Wildlife at Los Congos is thriving thanks to efforts by our park rangers to stop hunting within the preserve. Now that the animals are free again to wander as they please, we have encountered many new species. We have seen Lesser Ant Eaters, Agoutis, Collared Trogans, Prehensile Tailed Porcupines, and more deer scat in areas that the deer previously avoided. This is an amazing feat and we are happy to say that the Los Congos ecosystem is thriving.

Exploring Los Congos has never been easier due to enhanced trail systems. Our team has been hiking Los Congos for over a year now and some areas we have yet to explore. We have visited many amazing new areas in the past months that will enhance the Los Congos living experience. We have found trees that have broken through layers of rock with their mighty roots. Once these layers have been penetrated water from natural aquifers rises to the surface creating beautiful natural springs. We have also found several new micro-climates (areas where vegetation, animal life, and temperatures change). These areas will be protected at all costs due to their unique nature. The variety of species found in these areas is astounding.

We hope that you have a chance to visit us soon.

This was just sent to us from International Living:

Nicaragua?s economy is more stable than it was at this time last year, although the investment climate still trails behind much of Latin America, experts say.

In their annual review of economic risks facing Nicaragua, Luis Humberto Guzman and Nestor Avendano found that the business and political changes in the first quarter of 2007 caused only moderate instability to the country overall, a relaxation of several points from the months immediately following the elections.

The economists say the improvements have to do with the early vote of confidence that business groups gave the new government and the popular support for President Daniel Ortega, whose approval rating hovers around 60%. They calculate that the political and economic risks have leveled off since the elections, helping the country?s stability rating jump more than eight points in 2007 compared to the first quarter of 2006.

The higher marks were driven by a growing economy, modest government spending, and a slight drop in inflationary pressures over the last few months. Another factor, the economists say, is that the returning Sandinista leader is more adept at building alliances than his predecessor, Enrique Bolanos.

Despite the improved economic outlook, Nicaragua has a long way to go in attracting more investment, according to recent survey by the Latin Business Chronicle. The U.S.-based magazine ranked Nicaragua as the third-worst country in Latin America to conduct business in. Nicaragua, which is among the poorest in the region, has traditionally ranked badly in such surveys.

But the Latin Business Chronicle found several positive factors that bode well for the country?s future, namely its competitive business environment and strong integration with global markets. Nicaraguan exports continue to rise, and the amount of new businesses and commerce within the country has also jumped, pushed along by remittances and foreign aid. Tourism is also poised to grow further, the magazine found.

Contending that his economic program will create a new way forward for Nicaragua, Ortega said that he is unfazed by the country?s current low business ranking. ?I am not worried,? he told reporters after a May 15 meeting with a Guatemalan business group investing $20 million dollars in an energy plant. ?Because here we have a reality that investment will be arriving in Nicaragua independent of what they say in magazines.?

Your Latin America Insider,

Suzan Haskins
for International Living

In recent weeks the momentum in and around the Los Congos Resort Community project has increased dramatically. Several government agencies and the local press are officially announcing their support of our incredible project. INTUR, the Minister of Tourism and Development, MARENA and INETER are just to name a few.

An agreement has been reached with INTUR (the tourism administration) and the Minister of Tourism which will publicly announce the unilateral support and assistance between Laguna, SA (developer of Los Congos), the pueblo of Diria and the INTUR office itself. This formal agreement will be announced and celebrated in coming weeks at a televised press conference. Terms of the agreement include support of the pueblo of Diria by the Los Congos project's efforts and the formal signing by Laguna, SA of a business "Code of Conduct" - which states our commitment to proper business practices and avoidance of "gray area" business dealings. In addition Laguna, SA and Diria are pledging to begin extensive job and career training efforts through INTUR in conjunction with a massive national marketing and advertising campaign for the project. This is an incredible boost to our already excellent program and we at Laguna, SA are excited about this arrangement.

