Dear Sierra Club Friends,
Some of you heard about this project at the talk I gave in 
April. The trip is now being sponsored by the Nicaragua
Network, a human rights organization based in Washington,
D.C.  As indicated, any interested in going on the trip
needs to apply through them, however I would be happy to
answer any questions you might have.
Jim Fleming
641-919-0538

   JOIN A REFORESTATION BRIGADE IN NICARAGUA!

                August 26 -- September 4, 2006 

            Deadline for applications: July 25, 2006 

The Nicaragua Network invites you to join a team of
volunteers that will be traveling to Nicaragua August
26--September 4, 2006, to assist with a water restoration
and reforestation project that is part of a campaign
supported by the Nicaragua Network called "Let the Rivers
Run?" of FEDICAMP (Federation for the Integral Development
of Peasant Farmers). FEDICAMP is a Nicaragua-based
organization whose director, Elvin Castellon, recently
toured the U.S. on a Nicaragua Network speaking tour to
discuss the campaign.

Members of the brigade will spend three days assisting with
the planting of mango, avocado and banana trees along
existing streams or with other aspects of the campaign. The
trees will serve to prevent erosion and also provide and
food and income for the local people. Decades of
unsustainable farming methods have caused extensive
deforestation followed by desertification?. This leads to
many other problems including loss of habitat for both
wildlife and humans, displacing people from their land and
livelihood. 

Also, global climate warming, due to burning of fossil
fuels largely from more industrialized countries to the
north, is exacerbated by the loss of rain forest in
southern countries such as Nicaragua, since the forest
serves as a valuable "sink"  for carbon dioxide. 

If you are unable to actually travel with us you can still
support this important program by making a donation to the
"Let the Rivers Run" Campaign (see the Nicaragua Network
website at www.nicanet.org for more details about the
campaign and how to donate).

The trip will also include a visit to Miraflor Nature
Reserve, a 206 square kilometer cloud forest and sanctuary
for hundreds of bird and flower species as well as numerous
other interesting fauna such as howler monkeys. In addition
about 5,000 people live in the Reserve and use advanced
sustainable farming methods including natural pest
management, crop diversification and worm farming. This
will be an excellent opportunity to learn about these
methods and even help out with their ongoing work. Tours of
the rain forest to see waterfalls, caves, beautiful vistas
and birds and other wildlife are readily available. More
details about the Reserve are available in the tour book:
Moon Handbooks: Nicaragua (by Joshua Berman and Randy Wood,
2003) or at http://www.miraflor-uca.com/ (in Spanish) or
http://www.vianica.com/activity/27/miraflor-natural-reserve
(in English). 

The brigade will be led by Dr. Jim Fleming of Prairie
Health Services in Missouri. An important goal for Dr.
Fleming, the leader of this trip, is to bring together
people whose activism is based on faith principles with
those whose activism is based on social justice principles,
the common interest being protection of our common
heritage: our natural environment. He says, "The people who
live on the land benefit and both faith principles and
human rights are served in the process". He expects
Nicaraguan friends from a mission church in Catarina will
join the work of the brigade.

Cost: $650 plus airfare to Nicaragua. (This includes all
ground transportation, three simple meals a day, basic
lodging, translation, orientation materials, work materials
and a contribution to partner Nicaraguan organizations.)

Send an email to [log in to unmask] to receive an application
for the reforestation brigade. Deadline for applications is
July 25, 2006.

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