People of Las Casas de la Selva

Montessori-Guillermo Riefkohl, Patillas, 25-26 May 2023

A Magical Night in the Rainforest : Endangered Species & An Unforgettable Experience for Students of Montessori-Guillermo Riefkohl, Patillas, 25th – 26th May 2023.

Deep in the heart of Patillas, located on the southern coast of Puerto Rico, sits a Montessori school, Escuela Guillermo Riefkohl. Steeped in rich traditions, the school is not just an educational institution, but a place where kids are nurtured and encouraged to explore the world beyond the textbook. Education is not confined within the four walls of a classroom; it’s about fostering a love for learning, teaching an appreciation for our surroundings, and nurturing an inquisitive spirit. The opportunity to spend a night in the rainforest is just one example of the extraordinary experiences that this local school offers its students, ensuring they grow not just academically, but also emotionally and with an environmental consciousness.

Recently, they embarked on an adventure that will forever be etched in their memories: a night under the canopy of the rainforest at Las Casas de la Selva.

Las Casas de la Selva, located in the forested mountains of Carite in Patillas, is a 40 year old sustainable forestry and rainforest enrichment project, a sanctuary of Puerto Rico’s native flora and fauna. The spectacular location brims with life, from the humble coquis – the island’s charming, melodious frogs – to anoles, stick insects, and an array of beetles, painting a vivid picture of the island’s biodiversity.

Escuela Guillermo Riefkohl students, aged 11 and 12, were lucky enough to spend a night amidst this thriving wilderness. This venture was more than just a school trip. For many, it represented their first journey away from the comforting confines of their homes and the warm, familiar embrace of their parents. For some, this was their first voyage into the rainforest, an ecosystem so different from their urban surroundings, filled with the thrill of uncharted territory and the promise of discovery.

A million thanks to the great teachers behind this project, Ilianexcis Pérez and Teresa Sabtiago. Their dedication and passion for education went beyond the standard curriculum, opening up a world of natural wonders for the young learners. They understood the immeasurable value in letting kids breathe the wild air, touch the damp earth, and listen to the soothing symphony of the rainforest – experiences that kindle a lifelong fascination with nature. Dedicated staff team also included Angela, Caesar, and Alexis, with their expertise and unwavering commitment, played a pivotal role in making this expedition safe, educational, and immensely enjoyable for the kids. Monique Nieves, chef, provided nutritious & delicious meals.

The students were there to spend time with 3t (Thrity Vakil, director), to discover and learn about the rare and endangered plant species that 3t and her botanical team are working with, in collaboration with The Botanical Gardens Conservation International. Namely Palo de Cruz (Garcinia portoricensis), and Tortuga Prieto (Ravenia urbanii), as well as several other critically endangered species such as Palo de Nigua (Cornutia obovata), and Palo de Jazmin (Styrax portoricensis).

From the dense canopy overhead to the rich soil underfoot, every inch of the rainforest is teeming with life, and much of this life is a mystery, just waiting to be unraveled. It was under the guidance 3t, that the students of Escuela Guillermo Riefkohl ventured into this unexplored wilderness. As the director of Las Casas de la Selva, 3t and her botanical team are spearheading efforts to understand and conserve some of the rainforest’s most precious inhabitants.

An integral part of their visit was the chance to delve deep into the world of two incredibly rare and endangered plant species – Palo de Cruz (Garcinia portoricensis) and Tortuga Prieto (Ravenia urbanii). These are not just plants, but living fragments of Puerto Rico’s unique biological heritage, struggling for survival in an increasingly threatened ecosystem.

Guided by 3t’s passion and expertise, the students embarked on an exciting journey of discovery. They learned about these plants, the role of diversity inthe complex web of rainforest life, and the urgent need for their conservation. Through hands-on experience, they saw, touched, and understood the critical work 3t and her team are doing to preserve these species for future generations.

Imagine their wide-eyed awe as they beheld the seedlings of Palo de Cruz, a species as enigmatic as it is rare, with its glossy leaves and sharp point, or the Tortuga Prieto, trees found nowhere else in the world but Puerto Rico. They discussed the challenges faced by these plants, felt the urgency of their plight, and hopefully understood the profound importance of conservation work.

By inviting the students into this world, 3t opened their eyes to the miracles of the rainforest and the dire need to protect it. With every leaf they turned, every question they asked, and every answer they discovered, the students were not only learning about the world around them but also their role in it. And who knows, perhaps among those students, inspired by 3t’s work, is a future botanist or conservationist, ready to take up the torch and continue the fight for Puerto Rico’s incredible natural heritage.

The children of Escuela Guillermo Riefkohl were not merely visitors, but rather explorers for the night, embarking on an unforgettable journey of discovery. Imagine the laughter echoing through the forest as the kids played games, their wide-eyed wonder at the sight of anole lizards disappearing into the foliage, the joy of spotting a stick insect camouflaged on a branch, and the awestruck silence as they listened to the nocturnal serenade of coquis under the starlit sky.

