To benefit The Monteverde Conservation League U.S., Inc. on behalf of El Bosque Eterno de los Niños (Children’s Eternal Rainforest), Costa Rica

Join us for the inaugural fundraiser to launch the “Project Pacific” campaign of the Monteverde Conservation League U.S., Inc., the non-profit supporting the Children’s Eternal Rainforest in Monteverde, Costa Rica.

Twenty years ago, a single classroom of elementary school children in Sweden began a fundraising drive to purchase endangered habitat in Costa Rica.

Their enthusiasm spread to forty-four nations, and that international children’s campaign resulted in the creation of the largest private reserve in Central America.

Now it’s time to extend this private reserve westward towards the Pacific coast and restore the rainforest for ourselves — and our children.

$150 donation required to attend (entire donation goes to MCLUS)

For additional information and to RSVP please e-mail sara@mclus.org

The Forever Forest: Kids Save a Tropical Treasure by Kristin Pratt Serafini and Rachel Crandell

Just in time for the 20th anniversary of the Children’s Eternal Rainforest comes a gorgeously illustrated children’s book. Last year Kristin Pratt Serafini accompanied Rachel Crandell on a trip to El Bosque Eterno de los Niños to get to know the forest before she began her beautiful paintings. Her rich hues give a true picture of the colors of the rainforest of the BEN. The accurate and artistic depiction of the plants an animals are expounded upon in sidebars that accompany the text of the story. Peter and his mom, Anna, have come all the way from Sweden to visit the forest she helped to start in 1987 when she was a child. You, too, can hike with them and learn from Dwight and Rachel as they share the forest. This book is a celebration of the forest that has been preserved forever by the efforts of children all over the world!

“Never let anyone tell you that you can’t change the world. For the creatures that call the Children’s Eternal Rainforest HOME, the children who saved that forest made the difference between life and death. I feel so grateful that Rachel Crandell and Kristin Joy Pratt have finally told the story of El Bosque Eterno de los Nino’s testament to the power of children.” Lynne Cherry, author, The Great Kapok Tree

If you order your autographed copy from MCLUS directly, the entire profits (50%) will go to the BEN

Price: $16.95 plus postage and handling = $20
Please make out checks to “MCLUS” and send to 1128 Weidman Rd., Town and Country, MO 63017
ISBN 978-1-58469-101-3 Ages 5 to 11

Hollywood Gala for MCLUS May 8

Mark your calendars! You are invited to a star-studded Gala Party hosted by Daryl Hannah to celebrate the BEN and raise money to support the purchase of land to create a Pacific Slope corridor of reforested habitat. It will be held in Hollywood on May 8 at 7:30 p.m. The Gala tickets will be $150. Be the first to see the premiere of a short film about El Bosque Eterno de los Niños.

Costa Rica Adventure of a Lifetime July 14-27, 2008

Only a few spaces remain on the July 14-27, 2008 trip with outstanding guides focused on tropical conservation, wildlife viewing, great photographic opportunities, hiking, reforestation service project, rafting, visit to a school and local homes, etc. Two weeks for $1795 includes everything except airfare and departure tax. Deposit $200 will hold your spot. For more info see the www.mclus.org Ecotourism page or email Rachel at info@mclus.org.

Dwight passed away February 12, but his indomitable, generous, selfless, humble, problem-solving spirit will remain to encourage all of us who work in conservation. His example of patience and perseverance in the face of challenges will inspire us not to give up in every aspect of our lives, and certainly in the challenge of protecting the precious life in our forests.

Dwight and Rachel founded MCLUS in 2002 as a sister organization to the Monteverde Conservation League in Costa Rica. The goal of protecting tropical biodiversity in the Children’s Eternal Rainforest was given a huge boost when Dwight, as co-founder, treasurer and board member, gave his tireless support in the form of ideas, physical labor and financial help. His lifelong experience working in non-profits helped us set up the organization. His selfless giving of financial support inspired others to give. Dwight loved physical work. He was willing to pick up a hammer, a shovel, or a machete and lend a hand on any project that needed doing working alongside our Costa Rican friends. It didn’t matter if he was the donor or the manual laborer. In fact he was both!

Dwight lived to see the Children’s Eternal Rainforest make its first land acquisition since 1995 because of support from his work in MCLUS. As treasurer, he shepherded us in just 5 years to see our annual donations grow five times larger. We now have an endowment, thanks to Dwight’s foresight. His gentle love and devotion made him the best “shepherd” on our MCLUS trips to the Bosque Eterno de los Niños (BEN), as any of you who were on those trips could testify to. If you were tired, or your pack was too heavy, or your boots got stuck in the mud, Dwight was there at the end of the line to give a hand and lighten the load. He will be missed more than can be imagined, but his prayerful, God-centered life will be an example and inspiration always. Thank you, Dwight.

