Erica Nickles – Biodiversity Restoration and Community Development Facilitator in Honduras

It's my third day in the office at CCO, and so far so good! I worked on Sunday with Sandra, the coordinator of the women's group to help prepare a float for a parade tomorrow.  They have funding from a Spanish organizations to start a women's micro-empresa to collect recyclables and sell them to a company in San Pedro Sula as well as make and sell artisinal products from "garbage".  You wouldn't believe the stuff they're making!  There's no garbage pick up in Cuyamel, so not only are they addressing a serious public health and environmental problem, they're also providing income generating opportunities for some of the poorest families in the community.  I'm hoping to get some of the women involved in the kitchen gardens that Holly and Rad were working on.  Anuar will be here at the beginning of
August to help us with some ecological monitoring around the birds in the area.

Holly and Rad did incredible work here, but as you can imagine there's still much to be done.    My priority this fall will be training and supporting community members to lead the kitchen garden and environmental education work, as well as carrying on the coastal monitoring and mapping work. 

I'm staying in a giant house that has lots of space, not much furniture.  This weekend
involved lots of cleaning and some up close and personal encounters with the local bat and bee populations, but the house is definitely starting to grow on me.  Especially the giant yard with huge mango and avocado trees.  My aim's getting better - by the time I leave here
I'll be able to knock down a mango with an avocado from 30 feet at least!
Take care,
Erica