Dear Friends,

A Happy New Year to you all.

Sally and 3t were back at Las Casas de la Selva over December 2003 and into January 2004, along with Robyn Tredwell. This season saw eleven new Earthwatch volunteers find their jungle feet and continue the invaluable work of data collection out in the forest.

Earthwatch

The Earthwatch Team this season was the largest and most diverse group we have ever had at Las Casas. Volunteers from Malaysia, Japan, Finland, Ukraine, Netherlands, Austria, Canada and America.

To this group fell the task of finishing up some of the finer details of our first three year study, which included trekking to our control biodiversity plots to collect some final samples to identify. We also relocated and measured all of the mahogany tree study plots that were established in the early 80’s.

Another task was to carry out a growth and survival rate check on the new hardwood study plots that were planted in June 2003. The Earthwatchers who were involved in the plantings will be happy to hear that only one sapling out of one hundred did not make it. We were pleased to see how well all the saplings were doing.

The Earthwatch team also established a new hardwood study plot on a very challenging landslide. Thank you all for your patience and perseverance; this group showed us the true meaning of good international relations.

Homestead news

Kathy and Joe Carasquillo, site managers, have been busy over the last several months and one of the biggest tasks accomplished was the very necessary re-cementing of the kitchen floor, (which, as all of you who have visited over the last few years know, had two scary cracks in it). They have also started a low wall in the dining area to make it more comfortable. Thanks to our local friends Carmelo Torre, Julio 'Bambua', Tito, Pinpin, Rafiel and Raul for their help on this project.

There has been a significant amount of rain in the last season and just to give you an idea of the amount of water coursing over the land, we had 30" of rain over our five week stay. Much attention was put into drainage and erosion control. Carmelo Torre and Javier Rojas worked with Joe and Sally to create an effective catchment and pipe system to take water down the bank near the homestead.

Caryl Cadigan, landscape designer, and Paul Morgan, lighting designer, from Delray Beach, Florida, volunteered their time, energy, and wonderful enthusiasm to the project for a week, and helped Joe, 3t, and Sally to literally raise the roof! The dining room support columns had finally rotted out completely, and in the replacement of the columns we also raised the roof, removed the columns in the middle and created a more accessible, open space. We now have a very comfortable dining area, meeting or workshop space, theatre venue or dance floor! Caryl and Paul are already planning their next visit and will be taking a look at the electrical system next. Thank you.

Robyn Tredwell spent two weeks at Las Casas and continued with her botany studies, advising on the pharmacopoeia project which is underway and collected suitable plants for our future Wastewater Garden project. She also spent much time upgrading the sewage system and plumbing in the bathrooms. Robyn photographed alot of the small wildlife, from lizards to snails, and various moths and other winged creatures. We will get these pictures online as soon as possible to give everyone an idea of the diversity of life at Las Casas, aside from the humans!

Robyn is the Executive Director of Birdwood Downs, a tropical savannah regeneration project in Western Australia, which over the last 23 years has developed a total systems approach to savannah land management. www.birdwooddowns.com

Pedro Anglada Cordero, graduate student of tropical biology from the University of Puerto Rico, continues to be our botanical inspiration and visited for a day to complete some of the biodiversity studies being carried out with the help of the Earthwatch groups.

Jeff Flores, a local botanist and arborist, gave a presentation on the local ecology and spent time with us out in the forest. Jeff also helped with logistics, and along with Omar Collazo, spent the day with the Earthwatch team on their day out in Guanica.

Our very good friend Santos kindly granted us a space at the "Children of the Mountain" Festival, Guavate, on Three Kings Day, where Joe, Sally and 3t set up a stall with information on the project and showed off the Mahoe wood.

Maria Benedetti, author of "Earth and Spirit: Medicinal Plants & Healing Lore from Puerto Rico", spent time at the project and intends to hold workshops at Las Casas in the near future.

Gracious thanks to many friends, who in the last several months have generously supported the project by contributing their time, working with Kathy and Joe, or have given necessary material donations.

We would like to say a big thank-you to:

Tina Orfanos (Kathy's daughter)
Ramoncito Hardware, Guavate.
Edwin at the Gulf Gas Station, Guavate
Texaco Gas station, Caguas
Lucas Brignoli
Bill Jasen
Andy Denker

Gregg Dugan, volunteer staff member at Las Casas, his many roles at the project include forest ranger for the Icaco Valley Project, and Director of Patillas-based media company Two Birds Productions

Sustainable Forestry Project Needs You!

Las Casas needs woodworkers. Are you are crafter of wood? Would you like to make something from our beautiful Mahoe hardwood? We have an inventory of Mahoe (hibiscus elatus). We would love to see products made from the Mahoe harvested last year, and ultimately create a market for them. Come spend some time at Las Casas and find wood heaven!

Sally and 3t will be back at Las Casas in April 2004, and preliminary planning will start on the wastewater garden that will be constructed there.

Always happy to receive your news and and any comments on the website. All newsletters are in the Archive
http://www.eyeontherainforest.org

A big thank you to David Valicenti, Paul Morgan, Caryl Cadigan and Sally for the images used in this newsletter. Please check in regularly to the website for updates, and do send us your images from your trip here.The Green Gallery awaits your imput.

Have a great start to 2004...big hugs... Sally & 3t
ssilverstone1@cs.com
3t@synergeticpress.com

Click on image to fly to the website

Greetings to our friends around the planet from Las Casas de la Selva!

