Monthly Newsletter June 2023 |
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Read about our news and latest updates. |
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Para leer el boletín en español as clic en el botón. To read Spanish version click on the button. | | |
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mano-Y-ola to Start Monthly Newsletter Focused on Forestry |
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A test flight by a drone that will be used in the Hispanic Forest Landowners Outreach Program captured this aerial view of Finca Bien-Estar. Photo by mano-Y-ola. |
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Starting today, on Thursday, June 15th, we will be sending out a monthly newsletter featuring news and updates about mano-Y-ola’s work on the Hispanic Forest Landowners Outreach Program (HFLOP). Follow us as we explore topics around empowering Hispanic forest landowners across the United States and its territories. The newsletter’s first issue will give readers an inside look into the work of mano-Y-ola’s Chief Agronomist, Heriberto Martínez Méndez, who is using innovative technology as he conducts in-person surveys of 50 forest landowners in Puerto Rico. In future issues, we also plan to feature leading Hispanic voices on forest management and education, share information on best practices for forest conservation, and write about our Annual Hispanic Farmers and Agricultural Professionals Symposium. The newsletter will be published in Spanish and English. We also welcome your suggestions for what you would like to read about in our newsletter. Please email courtney.columbus@mano-y-ola.com to share your ideas.
Thank you, and we hope you enjoy the newsletter! mano-Y-ola’s Forestry Team
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Using Innovative Technology to Connect with Landowners in Puerto Rico |
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mano-Y-ola Continues Survey of Hispanic Forest Landowners |
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Adrian Parrott (left) and Heriberto Martínez Méndez (right) practice flying a drone at Heriberto’s farm, Finca Bien-Estar, in Las Marias, Puerto Rico. Photo by mano-Y-ola. |
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Las Marías, Puerto Rico — At a farm in Puerto Rico’s lush western mountains, a drone buzzes overhead, filming video of rows of neatly planted crops and verdant hillsides dotted with trees. It also catches glimpses of the tropical forest beyond. Adrian Parrott, Program Manager with mano-Y-ola, and Heriberto Martínez Méndez, mano-Y-ola’s Chief Agronomist and president and administrator of the farm Finca Bien-Estar, are practicing for the visits and surveys — including drone flights — that mano-Y-ola is conducting in Puerto Rico. This work is part of the Hispanic Forest Landowners Outreach Program. Instead of using a pen and paper, Heriberto is transitioning to more sophisticated data collection methods for his work with landowners on the island. Now, he uses a drone to take photos that will give landowners an aerial view of their land. Additionally, he uses an iPad to complete surveys with landowners. These tools complement Heriberto’s focus on building relationships with landowners, expand the services he can provide, and help to save him time. In his role as an outreach specialist, Heriberto is currently working to survey 50 Hispanic landowners who have forested areas on their properties. The landowners live in communities in the island’s central and western mountains, including Lares, San Sebastián, Camuy, Maricao, and Adjuntas. The communities of Orocovis, Utuado, Ciales, and Las Marías, home to Finca Bien-Estar, are also included. According to the U.S. Forest Service, there are currently more than 13,000 forest landowners in Puerto Rico. That number has decreased from more than 19,000 in 2019. During the forestry project, mano-Y-ola will interview forest landowners to learn about their land management goals, provide technical assistance with Technical Service Providers, and create workshops and curriculum based on landowner input to empower them to reach their goals. Using an iPad to survey landowners saves time for Heriberto and eliminates the need for paper. It also gives landowners the opportunity to fill out the survey themselves, if they choose to. Internet is scarce in the mountainous area of Puerto Rico where Heriberto is conducting the surveys, but the iPad is equipped to work even when it is offline. Its data synchronizes once it is reconnected to WiFi, making it an ideal option for fieldwork in remote areas. |
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The aerial maps that result from the drone’s images will enable landowners to visualize natural resources such as bodies of water, forested areas, and any agricultural production that may be present. |
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Heriberto, who has a bachelor’s degree in horticulture and a master’s degree in crop protection from the University of Puerto Rico—Mayagüez, has experienced the benefits of aerial images firsthand. At Finca Bien-Estar, Heriberto teaches sustainable agricultural practices and sells eco-friendly produce. Seeing high-quality aerial views of his farm helped Heriberto realize how much work he had done and helped him to design features such as conservation ditches and paths. “The first time I was offered these images, I could appreciate the art, if it can be called art, of what I had been doing for years here at Finca Bien-Estar,” he said in Spanish.
Although Heriberto has now incorporated more tech into his work, his approach is still anchored in the art of relationship building with landowners and partners. Arriving on time and taking a moment to have coffee helps him to build trust with landowners. He walks through each landowner’s property with them, evaluates the natural resources on their land, and recommends conservation practices that would be helpful. Later in the project, Heriberto will also work with each landowner to create a conservation plan. The project’s potential benefits include helping landowners to protect and improve their forestland, conserving the natural resources they have on their farms, reducing water contamination, and fighting climate change.
Each property is unique and gives him the chance to learn something new, Heriberto said. He loves being able to talk with landowners and share knowledge and experiences as well as working to conserve forests. “There are many forests that we have to preserve, and there are few projects that reach these private Hispanic landowners who want to safeguard these forests,” Heriberto said. “The power to show that we live in nature, that we are surrounded by natural resources — water, sun, air, energy, flora, fauna, etc. — to be able to communicate and visualize that, and to show that we are definitely part of nature, that is the main focal point that I always like to show. And this project allows me to do that.” |
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This newsletter was written by Courtney Columbus, edited by Adrian Parrott and Nolo Martínez, and produced by Patricia Morales. |
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About our company — mano-Y-ola (formerly known as Nolo Consulting, LLC) is a minority- and female-owned consulting firm specializing in work with minority and immigrant farmer communities, early childhood education programs, and leadership development. The company’s mission is to help each individual professional love what they do. |
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To learn more about mano-Y-ola’s survey of Hispanic forest landowners in the United States and Puerto Rico, and to participate in the survey, visit: |
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Check Out Past Monthly Newsletters And Spanish Versions |
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Vea nuestros boletines mensuales anteriores y versiones en español |
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