Las Mercedes Reforestation Project

The future of Las Mercedes

2009-12-13T18:43:00.000-08:00

In order to host more volunteers, here is our new project in order to host more volunteers and educate the community.

NEW WEBSITE

2009-12-13T18:42:00.000-08:00

Please check our new website:
http://lasmercedesnica.wordpress.com/goals/

Party in Somoto

2009-11-30T15:59:00.000-08:00

Somoto is a small town just 12 Km away from Las Mercedes, every year around this time (The last weekend of November) they celebrate their Fiestas Patronales. 100's of volunteers from the area will travel and be part of this ones a year celebration, having Tona, one of the best Nicaragua beer as their main sponsor. 2009 as any other year, it was a success.

Two of our 3 horses

2009-11-08T17:24:00.000-08:00

Our Friends at the farm need your HELP!

2009-10-11T05:55:00.000-07:00

Many animals around the area are injured, are being trapped to be sold to passerbys on the Pan-American Highway, or are being kept by owners who cannot provide the animals with sufficient amount of food or proper living conditions. Below are some of the animals we currently have adopted and are taking care of. However, it is our mission to provide these animals with a safe and healthy environment that will provide them the space they need to roam and procreate as they would in a natural environment. If you have any ideas, suggestions or are willing to come down and help us build proper homes, we appreciate all the help we can get. In the long run, this will serve as an example to the local community that taking care of our animals is an important part of a thriving eco-system that involves us as humans.

We need help with the goats, we have a few of them, but they are very destructive and they have to be tied up, we need help building a corral that will allow them the space that they need to roam free.

We really need help with these geese, they need a small pond or some source of water in order for them to mate. We need volunteers that could help me build the pond. Are you up for the challenge?

This is Rosita, she has been with the family for many years now, growing old she has never been able to fly.

Future Experiment with Housing Building

2009-08-24T09:37:00.000-07:00

Thank you Mr. Michael Reynolds (The father of biotecture) for your ideas. I have decided to experiment with Biotecture right here at Las Mercedes. The idea is for volunteers to come and help with the project, and also invite the community to participate and learn from this first Housing Experimental model

Future GOALS for Las Mercedes

2009-08-24T09:30:00.000-07:00

Theses are some of the project that I have in mind for the near future and that I reallyy need technical and financial help with:

1- Need technical and professional help with choosing the right native trees according to the soil and the climate of the region.

2- Need structural and financial help with the construction of a Greenhouse for production and better care of baby trees.

3- Need structural, professional, and financial help with the construction and care of the Green Iguana and Rabbit Farm

4- Need help with the construction of an all Organic Vegetable garden in order to feed the volunteers

5- Need technical and financial help with the construction of a Compost Site

6- Need help with the restoration or construction of a Water Well and Irrigation System in order to provide water for the trees

7- And if possible, I need help with exploiting natural resources such as Wind or Solar Power

New extension to the farm house

2009-08-11T10:30:00.000-07:00

Finally the two extra rooms and full bath are almost done, furniture and two coats of paint is the last thing needed. Las Mercedes will be able to host at least 6 more volunteers. We will make a differences, one tree at the time.

New baby bull " Brutus"

2009-04-30T19:47:00.000-07:00

Brutus was born 30 days ago, he was very strong and ready to lead the pack.

Semana Santa 2009

2009-04-06T17:16:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the family members alone with two of our volunteers. Thank you guys and enjoy la Semana Santa 2009 (Holy Week)

The Flowers are blooming at “LAS MERCEDES”

2009-03-31T16:20:00.000-07:00

Town of OCOTAL

2009-02-11T17:07:00.000-08:00

Ocotal is one of the most beautiful cities in Nicaragua and full of history; from Bucaneers arriving through el RIO COCO sacking and burning down small towns, Agusto Cesar Sandino fighting the US Marines, to being the first town to ever been BOMB by airplanes.

PARK AND CHURCH in Ocotal

NEW FOOD SOURCES

2009-02-10T15:14:00.000-08:00

In the next few months, we should be producing the fallowing:

Bananas, Platanos

Gragon Fruit

SELF SUSTAINED

2009-02-10T14:51:00.000-08:00

Every year we are starting to produced a new food source, our goal is to one day be completely self sustained and off the GRID. Here are some of the fruits we are producing right now for self consumption.