April 2004 was one of the driest seasons at Las Casas de la Selva, which proved to be very fortunate for an exciting and busy session with the construction of a Wastewater Garden at the homestead. The team that gathered to complete this project in 15 days, along with Sally and 3t, were:

Dr. Mark Nelson, Chairman of the Institute of Ecotechnics
Mark ‘Laser’ Van Thillo, Chief Operations Officer of Biosphere Foundation
Abigail Alling, President of the Biosphere Foundation
Gessie Houghton, Special Projects Director
Robert Townsend, Special Projects
Gregg Dugan, Gardens/Nursery
Chris ‘Dolphin’ Cook
Carmelo Torre
Gilberto ‘Tingo’
Javier Rojas

The Planetary Coral Reef Foundation (PCRF), a U.S. non-profit foundation has developed Wastewater Garden technology comprising over a decade in research in the use of constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment. The system was originally developed as part of the pioneering Biosphere 2 closed ecological system in Arizona.

In many inland and coastal communities, human waste is not treated at all or only through septic tanks, which then seep into groundwater and eventually affect the health of rivers, lakes and the ocean. Wastewater Gardens are a 100% ecological, low cost, low maintenance solution to the problem of human waste, which is particularly important in coastal regions. Using no mechanical or moving parts and no chemicals, all wastewater is recycled via a gravity system into elegant, bio diverse gardens that produce lovely flowers as well as fruit and vegetables that can be eaten by humans, and fodder crops for animal consumption. The systems are carefully sealed so no wastewater contaminates the soil, ground water, rivers, lakes, or coastal waters.

The system at Las Casas is an ecological necessity and a great enhancement of the homestead, and the picture top left shows the garden with initial plantings of flowers, fruits, and ferns. More pictures. For more information on Wastewater Gardens see the website www.biospherefoundation.org

Big Thanks to:
Zabel Corporation, and Brian Borders for parts and filters for the Wastewater Garden.
Firestone Corporation, and Marco Seiber for the donation of the liner for the Wastewater Garden and with all the help in getting it to us on time.

Collaboration with University of Puerto Rico
Drs. Rafael Joglar and Patricia Burrows of The University of Puerto Rico visited the project in April, and Sally Silverstone, Dr. Mark Nelson and Gregg Dugan took them into the forest at night to locate suitable areas for transect work, that will see the start of a long-term monitoring of the local population of coqui- a tiny tree frog and much loved national symbol of Puerto Rico. Future Earthwatch volunteers will be involved in this particular research project, starting in June this year.

Students visit
Debbie Jacobs and 15 students arrived at Las Casas de la Selva for a day and night in the rainforest. Cathy and Joe hosted the group, providing food and tented accommodations and a bonfire in the evening. Jeff Flores, local botanist & arborist took them on an ecological tour in the forest.

“While in Puerto Rico, visiting a rain forest is a 'must' and while we include El Yunque, the experience that students have at Las Casas is much more hands on and experiential. Overnight stays are always a highlight. Students read about rainforests and the importance of ecological diversity in school. Having the opportunity to spend time in a rainforest, learning about the ecology, playing in a waterfall, falling asleep to the sound of coqui frogs, puts classroom lessons into perspective”.
Debbie Jacobs, Explorations in Travel

Mayaguez Tropical Agricultural Research Station
The Tropical Agriculture Research Station at Mayaguez, Puerto Rico is one of three tropical/subtropical research centers of the U. S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. We wanted to enrich the Las Casas homestead area with tropical fruits at 600m elevation and also to experiment with the same in Icaco at 300m elevation.
Gracious thanks to the following for their time and advice:
Salvio Torres, Administrative Officer
Ricardo Goenaga, Research Leader / Plant Physiologist
Angel Marrero, Agricultural Science Research Technician

http://www.ars-grin.gov/ars/SoAtlantic/Mayaguez/mayaguez.html

Trees provided by the Research station and planted at Las Casas, April 2004 include:
Mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana )
Rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum)
Lychee (Litchi chinensis)
Carambola ‘Starfruit’ (Averhoa carambola)
Longan Fruit (Euphoria longan)
Six species of banana
Four species of bamboo
Four cultivars of cacao (Theobroma Cacao)
Two cacao rootstocks
Other fruits we secured from Nurseries include:
Canistel ‘Egg Fruit’ (Pouteria campechiana)
Corazon ‘Custard Apple’ (Annona Reticulata)
Parcha ‘Passion Fruit’ (Passiflora edulis)

Sustainable Forestry Project
Any one who has visited the project in the last year will have seen some of the gorgeous Mahoe wood that came from a thinning project last year. Most of the wood has now been shipped to Santa Fe and is available for purchase. Contact 3t for more information. The chair you see on the left was made by Joe Carrasquillo. Gracious thanks to Keith Harter for visiting the project earlier this year helping Joe with the design and construction of furniture out of the mahoe. Keith also helped Kathy to build a garden terrace.

We have recently changed our server and domain and redesigned the site. The name of the new site is
www.eyeontherainforest.org

And finally…keep in touch, and come and visit.

Let us know if you wish to volunteer for a short stay or an extended period of time at Las Casas. After all, the best way to learn about the rainforest is to live in it.
Big hugs... Sally & 3t
ssilverstone1@cs.com
3t@synergeticpress.com