Spreading the Word about CONAPAC

In this October 2024 issue we share Megan's (Megan McDaniel, CONAPAC Executive Director) and Michel's (Michel Paolo Breceño Pacaya, CONAPAC Director of Social-Environmental Projects and Community Relations) trip to the US, as they presented about CONAPAC programs in Detroit, Vail, and Colorado Springs.

A volunteer opportunity for you! Fruit Tree Planting | Dec. 1-7, 2024 Join us as we travel the Amazon and Napo Rivers, in the heart of the Peruvian Rainforest, to plant native trees in multiple communities. See more

Another volunteer opportunity for you! Adopt-A-School 2025 Travel to Peru with the Detroit Zoological Society to help with the delivery of school supplies and community service projects. There is still time to sign up to volunteer, especially week 2, March 29-April 4. For more information preview this PDF. Send an email to amazontravel@dzs.org to learn more!

A note from Megan--
Our first stop was Detroit, Michigan, and the Detroit Zoological Society. Claire Lannoye-Hall, Director of Education, and David Dimitrie, Director of Conservation, organized our activities and ensured everything was ready for us, including our accommodations. We enjoyed getting to know the Zoo, “meeting” the wolves, Renner and Kaska (and their keeper, Aimee), watching penguins zoom in the water above our heads, eating chili fries, and enjoying the Halloween decorations. We visited Belle Isle Nature Center (BINC) and spotted some wild deer while chatting about their programs with Mike Reed, Curator of Education.

We also took a quick trip to Port Huron to dip our fingers in one of the Great Lakes (it was too cold and windy for our toes) and enjoyed the fall festivities at the Henry Ford Halloween Nights at Greenwood Village. We shared a meal with Diane Miller, VP of Educational Programming, and Mike Murray, VP of Biological Sciences, and briefly met with CEO Hayley Murphy. A big highlight of these days was a dinner with local CONAPAC volunteers hosted by the Zoo and organized by Claire.

Tuesday, October 15, began with a visit to the Academy of the Sacred Heart, where Claire and I chatted with the Upper School's young women about what we do, our paths to where we are, and answered questions. Then, we returned to the Zoo to present CONAPAC to Zoo employees during a Lunch and Learn for zoo staff to learn about and ask questions about our partnership with the Zoo and what we do. We presented as part of the Zoo’s Learning Lecture series that evening. In the auditorium were familiar and new faces, ready to hear about CONAPAC’s programs from Michel and me. We explained our programs in Environmental Education, Clean Water, and Sustainable Development, as well as the newer Community Conservation and Sustainability Engagement project, which the Zoo fully funded, and how what we learned during the subsequent workshops are informing our path into the future. We also explained the planned road, which, if constructed, will connect Iquitos to the border with Colombia and cause many problems for rural communities. We wrapped up the talk with a Q&A session, which was quite fun (as evidenced by the photos)!

Then, we zoomed off to Colorado.

Our first stop was Vail, where we spoke at the Students Shoulder to Shoulder (SStS) Forum. Here, we learned more about SStS and met teachers from all over the country. On Thursday, October 17, we presented an overview of CONAPAC, including how schools could participate in Adopt-A-School and what students do when participating in the SStS annual rainforest experience with Explorama and CONAPAC. We presented CONAPAC’s projects to local Rotarians the following day and listened to the keynote speakers.

Leaving Vail, we headed to Castle Rock, Colorado, to spend some time with my family before driving to Colorado Springs. On Monday, October 21, I was back at the high school where I used to teach, falling right back into teaching mode to present CONAPAC to the Advanced Placement (AP) Environmental Science, Spanish II, and AVID classes. The students participated in the talk and asked great questions!

Back up towards Denver, we ate dinner at a place burned into my childhood, Casa Bonita (one of those, if you know, you know things) on Tuesday, October 22. Wednesday morning, before our flights, we had a delightful breakfast with Rob Miller and Roger Cabbage of Global Access 2030, one of our partners in clean water, and members of their team: Leah, Natalie, Wes, and Cali.

The trip was packed full! And we enjoyed every moment!

Now, we prepare for the end-of-year evaluations, tree seedling deliveries and planting, and, of course, Adopt-A-School 2025.