PAPAYA (Carica papaya)

LIMES (Cituse auretifolea)

ORANGES (Citrus sinensis )

CASHEW (Anacardium occidentale)

GUAVA (Psidium guajava)

GREAPFRUIT (Citrus paradisi Macfad)

Magazine Article

2008-12-27T16:54:00.000-08:00

RIGHTHEREMAGAZINE.COM is a tourist oriented magazine in Nicaragua, they were so kind to publish an article about our projects for all tourist, volunteers and the international community to read and be informed about our reforestation project. Magazine Article.

Our location

2008-12-16T11:34:00.000-08:00

Las Mercedes is a proximally located 30 miles south from the border with Honduras about 10 miles south from the beautiful town of Ocotal, Nueva Segovia. (I challenge you to Google this town and its history of pirates, and the first town to be bombed by US war planes) Our farm is about 200 meters east of the Panamerican Highway, in the heart of the Savanna Grande community.

Certificate

2008-12-11T18:46:00.000-08:00

Certificate
This is one of the certificates we gave one of our volunteers during May 2008. Come down to LAS MERCEDES and get your own.

More Room

2008-04-03T19:39:00.000-07:00

Adobe, it comes from the earth

Two more rooms and a full bathroom were added to the existing farm house

in order to better accomodate more volunteers and provide them with more privacy.

Our new member of the family

2008-01-03T20:04:00.000-08:00

Say Hello to Max

Crops

2007-12-03T15:00:00.000-08:00

Tomatoes, Corn, and Chilli Peppers

Our First Volunteers!!!!

2007-09-03T19:31:00.000-07:00

What we can offer to our volunteers:

2007-08-03T19:05:00.000-07:00

● Housing
● 3 warm meals per day
● Spanish Lessons (Grammar and conversational 2 hours everyday)
● Horseback rides (at anytime)
● The opportunity to experiment with the designing or making of organic fertilizers, irrigation systems, building constructions.
● Excursions on weekends, same as visits daily if necessary to the local town of Ocotal.
● Pick up and drop off at the airport in Managua.

To our Future Volunteers:

2007-07-03T15:06:00.000-07:00

We understand and we know that working the fields is not an easy task; therefore we have put together a large range of activities that you will enjoy.

This volunteer program is not just about work but about learning, having a new life experience. We will challenge you, we will make you THINK for your self, you will be a student, you will be a teacher, you will create and improved, you will share ideas and views, you will learn another language, you will laugh, you will see places you have only imagine, you will have fun, and yes, you will do some work; But at the end of your stayed the reward would be priceless.

The Benefits of the Project

2007-05-03T15:25:00.000-07:00

● we will help the ecology of Nicaragua and help save the tropical rainforest.
● we will protect the local wild life by providing shelter and protection for some of the species
● by providing jobs to the local community in order to sustain it self.
● we will provide the local families and small communities with technical advice in order for them to produce their own organic food and make used of all their natural resource.
● we will also help educating the local communities in how to protect and preserved the natural ecology by utilizing the three “R” reduced, reused, and recycle.
● we will provide a training grounds for volunteers world wide that wish to make a difference in our planet planting one tree at a time.

Our Farm House

2007-04-03T18:16:00.000-07:00

Facilities as of February 1st 2007

A beautiful farm house located about 200 meters east, 208 km on the Pan-American Highway. This farm is just south of the main town of Ocotal. The farm house, besides running water and electricity has the fallowing facilities to offer to our volunteers:
4 rooms for living quarters (equipped with bunk beds, sleeps up to 12 people)
2 toilet and shower, with running water
1 kitchen (propane gas stove and oven, refrigerator, and microwave)
1 storage area for agricultural tools, seeds, and planting tools
2 poorly but working water wells

Our Dream

2007-03-03T18:20:00.000-08:00

This reforestation project has been the dream of the Mendoza’s family for about 5 years now. This local family has donated approximately 30 acres of land to be reforested in order to help the ecology of Nicaragua and help with its deforestation problem. Because of the lack of vegetation, the local wild life is suffering as well, many of Nicaragua’s wild life is at the verge of extinction.

2007-03-01T18:09:00.000-08:00

The world's tropical forests are being lost at an alarming rate, largely due to agricultural expansion. This loss is resulting in the extinction of native plants and wild animals, an increase in greenhouse gases that contribute to global climate changes or Global Warming. We have decided to help stop deforestation by transforming our farm land, used for agricultural purposes for many years, back to what it once was, a beautiful forest providing shelter to many animals, producing oxygen, and offsetting our carbon foot print. We are asking for VOLUNTEERS.