranged in delicate, subtle patterns of line and shapes. Beneath them is a network of veins which can be diagnostic for the identification of many moths.

Although it has been recorded in eastern Nicaragua and as near as Domitila Private Reserve (just south of Mombacho), these photographs are of the first specimen recorded in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve. It has also been recorded in Carazo and in nearby Guanacaste Department in Costa Rica. It joins the other more than 225 species of Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies) now documented in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve.

Some scientists - even in Nicaragua - seek moths such as this one to sell. We do not think it is advisable for wildlife researchers to participate in the pet trade. We insist on reporting all exports of biological material duly, and we do not work with people who may confuse research and trafficking in wildlife. We have ended our association with at least one scientist over this issue, and we have reported what we knew about his activity to the Nicaraguan Police, who have passed the information to the FBI in the US, where an investigation continues. If you have evidence of someone trafficking in wildlife, please let us know.

Would you like to help us identify moth species found in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve and monitor their populations? Please contact us! Our little location offers many opportunities for nature tourism and volunteer opportunities.

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