This enchanting encounter with the rainforest was more than just a night of fun. It was a vital, transformative educational experience that has, undoubtedly, shaped these children’s perception of the natural world. As they walked away from Las Casas de la Selva, they carried with them not just memories of a thrilling adventure, but a newfound respect for nature, understanding of biodiversity, and a spark of curiosity that will hopefully fuel their quest for knowledge for years to come.

Fare forward traveler.

We are so sad to share the news of the passing of Sally Eva Silverstone, also known as Sierra, who was the director of Las Casas de la Selva from 1997 to 2007.
On 24th September 2020, she passed away in Bali, where she has lived for the last decade working with the Biosphere Foundation.

I met Sierra in 1999, having arrived at Synergia Ranch full of the excitement of a three-year voyage on the RV Heraclitus. I was ready for anything. For four years we were co-chefs on the annual 2 weeks African Drum & Dance Bantu Festival. I remember the day Sierra asked me if I wanted to go to Las Casas de la Selva to help her run Earthwatch Teams. I knew very little about the project, but suddenly I was planning a whole new life adventure. Christmas in Puerto Rico. I jumped in whole-heartedly and arrived in a rainforest, culture, and country I knew nothing about. Soon I was working with Sierra on regular trips from Santa Fe to PR at least four times a year.
Sierra and Mark had made a successful proposal to The Earthwatch Institute to survey the hardwood plantations of the project. Sierra had been involved in the early 80s when the tree planting started, and 40,000 valuable hardwood trees were planted at that time. We spent many happy hours in the forest leading teams of citizen scientists from all over the world, measuring hundreds of trees over several years, and I always admired Sierra’s forthright way of dealt with everyone, and we had a few nutters who signed onto Earthwatch Teams along the way! I learned so much about the forest at that time.

Sierra always encouraged me in everything at Las Casas, and in 2003, we headed up our first harvesting of Blue Mahoe, with a small crew. In 2004 Sierra gave me the reins to take on the wood production side of the project, and we carried out another successful harvest, milling, and drying. I give thanks today that Sierra had confidence in me and gave me the freedom to manifest. That manifestation continues today, and I know that Sierra, wherever she is now, is beaming and nodding her head at the project’s blossoming.
Fareforward traveler.
Thrity

Elegy to Sierra

What is the measure of a life well-lived,
How to say what gave her pleasure
Or to the watching world gave meaning?
Was it trees and plants that grew
Remembering the gardener that was you
Or laughter tinkling in the air,
Echoes of you who once was there?
Or drums and bells the living made
To honor you once you were gone,
The chants and songs the community sang
To carry you on your way, to tend the flames,
To transform our body into diamond dust,
Then launch your swan upon the Silver Sea
Such tenderness and love,
I couldn`t wish more for me!


Richards Druitt

Here is an album of images to share together as we remember dear Sierra.

E. E. King volunteers at Las Casas de la Selva, June 2016

Writer, biologist and artist, Evie King came to volunteer and worked on many diverse projects around the homestead, painted some cheerful frogs and lizards onto the bare walls of el teatro, and also helped out with managing a teen Earthwatch team. Evie first came here in 2005 to partake in some of our earlier Earthwatch research expeditions. Thank you Evie, we really appreciated having you here! And thanks for all the chocolate! (more about Evie below)

E.E. King is a performer, writer, biologist and painter. Ray Bradbury calls her stories “marvelously inventive, wildly funny and deeply thought provoking. I cannot recommend them highly enough.” Her books are;” Dirk Quigby’s Guide to the Afterlife,” “Real Conversations with Imaginary Friends,” “The Adventures of Emily Finfeather – The Feathernail and Other Gifts” and “Another Happy Ending.” She has won numerous awards and been published widely. She is the recipient of two International Tides painting fellowships, and two international biology Earthwatch grants. She was an adviser for the J. Paul Getty’s and the Science Center’s, Arts &; Science program. She was the Science and Arts coordinator in Bosnia with Global Children’s Organization (a summer camp for war orphans and refugees) in 2000. She was the founding Arts & Sciences Director for Esperanza Community Housing Corporation . She has worked with children in Bosnia, crocodiles in Mexico, frogs in Puerto Rico, egrets in Bali, mushrooms in Montana, archaeologists in Spain and planted butterfly gardens in South Central Los Angeles. https://www.elizabetheveking.com/

John Allen, Founder of Las Casas de la Selva, May 2016 visit.

Johnny came to visit for the month of May. Here is a link to more images of his time here. Pic credits: 3t Vakil, Irving Rappaport, Andres Rua.