Donations can be made in Dwight’s name to MCLUS by mailing a check to:

Monteverde Conservation League, US
1128 Weidman Rd.
Town and Country, MO 63017

314-878-8427

You can visit http://mclus.org/give/donate-now/ to make a donation online.

Whole Foods Markets donate $103,699.50 to BEN

On January 30 all thirty-seven Whole Foods Markets in southern California donated 5% of their retail sales to the Children’s Eternal Rainforest! This amounted to over $100,000 that will be used to buy land and create corridors to be reforested. These restored areas will link the Bosque Eterno de los Niños (BEN) to lower elevation forest patches providing habitat and safe cover for migrating species. A huge thank you to Whole Foods, our second corporate sponsor. The check was awarded in the BEN on “the Big Hike.” Whole Foods has a history of outreach to support good works.

Left to Right: Michael Besancon, CEO of Whole Foods, S. California, Carlos Muñoz, Exec. Director of the Monteverde Conservation League, Costa Rica, Rachel Crandell, President of Monteverde Conservation League, US, Walter Robb, CEO of Whole Foods USA, Tom Newmark, CEO of New Chapter Vitamins.

7 CEOs Make the “BIG HIKE” Across the BEN

A glorious two day hike was especially arranged for the CEOs of seven natural products corporations to give them a firsthand encounter with the magnificent biodiversity of the BEN. Accompanied by forest guards, board members of MCL, biologists, and MCLUS President, the CEOs of Whole Foods, Seventh Generation, Nude Cosmetics, Pet Promise, Kopali Orgqanics, Luna Nuevos Extractos and New Chapter Vitamins made the two day hike from Monteverde to Poco Sol Field Station. Our days were filled with wading across rivers, scaling ridges, slipping down a landslide, meeting a venomous snake, staying overnight in the Refugio de Eladio in the heart of the BEN, watching white hawks soar over towering trees, hearing howler monkeys, smelling the mark of the puma, encountering a tarantula-hunting wasp and cloud forest anoles, feeling the high winds on the continental divide and finally resting by Laguna Poco Sol for a swim as reward for tired bodies.

A big thanks goes to Tom Newmark, MCLUS board member, for hatching the idea and bringing us all together to celebrate the forest and renew our efforts to protect and extend the BEN. Watch for an article in the NEW YORK TIMES soon in the business section. They sent a reporter and photographer to make “the big hike” with us!

Photo Caption:
Endangered frog species population thought extinct rediscovered in Children’s Eternal Rainforest, located in Monteverde, Costa Rica, benefits from online social networking contest.
Download Full Size

ST. LOUIS, Missouri (January 10, 2008) — Online social networking site Facebook.com is hosting a contest in partnership with The Case Foundation — the Causes Giving Challenge — that will award $50,000 to the non-profit organization that attracts the most individual donors over a 50-day period ending February 1, 2008. Out of over 50,000 individual registered Causes, one has been recently getting a lot of attention — the Children’s Eternal Rainforest. Only days after joining the contest, this group has rapidly risen to become the only environmental organization represented in the top 50 contest leaders.

While every group in the contest has a story to tell, the supporters of the Children’s Eternal Rainforest are particularly passionate about the prospect of winning the $50,000 grand prize. A species of tropical frog feared extinct (Lithobates vibicarius) was recently rediscovered within the Children’s Eternal Rainforest in Monteverde, Costa Rica. By participating in this contest, supporters hope to ensure the continued survival of this very rare species and continue the fight against global warming.

Award-winning environmental children’s book author and illustrator Kristin Joy Pratt-Serafini entered the Cause into the contest, anticipating the release of her latest book, The Forever Forest: Kids Save a Tropical Treasure (Dawn Publications, 2008). This true story describes how, in 1987, one class of 2nd graders in Sweden started a movement that would eventually become the largest nature private reserve in Central America.

Kristin wrote and illustrated her first book, A Walk in the Rainforest (Dawn Publications, 1992), when she was a freshman in high school. “Concern for the Children’s Eternal Rainforest inspired me to make my first book. The rainforest was a big deal in the nineties. It should still be a big deal today,” Kristin says. “It seemed natural to join this contest, and try to inspire a new generation of environmental leaders. If the Children’s Eternal Rainforest has taught me anything, it is to never underestimate the power of motivated youth. Facebook just ‘Friended’ the forest.”