At the heart of our recent escalation into the Nicaraguan and International development scene is Ausberto Narvaez, former Minster of Tourism and Development for Nicaragua for the past 7 years under the past 3 presidents. Ausberto Narvaez has been named Vice-President of Laguna, SA and has taken the reigns as our Director of Public Relations and has gotten our voice out there to the masses. He is a true professional and has made great strides in increasing the awareness within the various government agencies of our project's impact on Nicaragua from environmental protection, reforestation, animal protection, tourism and social standpoints. He is an asset to Laguna, SA and we are very proud to have such a distinguished and revered person on our staff.

We would also like to share that recently, Jeffrey Finch, was invited to a personal one-on-one meeting with Vice-President Jaime Morales in his offices in Managua. Talks centered on the environmental practices surrounding the Los Congos Resort Community and how Laguna, SA can be a model for other developers in Nicaragua. Mr. Morales has a special interest in the Laguna, he had one of the first homes built on it's shores over 40 years ago. He was extremely happy about the fact that our reforestation efforts and no hunting policies are bringing the animals and forests back to the laguna. The meeting, though informal, was equally gratifying for the new administration as well as Laguna, SA. This is further proof of this new administration's efforts to support foreign investment and increase Nicaragua's attraction as a secure place to travel to as well as invest. We have future meetings scheduled with other new administration members in the coming weeks, including a meeting with Daniel Ortega.

Please check back for additional updates each week.

Los Congos is in La Prensa newspaper in Nicaragua again. The media is overly positive about our project and excited to present what we are doing to Nicaragua. Following is the most recent article from La Prensa. The article has been translated into English using Google's translation utility. Please excuse the poor translation. We use this method because the wording remains clear of bias. *Dollar amounts stated below were not provided by Laguna S.A.

It advances ecoturístico project in Lagoon of Support

Anne Perez Rivera nacionales@laprensa.com.ni

http://www.laprensa.com.ni/archivo/2007/
mayo/19/noticias/nacionales/192052.shtml

The enterprise group Laguna, S.A. presented/displayed at the end of the last week the study of environmental impact for the use of 300 apples of property that would be used for the ecoturístico development.

To the date, the investors have environmental permission to make ground studies and authorization to install a network of electrical lighting system, but they will have to hope to that the Natural Atmosphere Ministry and Resources (Marena) she approves the study of environmental impact in the selected zone.

The study, that will have to be approved in next the thirty days, is of vital importance because the property selected by Laguna, S.A. is near the water mirror of the Lagoon of Support, where is tried to make an investment superior to the forty million dollars.

ENVIRONMENTAL BUSINESS

In agreement with the plan of work of Laguna, S.A., first stage of the construction it contemplates to the Resort Hotel the Congos, the one that will practically be within a private natural reserve. The second phase finally contemplates to the sale of lots and urbanization of the zone and the establishment of an accessible ecological park for the community bordering to the Lagoon of Support.

?In all our work we are and we must be more careful than the State, because the project will only be profitable if we are careful with environment because it is what we sell?, said Ausberto Narváez, vice-president of the tourist project, to the being consulted on possible risks to environment.

Like part of the environmental strategy, Narváez assured that Laguna, S.A. will not extract water of the Lagoon of Support and also a process of reforestation with seedtime of about 25 thousand trees in the zone will begin, that is in the list of the natural reserves.

The investors of Laguna, S.A. already began to work altogether with the municipality of Diriá, Granada and in the middle of this week they will meet with the Council to define the cooperation between the parts.

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!

On at least 2 occasions our night rangers have seen the Nicaraguan equivalent of a bobcat and also pre-hensile tailed porcupines. There is a not yet confirmed sighting of a group of 6 coatimundis, an animal thought to be gone from this area many years ago. Coatimundis are like playful raccoons with longer tails and noses - they are often sighted in Belize and Guatemala.

We are proud to see our efforts taking effect so quickly and we have many years of reclamation and preservation work ahead of us. Our reforestation efforts begin this weekend with the hiring of world renowned organic farmer and permaculture expert, Christopher Shanks. Mr. Shanks is coming online to begin planning our orchards and massive reforestation efforts. We are proud to have him on board - you can find out more about Chris at www.projectbonafide.com - this is his project on the island of Ometepe in Lake Nicaragua, good stuff.

