Reports from Planet Drum Staff
Eco-Ecuador Project 2009

Index to 2009 Reports, Set 1 (Dec. 29,'08-Jan.31,2009)

Field Report #1

Clay Plager-Unger
Field Projects Manager
Planet Drum Foundation
December 29, 2008-January 16, 2009

Note: Click on photos for larger picture 

Summary: House repairs continued. Stakes for tree markers are cut and painted. A new site at Bosque Encantado is created.

Completed house repairs include (but are not limited to):

• hiring a contractor to repaint the front of the house,
• refinishing the Planet Drum sign,
• repairing the sign's metal hanger that was in danger of falling to the sidewalk below,
• overhauling a bathroom that never functioned (the house now has two full bathrooms),
• repairing the stove,
• repairing the main door that never quite shut correctly,
• fixing volunteer beds,
• electrical wiring repairs,
• changing a burnt out hot-water shower switch,
• installing a second light in the kitchen for improved lighting,
• installing door handles and fixing doors that never shut correctly,
• removal of two pickup trucks worth of materials that will either be recycled as building materials at the greenhouse or thrown away,
• along with general cleaning of all of the rooms and stairwell.

Over a week was dedicated to cutting hundreds and hundreds of Neem stakes for identification of the trees we will plant at the new revegetation sites. We were joined by three volunteers who passed by and came to work for a day around New Year's and then by a couple of local kids who wanted to help paint stake tops another day. Each stake needs to have a point cut with the machete so that it can be pushed into the dirt. The opposite point is shaved of bark and then painted with the 2009 identification color: yellow. Last year was red.    

On Monday the 12^th Jaime and I dropped off compost from our apartment at the greenhouse and took care of weeding of the trees. From there we walked to Maria Dolores to scout for another new site and attempt to locate some landowners to discuss possibilities for planting. Along the way we checked up on sites at Don Pepe and above the houses in the small barrio there. 

Clay stands next to an Algarrobo tree planted at Don Pepe in February 2007.

Several of the trees above the barrio were still visible from the road, despite problems with neighbors repeatedly planting corn in between the trees. The 2008 Don Pepe site looks good, many of the trees survived the transplanting and first dry season. The 2007 site has some really healthy looking trees, particularly some Algarrobo's. We talked to Don Pepe about landowners for more sites and got the name of a landowner for a nice looking hillside.

Tuesday we cut more stakes.    

Jaime hacking trails at Ricardo's farm, aka Bosque Encantado.

Wednesday and Thursday Jaime and I broke trail at the 2009 Bosque Encantado site.  Thursday, Planet Drum surfer friend Blas joined us for some machete action.

On Friday, with the new volunteer, Marketa from the Czech Republic, who will be spending 2 months with us, we dug nearly all of the holes. Hole digging has become 2 to 3 times more difficult since the rains have begun due to the high percentage of clay in the soil. Thankfully, not counting the new Bosque Encantado site, we already have 1,332 holes dug.

The rainy season has kicked in with frequent night time drizzles and the occasional nighttime downpour along with excessive humidity and a broiling hot sun. Planting begins next week!

            Pásalo bien,
                  Clay

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 In Mid-January before planting began, Clay sent this inventory. 

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Field Report #2

Clay Plager-Unger
Field Projects Manager
Planet Drum Foundation
January 19, 2009-January 31, 2009

Note: Click on photos for larger picture   

Summary: Light rains marked the commencement of the rainy season and we mobilized with tree planting at sites that were waiting with trails and holes already prepared. A new volunteer has joined the planting effort and more are on the way. Email is being flooded with prospective volunteers. And Clay and Jaeson paid a visit to the Planet Drum Bioregional Institute land.

Jaime organizes trees at the greenhouse.	On Monday we went to the greenhouse to do some tree organizing for planting at sites around Bahia (3 Astillero sites and the Rattys site). Trees were moved out of the greenhouse and into groups according to their site.
Clay and Marketa riding in a truck with the trees.	Tuesday we drove to the greenhouse with a hired truck and loaded the trees that were there waiting. Two trips were made from Kilometro 8 to Bahia, delivering over 450 trees. Once the trees were delivered, they were carried uphill to one of the sites in el Astillero.

Wednesday, volunteer Marketa was sick so Jaime and I planted the Rattys site (65 trees).

Thursday both Marketa and Jaime were sick and I took care of some Planet Drum land business at the local registry office and hired roofers to fix some leaks in the apartment.

