Honduras 2010

I figured out an easier way to share photos and more importantly Angie came through big and brought me a camera. Just click one the photo and you will be taken to my Picasasite where you can view a few other photos from the area that I will be working in. Most of these pictures were taken on a trip that Angie and I took up to a small village called Las Marias. It was a 6 hour motorized canoe ride up the muddy and flood swollen Rio Platano river. But there was plenty to see. We caught glimpses of parrots and tucans. There is also a photo of hanging bird nests of the montezuma oropendola. Here is someone else's picture of the bird. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/Montezuma_Oropendola_-_male.jpg
We also visit a small farm that grows caoba (mahogany), cedro (tropical cedar), cocoa, coffee, and bananas. In the last 10 years, the owner Don Francisco, has planted more than 5,000 trees. He has a small fortune in mahogany trees that will be ready to be cut within the next 5 years. He is already planting new trees to be cut within the next twenty years. His farm is definitely unique in the area especially considering tha most Caoba trees are illegally logged from these supposedly protected forests. He sets a excellent example for many of the other farms on how to operate an agroforesty system that can sustain a family and create substantial monetary income. The idea to replant the valuable caoba and cedro in their native soil came from my adviser, Erik Nielsen, some 12 years ago when Erik was working in the area as a peace corp volunteer. Don Francisco may have been the only person to take his advice. Now the value of that investment is well know and admired in the region.
Erik also helped lead workshops to discuss how the people of Las Marias should develop a community operated ecotourism system, which also tourists like myself to explore the heart of the Rio Platano Biosphere Reserve. It is inspiring to see the project is still alive and well. It also provides evidence that conservation economical opportunity can be achieved simultaneously when communities are empowered to make decision about local projects, rather than having these projects super imposed over their lands.
We ended our stay in the community with a midnight crocodile search, in which we slipped into the back water canals of the Rio Platano. Experiencing the narrow vine tangled waters in a pipante (a tippy, shallow, river canoe) was an exhilarating adventure. I think we were all a little relieved that we found no crocodilios.

I have in fact been doing some work for my project. The time I have spent in Belen and Nueva Jerusalem was focused on meeting community leaders, organizing a community meeting, and hiring assistants to help administer the survey. Erik's connections in the community are certainly the only way that a project like this would be possible. His work here during Peace Corp and his continued support of the communities through a scholarship program afford him a well deserved "confiansa" among community leaders.

Now that Erik has returned to the states the challenge of getting the research project running is squarely on my shoulders. I admit, I wish my spanish was a lot better! Its very difficult to conduct work in spanish when I have what amounts to survival spanish. For the most part, people here seem to be willing to help me and are have great interest in how to gain community land title and how to prevent land sales which lead to massive clear cuts. Drug trafficking is also becoming a serious problem in the area and may be leading to more land purchasing for cattle ranching, as a means to launder drug money. We don't have any specific questions about such things but by observing and listening this problem has become rather apparent.

Well, its is my last day of vacation on the island of Utila. Angie leaves on Tuesday and I go back out to Nueva Jerusalem. Its been great to have her here, I have need the support. I think I am going to go out for my first ever open water dive. Taking the plunge-- Spence

Hey all,
Here are a few pictures for you. I visited the Lancetilla botanical garderns yesterday and was able to download some pictures from, Silvio, another guest from the hotel who happened to be at the gardins at the same time I was. Silvio and I spent the better of the day being swarmed by mosquitos and being awed variety and granduer of several hundered species of trees and flowering plants. The one of me in front of the bamboo tunnels provides a fair depiction of how big everything was. We also found the weekend hangout for most of the kids in Tela. The swimming hole was packed and the diving from the trees didnt seem to bother the parents. Good clean fun.
I am headed out to a Gaurifuna community called Miami today to check out one of the national parks. As luck would have it my snorkeling tour was cancelled but I met the guide who was supposed to take us out there and he suggested we do a the trip to Miami. I need to get this camera situation worked out soon...