We will posting additional updates and photos as they come in so please check back often.

Los Congos was just recently featured in two recent articles. One article in el Nuevo Diario featuring Los Congos and outlining the community and a second in La Prensa describing foreign investment and its benefit to Nicaragua. Please find a translated version below. We have used Google's translation tool to preserve the original intention and to insure that they are posted bias free. While Google translation is true to the original, the translation is often poor.

Translated using Google Translation

El Nuevo Diario ? May 7, 2007

They project millionaire tourist center in the lagoon of Support

Ervin Filemón Sanchez | fsanchez@elnuevodiario.com.ni

http://www.elnuevodiario.

com.ni/2007/05/07/economia/48120

In next the two years the first part of a millionaire tourist project impelled by the enterprise group Laguna S.A. will be finished, which tries to build a hotel five stars, spa and a rustic zone of recreation to borders of the Lagoon of Support, in the sector of the Diriá, the department of Granada.

The millionaire project would involve an investment of about 25 million dollars in the site. According to the designers, not only it will help to increase the amount of quarters available for the tourists in the country, but that also it will attract more income, it will give a good amount of uses and will have a good multiplying effect in the zone.

The project is being planned with all the environmental engineering specifications and geologic of California, the United States, it maintains to the architect Jeffrey Finch, President of the group Laguna S.A., that it has like vice-president to Ausberto Narváez Argüello.

The development involves a total investment of 40 million dollars, because in addition to the tourist set in the creek of the lagoon of Support, that will cost 25 million dollars, prevén to construct to a center of purchases on the Highway to Masaya and a habitacional complex, those that as a whole will include an investment of 15 million dollars.

The area that will include/understand the project is of little more than 300 apples, and in a part of her, that will denominate the Congos Resorts, it will be constructed to a hotel five stars who will be compound of 50 villas and about 75 quarters, indicates Finch.

According to the designers, spa could be catalogued as center of rest and health to the height of the best ones of the world, like those of Monte Car it, Monaco. This spa also would have a site of practice of yoga.

Natural reserve

Finch affirmed that not only they are working with all the specifications of the State of California, but also that are taking 25 thousand little trees to reforest the sites that are despalados and to form a forest with own species of the site, that will work like a conservation area.

The area that will be dedicated to natural reserve includes the 60 percent of all the complex, 180 apples, in agreement with the information of the designers, where it affirms that he will be open to the community, and even maintains that this project does not try to close no beach space in the Lagoon of Support.

According to Mr. Finch, the project will generate in the construction stage about 500 uses, and later they will be with 250 seats of work. In the area of the Congos Resort also they will be left lots for construction of houses for people whom they love to spend its vacations or retirement.

This tourist project will also count on service of cánopi and in its totality it will be constructed in about ten years, whereas the hotel area culminates its construction in about two years, after receiving the environmental permission of the Ministry of the Atmosphere and Natural Resources.

Los Congos was just recently featured in two recent articles. One article in el Nuevo Diario featuring Los Congos and outlining the community and a second in La Prensa describing foreign investment and its benefit to Nicaragua. Please find a translated version below. We have used Google's translation tool to preserve the original intention and to insure that they are posted bias free. While Google translation is true to the original, the translation is often poor.

Translated using Google Translation

La Prensa, May 16, 2007

To the ?fishing? of foreign capital

http://www-ni.laprensa.com.ni/archivo/2007/
mayo/16/suplementos/negocios/191214.shtml

Arlen Cerday Mario Jose Moncada | economia@laprensa.com.ni

Jeffrey Fich is a American who arrived at Nicaragua to remain. One fell in love with this country, that he looks for to maintain a growth maintained of his economy, pushed partly by Inversión Extranjera Directa (IED). The attraction of Fich is so much that for a year has been living in the country and has decided to invest 25 million dollars.

At least 300 earth apples located in the lagoon of Support, in the municipality of Diriá, Granada, were chosen by this American to invest the capital that promises to create a tourist complex denominated the Congos, in reference to the fauna of those mammals who live in the region, with their company Laguna S.A. of which he is president.