The rules of the contest are simple — Facebook members click a “Join” or “Donate” button to become supporters of the Cause and contribute to its chances for winning the grand prize. The group that gets the most individual donations wins $50,000. People who haven’t yet registered for the popular site can easily create a free account to participate in the contest and help their chosen cause.

Rachel Crandell is the founder and president of the Monteverde Conservation League, U.S.: the non-profit responsible for collecting contributions to the Children’s Eternal Rainforest. “I’m very grateful for all the new donations that have been pouring in,” says Rachel. “Last year we collected just over $100,000, using traditional fundraising methods, to help preserve more rainforest and protect biodiversity. Winning the $50,000 in this online contest would be a huge help to ensure that the endangered animals endemic to the Children’s Eternal Rainforest will be protected forever.”

This contest is revealing a whole new generation of young and eager philanthropic givers who are willing to donate their time, money and attention to deserving causes such as the Children’s Eternal Rainforest. It demonstrates the power of social networking sites to make a real difference with their millions of motivated members.

The Causes Giving Challenge leader board can be found here:
http://apps.facebook.com/causes/giving

The Children’s Eternal Rainforest Cause page can be viewed here:
http://apps.facebook.com/causes/view_cause/53587

About the Children’s Eternal Rainforest
Swedish school children started a worldwide effort in 1987 by sending money to Monteverde, Costa Rica to purchase rain forest and protect its priceless natural treasures forever. Today children from 44 nations have helped The Children’s Eternal Rainforest become the largest private reserve in Central America, 54,000 acres.

To learn more about the Children’s Eternal Rainforest, please visit http://www.mclus.org.

Contact: Rachel Crandell
Tel: (314) 878-8427
Email: info@mclus.org

It’s been a long time coming, but the Monteverde Conservation League
now has a page on Facebook, so all our friends can join our Cause and
help promote saving the rainforest.

Right now, in fact, if you join our Cause group in the next 20 hours
on Facebook and donate $10 or more, you can help us be awarded $1,000
simply for having the largest number of donors in one day. So your $10
could help push us over the limit and save even more of the precious
rainforest lands that we all love!

Also, over the next 50 days, if we can get just 180 more people to join our Facebook Cause and donate at least $10 then we will be eligible to possibly win $10,000. If we can manage to get the most donors of anyone we can win $50,000 to help save the rainforest. So please, tell everyone you know who has a Facebook account to please, join the Cause and help us shoot for the moon and try to win that $50,000! Also, if you don’t have a Facebook account, getting one set up takes about 2 minutes, is free and easy. Don’t forget to donate at least $10 through the application to help us win big. Thanks!

Click here to join the MCLUS Facebook cause!

MCLUS’ annual trip to the Children’s Eternal Rainforest offers a wilderness experience with expert guides. Learn about tropical conservation efforts in 5 different life zones! Two weeks for only $1795 plus airfare.

Lost Frog Species Found Again in Monteverde

Recently during fieldwork in the forest, Mark Wainwright of Monteverde and Andrew Gray, Curator of Herpetology for the Manchester Museum, UK led a group searching for frogs. They discovered Isthmohyla rivularis, a hylid frog that had not been observed in the region since the amphibian population crash there in the 1980s. The rediscovery was made during a very long hike to establish the status of the last known population of another species, Lithobates vibicarius. We are also pleased to report that they found a healthy population of Lithobates vibicarius as well. Several hundred animals, including numerous breeding pairs, juveniles and egg clutches were found.

GPS coordinates taken during the Monteverde expedition show unequivocally that the entire population of Lithobates vibicarius – the last known population in the world – lives within the Children’s Eternal Rainforest. Likewise, the entire population of Isthmohyla rivularis – also the last known population in the world – lives within the Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve. Thus, each protected area has its own endemic and highly endangered amphibian species. We hope this fact will serve as further inspiration for those who work for or support these two important conservation organizations.

Emberá Stories Never Before Written Soon to be Published

MCLUS has a hand in saving endangered stories from being lost, the ancient stories of the Emberá, indigenous people of Panama. Rachel has been video recording the storytellers from 12 villages along the Sambu River in the remote Darien jungle. So far 89 stories have been recorded and 35 transcribed into Emberá and translated into Spanish and English. Volume 1 is soon to be published with 22 stories in Spanish and English. The hope is to have 3 volumes in Emberá and Spanish with enough copies to distribute to all Emberá village classrooms.

MCLUS’ Biggest Year Yet Thanks to YOU

We are so grateful for increased support from our wonderful donors. As our story gets told more widely, we gain more partners and more donations. In 2007 you contributed over $100,000 that is enabling us to help expand and protect the precious biodiversity of the Children’s Eternal Rainforest. THANK YOU and Happy New Year!

