RESEARCH
Earthwatch collaboration continues in 2008 with volunteers, including Family and Teen Teams, visiting Las Casas, to help conduct comparative thinning studies within Mahoe and Mahogany plots, agroforestry (coffee-planting and Artemisia), along with vine identification, and lizard studies. Thank you Earthwatchers for all your efforts!

VOLUNTEER YOUTH GROUPS
Gracious thanks to all the volunteers who spent time at Las Casas, helped to start the building of a new bunkhouse, trail and step building, compost building and a host of other activities: Globalworks, Windsor Mountain, Media Communications...

VOLUNTEERS AT LAS CASAS
Always a very big thanks to volunteers who come to stay short and long-term and help out in all areas of the project, bringing enthusiasm, vigor and creativity: Molly Robertson, Joe Sarquilla, Migel Alejandro, Patty Boyko, Goyo Dansenburg, Courtney Oqvist, Michelle Gras, Marc Serpa Francoeur, Marvin Rodriguez, Hector Melendez, Jorge Rodriguez, and Vid.

Slideshow

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If you have a blog/album related to this season's activities, send the link for inclusion here.

BLOGS:

¡Desde mi huerto! Raul, Ivonne & young Joaquin exploring sustainable livelihoods in organic farming: "there's no excuse for not having a garden."For several years this incredible team, with help from friends, have created organic gardens at Los Helechos, (formerly the old Tropic Ventures sawmill site) and are hosting well-attended workshops in growing food, creating permaculture gardens, and cooking workshops, amongst many other things, all in the beautiful rainforest setting.

NEWS:

PAPERS
We are pleased to announce that our first research paper has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Sustainable Forestry, Volume 29, Issue 4, 2009.
"The Impact of Hardwood Line-Planting on Tree and Amphibian Diversity in a Secondary Subtropical Wet Forest of Southeast Puerto Rico".

Our next paper “Performance of line planted Mahogany and Blue Mahoe in Puerto Rico. An investigation for sustainable forestry management & hardwood production”, is currently being edited for publication and we graciously thank Kelly C. Reiss, Center for Environmental Policy, Environmental Engineering Sciences, University of Florida for her work on the statistical analysis of our data.

Tropic Ventures featured in:
Geographical September 2008, editor Geordie Torr's informative article on an Earthwatch Expedition at Las Casas de la Selva.
Alter-Nativo May-July Vol.1 #2 2008
The Journal of American Woodturners Spring 2008, Article by environmental advocate Brad Whitman.

Seminars/Conferences held and attended.

"Eco-Ideas" conference and presentation by 3t & Andrés at The Interdisciplinary Institute, Instituto de Estudios Interdiciplinarios, University of Puerto Rico, Cayey, This presentation was specifically for professors interested in collaborating with Tropic Ventures on a field forestry curriculum, which at present does not exist in Puerto Rican Universities.
"Tropic Ventures Sustainable Forestry" presentation by Andrés Rúa, General Electric, Patillas.
“Biospherics” presentation by Johnny Dolphin, El Teatro, Las Casas
"Tropical Forest Recovery at Multiple Spatial Scales" by Dr. Maria Uriarte, Instituto de Estudios Interdiciplinarios  
"Puerto Rico Forest Inventory & Analysis"(FIA) Presentation & discussion: Humfredo Marcano Vega, USDA, & Edgardo Gonzalez, DRNA, University of Puerto Rico, Cayey
"Project Ecotropolis" presentation by DRNA , at Forest Office, Carite National Forest.

2008 New and continuing research objectives
1) To examine the effectiveness of thinning techniques in our current plantings of Mahoe and Mahogany.
2) To evaluate commercially valuable crops that can be grown in conjunction with the line planted mahogany, starting with Artemisia annua and Coffea Arabica in 2008.
3) To evaluate populations of the lizards of the genus Anolis at Las Casas del la Selva and monitor the effect of habitat disturbance due to line planting and tree thinning activites.
4) To evaluate the availability and abundance of non-timber forest products that are of economic importance on the property, commencing with vines which are a source for fiber used in weaving and handicrafts. (in collaboration with Pedro Acevedo-Rodriguez, author of "Vines & Climbing Plants of Puerto Rico & the Virgin Islands").

A DATE TO SAVE! A HAPPENING TO BE AT!

We are having an event on the 6th of December 2008, at El Rancho Nuevo Pub, In Guavate.Mid-day to 7pm.
Very special guest appearances.
Contact Carmen H. Torres, Event Director, for more details and how to get involved.

www.eyeontherainforest.org