At the moment the industralist completes some of the legal requirements that have slopes and that are demanded by Nicaragua. Among them, the Natural approval of the study of environmental impact on the part of the Ministry of the Atmosphere and Resources (Marena), permission on which depends that it begins to raise the tourist construction, that it would initiate with a hotel of 72 rooms.

Fich, that resides in Granada with its wife, knows the potential of the lagoon of Support to become one of ?mecas? of the nica tourism, and for that reason it has not doubted in impelling this project of tourist investment that glides to generate more than 350 direct uses.

The industralist knows that the Enterprise Social Responsibility (HEAD OF CATTLE) pays, reason why is arranged to destine 200 apples at least to create a reserve and to reforest it with native species.

The vice-president of Laguna S.A., Ausberto Narváez, assures that with the tourist project they try to directly involve to the Mayorship of the municipality and his settlers. It maintains that the goal is to count, in his labor plant, at least the 50 percent of original workers of this granadino municipality, located exactly to 45 kilometers to the east of Managua.

What attracted Fich to invest in Nicaragua? Which is the rate and tendency of the foreign investment in the country? What offers the country to the investors? And, coverall, what challenges face the country and the Government to guarantee that the investment continues arriving? Here some answers.

INVESTMENT NEEDS ?CLEAR RULES?

This week, Robert Mosbacher, president and chief of a main directorate of the Corporation for the Investments Deprived in the Outside (OPIC, by its abbreviations in English), it visited Nicaragua to sign the delivery of a bottom of 10 million dollars to the Central American Credit union (Bancentro), with which it will finance the construction of an urbanization of 1.300 houses for middle-class.

For Mosbacher the tourist sector is one of which it has greater potential to attract investments.

And in this mission to haul capitals, Nicaragua, like the rest of Latin America and the Caribbean, have challenges and opportunities. The competition is intense and ferocious.

?As long as the rules of the game are the same ones, beginning by the respect to the deprived property, I do not believe that overnight it goes to have a change to desire to invest here?, it responds on how it sees the panorama to invest now in Nicaragua that the country is governed by the leftist Daniel Ortega.

Pero Mosbacher notices that still there are obstacles so that the country manages to attract greater investments, like the necessity to have a greater stability of the judicial system. ?As long as the laws are firm and clear, I believe that always there will be the opportunity from which more investments come?, it insists.

THE PULSE OF THE INVESTMENT

At the beginning of the month, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (Cepal) it presented/displayed the annual report of 2006 on the foreign investment in Latin America and Caribbean.

According to the Cepal, Nicaragua it received 290 million dollars in the 2006; 49 million dollars more than in the 2005.

The Cepal celebrates that the growth obeys to the reflection of a good macroeconomic performance, among other factors.

But the executive secretary of the Cepal, Jose Luis Machinea, concludes that ?the IED in Latin America and the Caribbean remain stable, but loses participation in the world?, according to a report sent to the PRESS.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Machinea notices that the active and integrated policies produce better results. These policies, say, combine three elements: objectives of the development strategy, advantages of the country guest and necessities of the investor with subjection to the budgetary restrictions and of policies of the receiving country.

?An active policy of promotion would have to contemplate the coordination between the private sector and the public apparatus and a institucionalidad (organisms of promotion of investments) that has sufficient financial and human resources to articulate the process?, indicates Machinea.

By the same, it recommends that ?besides to improve his attractiveness (human rules of game, infrastructure, resources, competitiveness, among others), Latin America and the Caribbean would have to give more importance to the organisms of promotion of investments, tying them with the development strategy?.

HOW IS NICARAGUA?

Nicaragua, by all means, is not free of these challenges to attract the direct foreign investment.

The task is outlined greater because, from last January, the country releases a government presided over by the sandinista Daniel Ortega, of 61 years, an ex- guerrilla of left that 28 years back headed a armed revolution to end the dictatorship of 44 years of the dynasty of the Somozas. Ortega governed during 10 years, in which the national economy was devastated.

Second day of his Government, 11 of January happened, Ortega adhered to country, without to consult to society neither to parliament, to Alternative Bolivariana for Américas (White), which he impels Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez You cold, who promotes in his country a nationalization of the economy, to which also seems to point Ortega.

