Environmental Education
Objectives
Increase the knowledge, care, love and activism of the public in Leon, especially young students, toward environmental issues.What are we doing?
We offer the following activities for the local public:- Training university students to become nature-guides
- Guided outdoor activities for school children
- Environmental activities for kindergarten children
- Environmental leadership course for school children
- Campaign against wild animal traffic
- "Rcycling Park" project
- "Environmental Murals" project
- Environmental activities with rural communities
- "Adventure in nature" course
- Reforestation
- Festival of the Tropical Dry Forest in Leon
- Los Madroños Nature Reserve
- Mid-year newsletter of our activities
Training university students to become nature-guides
Local university students are invited to join us to become the BEST nature-guides in Leon. SONATI members learn about the local flora & fauna, with special emphasis on identification and the ecology of birds. Other topics include map navigation, learning the different trekking routes and guiding didactics. The training is given for free and the participants are asked to become volunteer guides for local school children in our environmental-education programs. Some of the best guides will be able to become paid tour guides in SONATI.
Guided outdoor activities for school children
We offer different guided circuits for school children, in and around Leon:- Illegal wildlife trade; mammals & reptiles: We visit the local zoo in Leon and learn about the different animals kept there, many of which are unfortunately very rare in wild areas around Leon. We talk about the negative environmental impact of the illegal wildlife trade as well as its ethical dimensions and the long-term implications for biodiversity in Nicaragua. Location: Arlen Siu Park. Duration: 2 hours. Cost: free!
- Birds of the city edge and the importance of the river bank plants: We watch and learn about the birds that can be found at the edge of Leon (an urban-rural habitat), and then walk along "rio chiquito" to the municipality's sewage treatment pools, in order to understand the importance of plants in maintaining and cleaning our water resources. Location: "Tangara". Duration: 2 hours. Cost: free!
- Plants ecology: We learn about the common plant species in and around Leon and about other species from different ecosystems in Nicaragua. We learn about the adaptations of plant species to their habitats, with an emphasis on the tropical dry forest species. Location: Leon's botanical garden/ "CIMAC". Duration: 2 hours. Cost: entry cost to the botanical garden/ CIMAC- CS$ 10.00; guiding cost: free!
- Insects ecology: We learn about the amazing world of insects, about many of their different unique adaptations employed to survive in their different ecological niches and about the insects multiple and varied significance in ecological systems. Location: The entomology museum in Leon. Duration: 1 hour. Cost: Museum's entry cost- CS$ 10.00; guiding cost: free!
- Birds of the tropical dry forest: We watch the birds of the dry forest around Leon and learn about their ecology. Location: "La Gallina". Cost: public transportation- C$ 16.00; guiding cost- free!
- Aquatic birds: We watch the birds of the lagoon of Palermo and learn about some of their unique ecology and adaptations to their aquatic habitat. Location: "Palermo". Duration: half a day. Cost: public transportation- C$ 16.00; guiding cost- free!
- Adventure in a mangrove swamp: We go on an unforgettable, wet and muddy adventure hiking through a mangrove swamp. We will view different mangrove species and learn about their special adaptations for this habitat. Location: Isla Juan Venado reserve. Duration: half a day. Cost: public transportation- C$ 20.00; guiding cost- free!
- Cerro Negro - Into the most active volcano in Leon: We climb the volcano, go into its crater, see the fumaroles and learn about its history and the phenomena of volcanism around Leon. Duration: half a day. Cost: transportation- variable, guiding cost- only C$ 5.00 per student.
Environmental activities with kindergarten children
Series of 3 activities where we focus on the importance of plants: to our planet, to other plants and animals, and to the human beings. Cost- free!
Environmental leadership course for school children
This course consist of 2 weekly activities: environmental activity and English class; the last two months of each year are dedicated to carry out environmental project in Leon. Children can apply to start this course while they are 9 to 10 years old. The course last for 7-8 years, until these children finish their high school. The aim of the course is that those students will have deep environmental knowledge and good English, and even more important, passion and motivation to make a better environment around them. We empower these children to be the environmental leaders of tomorrow in Nicaragua! Cost- free!
Campaign against wild animal traffic
The campaign consist of activities with school and kindergarten children. Each activity contain exposition and movie which explain the process and the problematic consecuences of the wild animals traffic. Activities are given for free at schools
"Rcycling Park" project
In this project we transform an abandoned and contaminated piece of land in the center of Leon, into an environmental park made of recycled materials; this park will be used for recreational purposes, while at the same time serving as an education center for recycling.
"Environmental Murals" project
In this project we decorate murals in Leon with environmental designs and messages, made of recycled materials (mainly bottle caps). We carry out this project with the help of school children volunteers.
Environmental activities with rural communities
We offer communities a series of up to 13 activities, each of them focus on different issues: our environment, natural resources, renewable energy, compost, organic gardens, water, flora, fauna, volcanism and personal responsibility towards the environment. We carry out these activities in different forms: presentations, games and outdoor activities and excursions. Cost- free!.
"Adventure in nature" course
In this course we are going to the nature's pearls around Leon- The beach mangroves; Volcanoes Cerro Negro, Telica, Las Pilas, El Hoyo, San Cristobal, Cosiguina, Momotombo & Laguna Asososca. Most outings are 2 days trekking, we camp in the outdoors under the sky. The course is available for the local public at any time of the year, depending on demand (minimum of 10 participants is required). Participation cost: CS$ 10.00 to 80.00 per person per outing! (depends on age and program)
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The course program for December 2011 - February 2012
Reforestation
SONATI carry out different reforestation campaigns around Leon. In 2010 we planted 13,000 trees in Los Madroños nature reserve. In addition we realized smaller reforestation projects with the children of Goyena community and in the foothills of Las Pilas Volcano.
Festival of the Tropical Dry Forest in Leon
Every year, at October, SONATI carry out the 1 week Festival of the Tropical Dry Forest in Leon. The objective of the festival is to increase awareness of the local public toward the disappearing tropical dry forest in Nicaragua. The festival consist of different activities like: drawing competition for school children, expositions, guided outdoor circuits about plants, mammals and birds, guided excursion to a nature reserve and environmental parade. The participation in all the activities is completely FREE!
Mid-year newsletter of our activities
July - December 2011 NewsletterAbout SONATI
- We work to increase knowledge, love and care toward the environment
- We carry out free environmental-education activities for thousands of local school children
- All profits from our hostel, tours and vegetarian café finance our environmental activities
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