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Created by IDEA student.
The IDEA students at West Middle School did a fund raiser
to buy rainforest acreage.
For one week, a change drive was held.
We also sold rainforest bookmarks.
At the end of the fund-raiser we had collected $280, which
bought 8 acres of land at $35 an acre.
We bought rainforest in Guatemala under the stewardship
of the Nature Conservancy.
Our donation is helping to buy a portion of rainforest
that is a 22,500-acre property known as Centro Compesino in the
Sierra de Lacandon National Park. This region along the border
of Guatemala and Mexico, is one of the most biologically
diverse places in the area. It is home to many endangered species,
such as the jaguar, pygmy anteater, ocelot, tapir, and several
monkey species.
The area is vital as a wintering ground for songbirds
as well as providing year-long habitat for the highly endangered
scarlet macaw. The plants are so lush that up to 80 major plant
species may be found in one acre alone! Among them are the mahogany
tree and the Spanish cedar.
