Fountain Valley School | 10–13 March 2026
Fountain Valley School has been coming to Las Casas de la Selva since 2013. Each group steps into work that is already underway and leaves something that continues beyond them.
This year’s visit, March 10 to 13, was a wet one; but it did not slow us down. The students were willing to stay put in the heaviest of showers.
The students got straight into practical work. A hillside drainage ditch was cleared to restore proper water flow and stabilize the slope. On another bank, they built a debris dam to slow erosion and hold soil in place. Hard, manual labor, but critical in this terrain.
We also continued longer-term conservation work. Six Garcinia portoricensis (Palo de Cruz) were planted out. These trees come from our 2021 collaboration with Botanic Gardens Conservation International. What started as propagation in the nursery is now moving into the forest. This is multi-year work and each group becomes part of that chain.
See more here: https://eyeontherainforest.org/plant-conservation/
Nursery work was carried out alongside this. Seedlings were tended and the nursery was raked of leaves and cleaned up. Drainage work on the main drive was also completed, which is essential to keeping access intact during heavy rains.
The group worked with focus and good energy throughout. Mercury and Jon led the crews with 3t, and the students were willing to take on whatever was needed. On the ethnobotanical trail, half the group worked on drainage ditches and the other half on clearing overgrowth. The work on razor grass clearing was a challenge, but all the students worked really hard and withstood the heavy downpours.
Evenings were boisterous and fun, with food and conversations, time off all devices, and the forest providing an intense peace and tranquility. An afternoon of conversations encouraged teenagers to interact with someone they had not spent much with.
Monique and Jaguey kept everyone well-fed with delicious meals. That part matters more than people realize. Happy teenagers are well-fed teenagers!!
3t, Jon Warwick, and Mercury were crew leaders. Thank you to Deb Prantl and Sue Tibbets for their continued leadership and for bringing these groups here year after year. The work gets done, but more importantly, the students leave having experienced something direct and real. And the forest holds the rest.
Fountain Valley School | 10–13 March 2026