Planet Drum friends Franco and Paolo planting a Guachepeli in el Astillero.	On Friday the first of three sites in el Astillero (115 trees) was planted.
Ramon helps carry trees up the hillside in el Astillero.	The following Monday and Tuesday, the other two Astillero sites (165 and 103 trees) were planted. Cheo and Ramon joined to help out with the work.
Jaime carries trees up the stairs at the Astillero revegetation site.
Marketa planting an Algarrobo tree.

On Wednesday compost was dropped off at the greenhouse and the plants were weeded. Then trees were delivered to the revegetation site at Bosque Encantado (Ricardito's farm).

Marketa and Jaime working in the greenhouse.
Jaime digging up very large Jaboncillo trees, the roots of which have grown through the holes in the bottle of the plastic bottles.
Jaime with a Jaboncillo tree.

On Thursday the Bosque Encantado site (141 trees) was planted.

On Friday more identification stakes were painted and the trees at the Bosque Encantado site were marked with stakes.

So far, 6 sites with a total of 901 trees have been planted.

Saturday I visited the PDF land with Jaeson, Planet Drum’s land partner.

A view of a ridge on the Planet Drum land. In the foreground are lowlands and grasses growing by a seasonal creek.	We explored potential development locations. A ridgeline and some lowlands were discovered and provide very interesting locations for buildings, agriculture and revegetation.
Jaeson digs up a soil sample.	Soil samples were taken to explore the possibility of making adobe houses.

It was an exciting trip, tainted only by the fact that evidence was found that neighbors have been cutting and taking wood from us. This provides further motivation to begin projects soon to discourage further raiding.

             Pásalo bien,
                  Clay

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Letter

Mark Hebard
Volunteer and Henchperson
Planet Drum Foundation, San Francisco
February 18, 2009

[Mark has been aiding and abetting Planet Drum's activities from San Francisco for the past six years. He traveled with Peter Berg to Bahia this February.]

The last two days in Ecuador have been strenuous and inspiring.

Yesterday Peter and I traveled with all the volunteers by ferry across the bay to San Vicente and then by bus up the Rio Chone river to a farm owned by the widow of a geologist. She does animal rescue for cats and dogs, and lives with a daughter and has a farm hand or two. She grows fruit and makes handicrafts to sell. Her home is on the side of the river across the road from all the shrimp farms that line the other side of the river for miles. She asked Planet Drum to come and discuss converting her farm to an organic operation and asked if she could come to the Planet Drum facilities in Bahia to learn the methods. Then with a guide with a machete we climbed a couple of miles up the mountain side of her property among the mosquitoes and heat to what was left of virgin forest at the steepest parts. These forest areas haven’t been logged for all the exotic and rare trees because of the inaccessibility for cutting and bringing the trees down. It was a very hard hike and it took about 3 hours. When we returned to her farmhouse she had prepared large amounts of fresh ice-cold passion fruit juice. We talked for an hour or so and then left. We went out on to the dirt river road to wait for a bus that runs about hourly. This time Ramon, one of the local volunteers and a school teacher stuck out his thumb and we all, 7 people, clambered on to the back of a truck loaded with green bananas and rode back to the ferry. Crossing the river back to Bahia was beautiful because the sun was setting behind the city and we got some great photos. Two of the Swedish women volunteers, who stayed behind, had cooked up a wonderful dinner and baked bananas in their skins with chocolate squares packed inside.

Today Peter, Clay (who runs the Planet Drum effort here), his Dad, and Jaeson and I took the bus a 7 AM to the road that leads to the property Planet Drum bought to begin a Bioregional Institute. Another mountainous hike maybe 8 miles in and up to a section of virgin forest and jungle. Luckily it was overcast and the lack of heat from direct sunlight helped us get up and back. We hiked back out and flagged down another bus and then took tricycle (pedal taxis) back to town. Peter, one of the Swedish woman (30 years old), and I had lunch at the Columbian restaurant here. Mangrove crab soup, and apple slices spiced with Columbian spices, and the covered in melted local cheese and fried, lentils and rice and fresh vegetables. The lunch for the 3 of us was 6 bucks.
 
The city is beginning to fill up with tourists from Ecuador for Carnival next week and we have put together a contingent for the Planet Drum EcoCity Project which includes all the school kids that come to study with and help us. They chose to dress up as frogs and are putting together their version of a “frog dance” for the parade. I made posters for all the barrios announcing an open house on Monday with cultural activities and tours of our greenhouses and a green festival. We are also offering a 200 dollar prize divided between the best barrio parade presentation and the best decorated tricycle cab.

I am feeling pretty good and sleeping well. No sickness and the mosquitoes are leaving me alone for the most part.

More later,
Mark

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