John Polk Allen is a systems ecologist and engineer, metallurgist, adventurer and writer. He is best known as the inventor and Director of Research of Biosphere 2, the world’s largest laboratory of global ecology, and was the founder of Synergia Ranch. Allen is a proponent of the science of biospherics. Allen has also conceived and co-founded nine other projects around the world, pioneering in sustainable co-evolutionary development. He studied anthropology and history at Northwestern, Stanford, and Oklahoma Universities, and served in the U.S. Army’s Engineering Corps as a machinist. He graduated from Colorado School of Mines and received an MBA with High Distinction from the Harvard Business School.

In the early 1960s, Allen headed a special metals team at Allegheny-Ludlum Steel Corporation which developed over thirty alloys to product status. Allen worked on regional development projects with David Lillienthal’s Development Resources Corporation in the U.S., Iran, and Côte d’Ivoire where he became an expert in complex regional development. In the mid-1960s Allen and a group of associates attempted a solder flux company that failed. He has led expeditions studying ecology, particularly the ecology of early civilizations: Nigeria, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Tibet, Turkey, India, and the Altiplano.

Allen began the first manned Biosphere Test Module experiment in September 1988, residing in the almost fully recyclable closed ecological system environment for three days and setting a world record at that time, proving that closed ecological systems would work with humans inside. As the vice-president of Biospheric Development for the project, as well as Executive Chairman, Allen was responsible for the science and engineering that created the materially closed life system, as well as the development of spin-off technologies.

Allen currently serves as Chairman of Global Ecotechnics, an international project development and management company with a Biospheric Design Division engaged in designing and preparing to build the second generation of advanced materially closed biospheric systems and ecologically enriched biomic systems; in the EcoFrontiers Division he owns and operates innovative sustainable ecological projects of which he was the co-founder and chief designer in France, Australia (5000 acre savannah regeneration project), Puerto Rico (1000 acre sustainable rainforest project) and England.

He is Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, the Linnean Society, and the Explorers Club.

Johnny’s invention, Biosphere 2, the world’s largest laboratory of global ecology. Biosphere 2 set a number of world records in closed life system work including degree of sealing tightness, 100% waste recycle and water recycle, and duration of human residence within a closed system (eight people for two years, early 90s).

Under the pen name Johnny Dolphin, Allen has chronicled his personal history alongside the social history of his many destinations in novels, poetry, short stories, and plays. https://www.synergeticpress.com/authors/john-allen/


Lucilla Fuller Marvel, AICP, PPL, and Buckminster Fuller Institute Board Secretary, has more than 30 years of experience in urban and social planning, housing and community development in Puerto Rico. Since establishing Taller de Planificacia’s Social (Social Planning Workshop), a consulting firm, in 1973, she has worked with community organizations, private entities, and city and state governments in the preparation of needs analysis, social sector studies, housing plans, and strategic plans. Ms. Marvel co-founded the non- profit Puerto Rico Housing Network in 1996. She is also a member of the Board for the Center for the New Economy, a recently created independent think tank in Puerto Rico and the Chana and Samuel Levis Foundation.

L-R: Corey, Denise, George, Miho, Magha, Flash, 3t, Johnny, Irving and Andres. May 2016

Pic credits: 3t Vakil, Irving Rappaport, Andres Rua.
Link to Google image album https://goo.gl/photos/wcYZHEXxiKe9muc68

San Francisco Day School with Globalworks, May 2016!

This May another 60 students from San Francisco Day school came to Puerto Rico along with their staff, and on a Globalworks organized trip, they stayed all over the island, spending valuable time at Las Casas de la Selva, (20 at a time) during some torrential rainy weather, helping us with the mixing and pouring of a a new cement floor. Thanks to Globalworks staff, Ari W, Luis Bertolo, and PR Globalworks Director, Scott Page. The work was led by Andrés Rúa, and Norman Greenhawk. Thanks to Ricardo Valles, Alex Figueroa and Joel Bernier, for help with all the work. Yara Solis gave three full-on Salsa Dance classes, and Magha Garcia provided some of the finest Puerto Rican food on the island! Thanks to 3t Vakil and Irving Rappaport for images.

Thank you everyone, for all the great energy, even through some of the worst weather we have had this year!

Earthwatch Expedition – December into January 2016

Back row L-R: Inset, Israel Guzman, Herb Wexler, Janet Richards, Kamal Daghistani, Ziyou Yang, Diane Bentz, Julio Rodriguez. Front: Magha Garcia, Marigail Bentz, Chari Kauffman, Danny Nip, Patricia Salomon, Riona Kobayashi, 3t Vakil, Andres Rua.

Israel Guzman, President of SOPI, led the team into the forest for the first Winter Bird Surveys at Las Casas de la Selva. Marta Edgar previously carried out two years of surveys in the summer months with Earthwatch volunteers.

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