Clay Plager-Unger is the former director of Planet Drum Foundation's Eco-Ecuador project.
Community outreach is an integral aspect of Planet Drum’s environmental program in Ecuador. In June, we were invited to participate in two regional events related to ecology. On June 5th-6th, a biodiversity conference was held at the Technical University of Manabí. Environmental organizations from Bahía and the surrounding area participated in an open house with educational booths and materials. Additionally, lectures were held on various themes […]
Recent seed collection excursions in and around Bahia have yielded Cascol, Guayaba, Tamarind, and Pechiche seeds. At the greenhouse, volunteers planted the seeds in seedbeds. They will be ready for transplanting in approximately 2-3 months.
Keeping the Planet Drum greenhouse running smoothly and the trees healthy and growing well involves weeding, watering, and organizing trees. Volunteers are key to the successful production of native trees at the greenhouse!
At the Planet Drum greenhouse, volunteers work hard to produce new trees. The seedbeds had Tamarind, Guava, and Mango seedlings ready for transplanting into bottles. Soil was prepared and mixed. Bottles were cut and filled with soil. 200 Tamarind, 100 Guava and 150 Mango seedlings were transplanted into the bottles.
Residents in the Ciudadela Maria Enqiue Orrantia requested more native fruit trees for planting in their community. We did a tree planting campaign there 5 months ago. Guayaba, Guava, Chirimoya, Mango, Mandarin and Orange trees were delivered and over the course of several days 80 trees were planted on two sides of the neighborhood. Local residents assisted in the tree planting and will be responsible […]
Over the course of four days in February, more than 60 native fruit trees were planted on a hillside in Bahía de Caráquez. The site is located on a hill above the beach promenade which faces the Pacific Ocean. Planet Drum is collaborating with two local residents (Benigno and Ester), who maintain small gardens there and have committed to watering and caring for the trees. […]
For the 20th anniversary of Bahía de Caráquez’s declaration as an Ecological City, Hugo Vaca, head of the environmental department for the city, wisely decided to host an environmental forum instead of a celebration, as has been custom in the past. Despite the lack of initiatives coordinated by the city government, many private and public organizations and groups based in Bahía continue to be proactive […]
Julia (USA) spent five months (September – January) interning at Planet Drum. During this time, she was very dedicated to helping with all of the various work activities. Regardless of how difficult, muddy, sticky (peeling tamarind seeds), smelly, or how many mosquitoes bit her, she had a smile. I would especially like to thank her for all of the photos of mine that she bombed […]
On December 19th we began planting trees on the hillside above the Astillero neighborhood. 15 trees were planted that day. After delivering 60 more trees (15 each of Algarrobo, Ébano, Guachapelí, and Guayacán) in January, we spent 3 more days planting them, resulting in a total of 75 trees at the revegetation site. With machetes, we cleared trails to be able to move around the hill. […]
Last September, we planted fruit tree seeds that students from the Algarrobos School in Canoa had brought from home in the elevated seedbeds at the school. Since then, many of the seeds germinated and have grown into seedlings ready for transplanting. The volunteers and I took a trip to the school with supplies to transplant the seedlings out of the seedbeds and into recycled plastic cups. Students […]