Recently, the economist and expert in foreign trade, Alexander Arauz, valued that ?countries with economic policies like the Dawn (Alternative Bolivariana for the Américas), run the risk of driving away the attraction of investments and of causing nervousness?.

Tuesday at night, during the inauguration of the house model of a new urbanization that is constructed in Sandino City, the President of the Republic, Daniel Ortega Saavedra, admitted that the country needs the investment.

Ortega indicated that ?the Nicaraguans we did not need that investment that arrives and it is possible to be gone at any time, if not of an investment in the long term?.

According to Juan Carlos Pereira, executive director of the Agency of Promotion of Investments of Nicaragua (ProNicaragua), the country must focus in the attraction of new capitals for industries with value added for the development of the national economy.

COUNTRY OF OPPORTUNITIES

The economist Eduardo Montiel assures that ?definitively, Nicaragua is a country with opportunities? to attract the Foreign Investment Directa and Ortega receives a stable country in macroeconomic matter.

For Cirilo sociologist Knoll some of the opportunities of the country are that it offers a cheap force of work, does not have industrial infrastructure and the interested capital can be based with relative facilities, offered in its majority by the Free Trade Agreement of Central America and Dominican Republic with the United States (Dr-Cafta).

Roberto Zamora Llanes, president of Financial Group LAFISE, assures that at the moment ?Nicaragua has the best conditions than some Governor has wished fifty years in the last?.

But it indicates that ?the country and our President would have to send to messages stimulating that foreign investment (because) there is no form of which we pruned to be successful in our program to attract investments if there are no stability messages, tranquillity, conversation with all the sectors?.

Cirilo sociologist Knoll notices that, in spite of the opportunities, there is in the country instability of legal and political character. ?There is a swing in the procedures that are troublesome for the investor?, it says.

Knoll recommends that the country works a strategy of projection of the country, that bets to the agro-industrial development and of companies with added value to foment quality uses, with good stable wages and. ?It is not only tried to attract the investment, but to promote that the investor also invests?, it indicates.

Montiel maintains that the challenges to attract the investment are to give legal stability and of respect to the law and the property, to develop the infrastructure of highways, ports, hospitals and to make agile the proceedings and procedures to make the region more competitive.

The economist maintains that there is to decide what type of investments is wanted and to understand what loves the investor to work with a strategy in that direction.

Greetings from Nicaragua!

Here at Los Congos we have been making considerable progress and received finished designs on the drinking water and wastewater treatment systems. We have also received finished road designs for several locations within Los Congos. In addition, we have a road construction crew working 6 days a week within the La Terraza community.

The La Terraza road is close to 75% completed. Constructed using the natural stone found on the property the road blends into the natural surroundings. Using thousands of interlocking stones, the road provides easy access to the entire La Terraza community at Los Congos. Full rainwater runoff and stone walls follow the entire length of the road. The road construction has taken place without the use of heavy machinery to insure that the surrounding terrain remains undisturbed. We are also excited that we have been able to employ over 80 people daily during the construction.

As soon as the road is completed, I will post a summary with photos.

News coming soon about The Los Congos Resort & Spa

Greetings from Nicaragua!

Here at Laguna SA we painstakingly work to protect Laguna de Apoyo and the surrounding area. Although the green season is not fully upon us, the flowers and trees are regaining their full color. We have had a couple good rains and the plants and animals love it. During the winter, most trees shed their leaves and animal life retreats to the valleys in Los Congos where there are natural water sources. As spring comes along animal life starts to emerge from the valleys. In the last two weeks, we have been able to add many animals to the list of species found within Los Congos. We have seen several varieties of Toucans, Iguanas, and many birds that we have yet to identify. As always the Howler Monkeys are out in full force for all to enjoy. We have been working with environmentalists and biologists to more closely identify wildlife habitats and animal movements.

We are excited that spring is finally here so that we can move forward with planting. As always, we are working diligently towards creating a sustainable development that will be enjoyed by the generations to come.

We look forward to sharing the Los Congos Private Nature Preserve with all of you.