North Coast

I am about half way through my sight seeing tour or Honduras. I have a week left before it is time to start working and get out La Moskitia. My trip has taken me aong the North Coast of Honduras. There seem to be banana plantations in every direction. It really is strange that bananas were a common food for us to be eating in the states. So Dole meets our demands with these vast banana, palm and pinapple plantations. They cover most of the flat land in this area. Beyond the plantations are foothills where families grow their own food corn, rice, yucca and plantains. Most hillsides also have several sinuey looking cattle. If abundance of an animals makes it the national bird then chickens would surely stake that claim. They offer several services like bug and weeds patrol and of course providing various their two types of protien. Its absurd to even classify the type of eggs you would buy here, of course they are free range, where else would they live. Behind a veil of clouds are steep fortresses of forest and mountain. It looks much cooler up there, in the dark green forest and gray clouds, there just doesnt seem to be a practical way to reach them. Fortunately there is the ocean, iced coconuts and cold coca cola.

I spent five days in Trujillo, at an orphanage/school run by a catholic organization and a group of volunteers from the states. I was warmly welcomed by everyone and found a balance between being productive and finding time to rest and enjoy myself. I helped out by helping build chicken coops and a security fence, and sticking around to watch the weekend soccer games. I was also treated to a visit to a swimming hole. The highlight of my week was the trip I took to a near by mountain community called Buena Vista. I was able to join Beth , the volunteer who runs the health clinic, for a trip up to do some house visit with patients living in the remote community. Most of the homes were made from mud walls,
and thatched roofs. Most of the gardens behind each home had more types of flowers than i can hope to every hope to remember, everything from hybiscus, hydranga, and roses to the tropical flowers that only seem to have local names. I also got to meett with the community leader and listened to him talk about
the coming of the rainy season and his concern about the immenent errosion from the construction of newly constructed road. He also explained the way he had changed the way people in the community farm in order to reduce errosion. It was incredible to be in his house listening to him articulate ideas that i have read in scientific paper and technical terminology. His version was complete with examples of the hillside behind us and delivered in spanish from a swaying hammock, and entirely captivating. Perhaps when I get back to reading and writing those papers I will at least have memories like these to color my writing.

As for pictures, it may be a while. The camera i brought is not doing well with the heat or humidity. It has only turn on once, long enough for me to point the camera and have the whole operation shut down. I am looking into buying a new camera soon.

As for the heat, it has got be 100 degrees and 100% humidity here in Tela. I think I know the sensation of melting. Being a puddle all day makes it difficult to accomplish much. A beer and the beach might help me reconstitute.

Saludos
Spencer

Leaving for Honduras

Hey all,

I think this may be the best way to keep everyone informed on how things are going in Honduras. I will try and do a better job of posting updates but access to internet will be spotty at best. I will check the blog whenever I get a chance to sit down at a computer so feel free to post messages here. I will be getting a cell phone when I am down there and will post that number on the blog.

Here is a little bit of an itinerary and explanation of what I am trying to accomplish in Honduras

My first two weeks will be a backpacking adventure along the Caribbean coast. I plan to visit Trujillo, La Ceiba, Tela, and Copan before returning to Tegucigalpa to meet Erik (my advisor). Following another week spent in Tegus I will be going out to live in a community in a region called La Moskitia. Not sure what community, just know it will be in the "sticks" and that a canoe trip will be necessary to get in and out of wherever there is. I will get introduced to the community by Erik or one of his counter parts. Then it's just me in the community trying to fit in...I expect it to be awkward. Also, I will be conducting household surveys to better understand land uses, rates of deforestation, land tenure systems and community empowerment. We will be using this research to better understand how to build community empowerment if forest carbon projects are implemented in these areas.
Thats the debrief on why I am going down. I am sure I am leaving a lot of questions unanswered, probably because I don't have those answers yet.

Ok, leaving Flagstaff in one hour! I have twenty things to do and at least 10 to forget.
It kinda feels like cliff diving... one... two... three... holy shiiiii