Photo by Dale Morris

The Children’s Eternal Rainforest, fondly known as the BEN, (Bosque Eterno de los Niños) has been included as part of a new Biosphere Reserve in Costa Rica under UNESCO and given the name of “Agua y Paz.” The BEN is one of the core areas of the 916 hectare (2300 acres) Biosphere Reserve adopted in Paris on September 19, 2007 by a unanimous vote.

MCLUS Namibia Trip in October a Success

Photo by Gay Townsend

The first MCLUS trip outside of Costa Rica recently returned from Namibia. Fifteen travelers accompanied Rachel Crandell on a journey that focused on conservation in Africa. We were treated to sightings of southern right whales, bottle-nosed dolphins, Cape fur seals and endemic Benguela dolphins in Walvis Bay while we learned about the sustainable harvest of oysters and guano there. Grootberg Lodge in the Damara Desert is a community-operated lodge built and run by local people as part of sustainable development. We donated school supplies and money to an AIDS “orphanage” on our way to Etosha National Park. As it was the end of the dry season, vast numbers of wildlife congregated at the waterholes and made for spectacular photo opportunities. We saw 83 elephants, 35 lions and scores of giraffe, warthogs, rhino, ostrich, thousands of springbok, and zebra, kudu, wildebeest, impala, gemsbok, dik dik, hartebeest, and one leopard. We tented at the Cheetah Conservation site and were treated to a close encounter with cheetahs on the run. Cape Griffon Vultures are among the most endangered of Namibia’s birds. We learned about their importance and plight, as well as the efforts to save them. Baboons were everywhere! A visit to a Himba village gave us a peek into the traditional culture of these indigenous people of the Kaokoveld.

New Intern

Gay Townsend joins MCLUS as volunteer intern helping with a multitude of tasks while earning her degree in Environmental Studies. We are grateful for her willing hands as she learns the ins-and-outs of running a nonprofit conservation organization.

Rachel’s Trip and Presentations to Schools and Friends

Katherine, Ben and Elaine along with their moms, dad and grandmother had the adventure of a lifetime. Friends in their schools and homeschool group in Scottsville New York, St Louis. MO and O´Fallon, IL made major contributions to the Children´s Eternal Rainforest, El Bosque Eterno de los Niños (the BEN) and as a result these three student ambassadors were given a free trip to Costa Rica to learn firsthand about protecting the rainforest. Their donations were celebrated by the Monteverde Conservation League staff with a certificate, a BEN T-shirt and a BEN hat. Back home they will spread the word of the value of saving tropical ecosystems and their biodiversity. You can check out messages from past student ambassadors to the BEN on www.rainforest kid.com

Teacher Trip to the BEN

Teachers from Oregon to Florida received graduate credit for a twp week trip to the BEN full of education and adventure with a dual focus on tropical ecology and nature journaling. The art component was added to this year´s two week MCLUS Costa Rica trip with great results. Lee Ogle, an artist from Portland, Oregon, provided wonderful lessons and examples for the teachers whose journals soon were festooned with colorful art of what they had been seeing and hearing in the rainforest. Their mind-expanding experience was filled with wilderness, erupting volcano, waterfalls, professors and biologists as guides, a moving visit to a rural school, river rafting, time spent in five different types of rainforest, and friendship with local families including a lesson in tortilla making. They have much to share with their students when they return to their classrooms in September.

The Christian Science Monitor’s front page article, “The Rain Forest’s Vanishing Species” June 21, 2007 gives a clear and detailed account of Monteverde’s dilemma caused by climate change. The Children’s Eternal Rainforest is 6 times bigger than the Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve and surrounds it on 3 sides, thereby granting a huge extension of the ecosystem, providing habitat and buffer zone. The article by Moises Velasquez-Manoff also explains why “corridors” are so important. That is exactly what we are fundraising for right now. Reading and sharing this article by Moises Velasquez-Manoff with friends will help to spread the word about our mission.

The five page article can be read and videos viewed online at www.csmonitor.com/2007/0621/p25s06-sten.html

SLRA Grant given to MCLUS

The St. Louis Rainforest Advocates gives grants each year to aid scientific research and grassroots organizations that further the cause of tropical rainforests. This year they awarded the $900 grant to MCLUS: $400 toward land purchase, $400 toward environmental education and $100 for the native plant vivero at Bajo del Tigre. Many thanks to SLRA for their support.

Hands of the Maya in Fifth Printing

Henry Holt publishers just ran a fifth printing of Rachel Crandell’s children’s book that provides the money for the scholarship fund to send Maya children to high school in Belize. Long live the scholarship fund and more reprints!