Projects
August 21-27, 2006 What a difference a week can make! Following a light sprinkling of ash from the recent volcanic eruption of Tungurahua to our east, the weather here has changed. Every day for the last 8 days it has rained. Not only is rain in August unheard of here, but we are receiving five or six hours of torrential rains. It is quite reminiscent […]
August 16-20, 2006 Greetings from the Pacific Coast of Ecuador! The dry season persists here in Bahia, and with the lack of rain we continue to water the 500+ trees that are planted in the surrounding hills. As our site at La Cruz had recently begun being cooked by the sun, we have increased the amount of water we are giving the trees. Unlike most […]
August 16, 2006 On Friday morning (August 11, 2006) we finished the Bioregional Mapping topic. Kids managed to finish off with their own maps quite quickly. The last element of the previous lesson was incorporating the soil to the drawing, so students continued by introducing native species such as animals and plants. Kids were drawing trees such as Ceibos, Papayas, Mangos, Platanos, etc… and animals […]
August 7-13, 2006 Our last week was filled with the smiles. While celebrating the Ecuadorian Battle of Independence (10 de Agosto) we welcomed 13 students from a local scool to our greenhouse. As part of the continuing Bioregional Education Program children’s seminars being held, these fifth graders were another success. After watering, transplanting and composting at the greenhouse we hiked overland through a new trail […]
August 10, 2006 Last Wednesday the Bioregional Education Program students made their third and last “work of art”: a picture frame. They had a choice of plenty of materials such as colored paper, pieces of newspaper, rose petals, leaves, seeds, brilliant sparkles, etc. Kids were told to bring a personal photo but, aware that some of them were going to forget it, I remembered to bring […]
July 31-August 6, 2006 We worked extensively this week in Bosque Encantado. The volunteer group is really efficient these days and we have been able to complete a lot of trail and maintenance work. All the trails have been cleared of the verano (summer) shrubs and we have been able to begin the inventory/labelling work for our seedlings. Catherine has begun preparing GPS maps for all […]
July 24-30, 2006 Although the week seemed like it was rather short, much was accomplished by our three international and two Ecuadorian volunteers. Construction in the greenhouse is now finished. Our seedbeds have had compost added, turned and been made a foot deeper. This increased depth, in addition to some drainage gravel, should allow for stronger root development in seedlings. The seed collection season has begun, […]
Valentina Carminati, Field Bioregional Education ManagerPlanet Drum FoundationJuly 26, 2006 Our trip to La Cruz lookout in the center of Bahia was as enjoyable as always! It was a great day; the sun was shining and the sky was completely clear. Perfect weather conditions to admire the view of the Rio Chone estuary from up there. Kids could see the integration between land and water. They […]
Patrick Wylie, Field Project ManagerPlanet Drum FoundationJuly 17-23, 2006 This has been the most productive week of my tenure here at Planet Drum! In addition to our usual watering of 400+ planted trees, we undertook major construction projects throughout the work week. On Tuesday we gathered up all the eco-locos (local term for greenies in the city) and had a construction work-party at the greenhouse. […]
Valentina Carminati, Field Bioregional Education ManagerPlanet Drum FoundationJuly 17, 2006 The remaining students each received a card describing a different characteristic of the plant required to assist their friend in getting healthier. As a group they needed to get all the information together and start looking for the exact plant. They also had to find the respective species as soon as possible otherwise their friends were […]