The Los Congos team was out at the laguna all weekend with Chris Shanks a very talented horticulturalist, organic farmer, and land use specialist. We all have sun burns and have bright red skin from the hours of trekking through the backcountry of the Laguna.

Chris has been in Nicaragua for quite some time, living on the island of Omotepe. There he has a project where he and his team have been reforesting and creating a sustainable living community. Personally, I cannot wait to visit him and his site.

As we walked through the woods, Chris would inspect the different plants and diversity located within the 550-acre private nature preserve. As we walked and talked, we were learning the local names of many of the trees and plants. Documentation on the official names of plants and animals in Nicaragua is not readily available. Every time we ask the name of a tree or bird, we get a different answer. Chris also provided us with several resources for identifying plants and trees.

We also discussed the future of Los Congos and Chris was inline with everything we are planning to do with suggestions on how to accomplish our goals. We learned that there are resources and people who can train our local employees how to plant and farm in a way that is sustainable and benefits the soils and trees around us. Reforestation and protection of the magnificent trees that are already on the property is of great concern to us. Chris and his team will be working with us to redouble our efforts and create environments in which people will coexist with the natural environment.

Although our team has spent hundreds of hours hiking Los Congos, we have only covered a very small portion of the property. On Saturday, we found several places that will make excellent natural Zen areas. Places for residents and visitors to explore and enjoy the natural surroundings. With Chris? help, we have come up with ideas on how to preserve these areas while making them accessible to hikers and nature lovers.

While hiking this Saturday we were amazed at the number of animals on the property. We are proud to the benefits of eliminating hunting on the property. Animals are no longer scared to come out of the valleys and interact with areas where humans frequently pass.

All in all we had a very productive weekend and will start immediately with our plans. Expect thousands of new trees that are attractive to both plants and animals. We expect to plant over 25,000 plants and trees in the next year. As we move forward we will be planting even more. The fruit trees planted today will feed the residents (both human and animal) of Los Congos. The trees planted today will canopy the ground and homes in the coming years.

We are excited about the great progress made in one short weekend. Expect more updates to come very soon. All we are waiting on is the rain!