My Nonprofit Reviews

In February 2013 I volunteered for two and a half weeks at the Northern Jaguar Reserve, primarily assisting the Reserve Guardians with remote cameras. I came away very impressed with the quality and energy of all the people involved in this project - the young biologists, the vaqueros with their lifetime of local knowledge, and those involved with administration. I am also impressed with the model of involving human neighbors to the reserve, primarily cattle ranchers. As almost all conservationists involved with large cats realize, support by local people is crucial to the survival of predators.

The location of the reserve itself seems perfect - remote, relatively intact ecologically, varied, and close enough to the US border to possibly act as a source for emigration of jaguars to Arizona and New Mexico. There seem to be healthy populations of other mammals, including predacious cats, birds, and reptiles. Protecting jaguars as a keystone species here will also help protect many other species.

I came away with the sense that the vast majority of any dollar I contribute to this project will be used for direct acquisition and protection of habitat, or building the support necessary to preserve viable populations of jaguars at the northern edge of their range.

Eric Holle
Haines, Alaska

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