Photo Blog

August 2010

Cordillera De Los Maribios Volcanos, Nicaragua

Cordillera de Maribios (or Cordillera de Marrabios) is a mountain range in León and Chinandega departments, western Nicaragua, at 12°34′N 86°47′W / 12.56°N 86.78°W / 12.56; -86.78 and about 64.4 km (40 mi) long. It is a volcanic range comprised most notably by San Cristóbal 1745 m, Pilas 983 m, Telica 1060 m, Cerro Negro 450 m, and Momotombo 1258 m.

Leon, Nicaragua

León is a department (state) in northwestern Nicaragua (5,138 km2). It is also the second largest city in Nicaragua, after Managua. It was founded by the Spaniards as Santiago de los Caballeros de León and rivals Granada, Nicaragua, in the number of historic Spanish colonial homes and churches.

May 2010

Half Moon Caye, Belize

The Half Moon Caye Natural Monument was created in March 1982- the first reserve to be created under the National Parks System Act of 1981. Prior to that, it became Belize's first protected area in 1928. At that time, an area of 14 acres, was designated a Crown Reserve. Protection of the Booby colony was the primary reason for this action. In 1996, UNESCO's World Heritage Committee formally adopted the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System as a World Heritage Site. Seven marine protected areas along the Barrier Reef and its adjacent atolls comprises this World-Heritage reserve system. Both Half Moon Caye and Blue Hole Natural Monuments are part of this system of outstanding universal importance.

April 2010

Semuc Champey, Guatemala

Semuc Champey is a natural monument in the department of Alta Verapaz, Guatemala, near the Q'eqchi' Maya town of Lanquín. It consists of a natural 300 m limestone bridge, under which passes the Cahabòn River. Atop the bridge is a series of stepped, turquoise pools, a popular swimming attraction.

Copán Mayan Ruins, Honduras

Copán is an archaeological site of the Maya civilization located in the Copán Department of western Honduras, not far from the border with Guatemala. It was the capital city of a major Classic period kingdom from the 5th to 9th centuries AD. The city was located in the extreme southeast of the Mesoamerican cultural region, on the frontier with the Isthmo-Colombian cultural region, and was almost surrounded by non-Maya peoples.[2]

Volcan Pacaya, Guatemala

Pacaya is an active complex volcano in Guatemala, which first erupted approximately 23,000 years ago and has erupted at least 23 times since the Spanish conquest of Guatemala. Pacaya rises to an elevation of 2,552 metres (8,373 ft).[1] After being dormant for a century, it erupted violently in 1965 and has been erupting continuously since then. Much of its activity is Strombolian, but occasional Plinian eruptions also occur, sometimes showering the nearby city of Antigua with ash.[1]

Volcan Tajumulco, Guatemala

Volcán Tajumulco is a large stratovolcano in the department of San Marcos in western Guatemala. It is the highest mountain in Guatemala and Central America at 4,220 metres (13,845 ft). Tajumulco has had several historical reports of volcanic eruptions, but none have been confirmed to be true eruptions.

Tikal Mayan Runis, Guatemala

Tikal (or Tik’al according to the modern Mayan orthography) is one of the largest archaeological sites and urban centres of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization. It is located in the archaeological region of the Petén Basin in what is now modern-day northern Guatemala. Situated in the department of El Petén, the site is part of Guatemala's Tikal National Park and in 1979 it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[2]

Semama Santa, Flores, Guatemala

Holy Week (Latin: Hebdomas Sancta or Hebdomas Maior, "Greater Week"; Greek: Μεγάλη Ἑβδομάς, Megale Hebdomas) in Christianity is the last week of Lent and the week before Easter. It includes the religious holidays of Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday (Holy Thursday) and Good Friday, and lasts from Palm Sunday (or in the Eastern, Lazarus Saturday) until but not including Easter Sunday, as Easter Sunday is the first day of the new season of The Great Fifty Days. It commemorates the last week of the earthly life of Jesus Christ before his crucifixion on Good Friday and his resurrection on Easter Sunday.

March 2010

TIDE rangers working in the PHMR

The Port Honduras Marine Reserve (PHMR) is a 414 sq km marine reserve co-managed by TIDE and the Fisheries Department of Belize. TIDE rangers aim to conduct around 800 patrols a year checking for illegal fishing activity as well as maintaining the reserve (they also have a small amount of time for fishing).

Joint Agency Patrol, Toledo Protected Areas, Belize

Ya'axché, TIDE and the Belize Defence Force combine resources to patrol the TIDE Private Lands and Golden Stream Corridor Preserve in a three day patrol, looking for evidence of illegal activities in these two protected areas.

February 2010

Fire management, Paynes Creek National Park, Toledo, Belize

The largest threat to the pine savannas of Paynes Creek National Park is wild fires. Burning fire breaks to divide up the pine savana areas helps control the spread in the event of a wild fire. PCNP fire management program has been very sucessful, last year there we no wild fires in the park, this year TIDE rangers plan on burning over 13 miles of fire breaks.

Tree Planting, San Pedro Colombia

TIDE work with the local community of San Pedro Colombia to reforest an area on the banks of the Rio Grande. Reforestation is the restocking of existing forests and woodlands which have been depleted. Reforestation can be used to improve the quality of human life by soaking up pollution and dust from the air, rebuild natural habitats and ecosystems, mitigate global warming since forests facilitate biosequestration of atmospheric carbon dioxide, and harvest for resources.

January 2010

Goliath Grouper Survey, PHMR

The Wildlife Conservation Society conduct annual goliath grouper surveys in and around the PHMR which is a prime nursery area. The groupers are caught, weighed, measured, tagged and released. The goliath grouper is found primarily in shallow tropical waters among coral and artificial reefs at depths of up to 165 feet (50 m). Their range includes the Florida Keys, the Bahamas, most of the Caribbean, and practically all of the Brazilian coast, where they are known as mero.

TIDE

The Toledo Institute for Development and Environment (TIDE) was founded in 1997 to meet the growing environmental and development needs of the Toledo District, the southernmost district of Belize. TIDE was conceived as a grassroots initiative in response to the negative environmental effects from activities such as manatee poaching, illegal fishing, illegal logging, destructive farming methods, and other types of unsustainable development. Initially started by volunteers, TIDE has now grown to include 20 paid staff. TIDE's mission is to research and monitor Toledo's natural resources, to assist in protected areas planning and management and to lead the development of responsible tourism and other environmentally sustainable economic alternatives by providing training and support to local residents.

December 2009

Abalone Ranger Station, PHMR

Abalone Caye is home the the rangers of the Port Honduras Marine Reserve a 414 sq km reserve co-managed by TIDE and the Fisheries Department of Belize.

Uxmal Maya Ruins, Yucatán, Mexico

Uxmal (Yucatec Maya: Óoxmáal) is a large pre-Columbian ruined city of the Maya civilization in the state of Yucatán, Mexico. It is 78 km south of Mérida, Yucatán, or 110 km from that city on Highway 261 towards Campeche, Campeche), 15 km south-southeast of the town of Muna and in the municipality of Santa Elena.

Palenque Maya Ruins, Chiapas, Mexico

Palenque (Bàak' in Modern Maya) was a Maya city state in southern Mexico that flourished in the seventh century CE. After its decline it was absorbed into the jungle, but has been excavated and restored and is now a famous archaeological site attracting thousands of visitors. It is located near the Usumacinta River in the Mexican state of Chiapas, located about 130 km south of Ciudad del Carmen (see map) about 150 meters above sea-level.