LA CRUZ HABITAT PROTECTION PROJECT, INC.
2009 ANNUAL REPORT
ORGANIZATION:
1. La Cruz Habitat Protection Project, Inc., (LCHPP, Inc) was organized in January 2007. Its purpose is to support the
reforestation and forest restoration program known as La Cruz Habitat Protection Project-Mexico (LCHPP-Mexico)
in collaboration with The Cruz Habitat Protection Project, A.C. (TCHPP, A.C.) and other cooperating organizations.
2. LCHPP, Inc. had previously depended largely on volunteer work efforts for its operation and administration. In
March 2009, October Hill Foundation increased its support with the understanding that compensation would be paid
to those performing the administrative and operational tasks of the project. This allowed people who understand and
are dedicated to the project to continue operating the organization, while keeping administrative costs to a minimum.
2009 ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
Reforestation Activities
During the 2009 planting season (June 15 – August 30, 2009), La Cruz Habitat Protection Project, Inc., sponsored
the planting of 470,180 trees which were used to reforest approximately 395 hectares (975 acres). Follow-up
monitoring of planting sites conducted during the fall of 2009 through the spring of 2010 determined that the
initial survival of the trees during the first year after planting averaged 71 percent.
Planting took place in the following municipalities in the state of Michoacan: Ocampo, Zitacuaro, Angangueo,
Aporo, Patzcuaro, Salvador Escalante.
The following tree species were planted: Pinus michoacana, Pinus pseudostrobus, Pinus greggii, Cupressus
lindleyii, Abies religiosa, and Quercus laurina.
1. Monarch Area Restoration: 347,180 seedlings were planted in and around the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere
Reserve and its area of influence.
2. Highland Lake Watershed Restoration: 123,000 on the watersheds of Lake Patzcuaro and Lake Zirahuen.
Project Review
An independent technical review of the12-year history of accomplishments of LCHPP-Mexico was initiated and
completed during 2009. The review, conducted by Restoration Ecologist Chris Best who was hired as an
independent contractor by LCHPP, Inc., evaluated the long-term success of the program by examining a random
sample of reforestation plots (planted 1998 – 2008) from across the monarch butterfly project area, and by
interviewing local participants. Mr. Best was assisted by two Reforestamos Mexico staff foresters. The objective
was to assess the program’s strengths and weaknesses.
1. Survival: Based on a random sample of planting sites, the overall average survival rate of trees planted at our
farmland conversion projects was found to be 71 percent.
2. Carbon Sequestration: Randomly monitored sites indicated that our farmland conversion reforestation sites
sequester 4 to 10 metric tons of carbon per hectare per year. Based on a 25 year growing cycle, one ton of
carbon dioxide emissions is sequestered or offset for every 4 trees planted through our project.
3. Nursery Operation: The review had positive findings about the innovative and cost-cutting nursery practices
implemented by Jose Luis Alvarez, the head of LCHPP-Mexico, noting he has continually improved the
nursery infrastructure and techniques to consistently produce high quality seedlings, including producing its
own organic compost substrate from local materials rather than rely on harvesting soil.
a. Production Capability: The nursery is capable of meeting the increasing demands of reforestation by
producing over one million trees a year:
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b. Demand: The review report noted there is great demand for LCHPP trees by participants of the project.
4. Participant understanding of good forest management practices: The following Project Review
recommendations were addressed by the new Planting Guide. (see Outreach Activities, 1b below – pg 2)
a. “Produce and distribute pamphlets for each tree recipient with basic planting and maintenance
instructions, diagrams, and pictures, as well as information on the Project, contact information and
sources of support.”
b. “Decrease planting densities and promote thinning to allow for faster growth of marketable timber,
decrease the risk of catastrophic wildfire, and yield the maximum rate of carbon fixation per acre
while reducing planting costs.”
Outreach Activities
1. Educational program
a. Training and technical assistance consisted of one-on-one contact with various reforestation project
participants during follow-up monitoring and documentation of the planting sites.
b. LCHPP initiated a new project this year to develop and publish a “How-To” reforestation pamphlet for
extension training purposes. The pamphlet includes 12 pages of instruction and illustrations aimed at
improving the establishment and management of reforestation sites. It will be distributed to the project’s
participants when they receive trees. (see Project Review 4a above – pg 1)
c. July 8, 2009, Students, teachers, and parents of students from local primary school, 18 de Marzo,
Zitacuaro, Michoacan, planted 1,500 pine trees on lands owned by the federal higher learning institution,
Instituto Technologico de Zitacuaro. A a former avocado plantation is being restored to forest.
Approximately 175 people representing three class groups participated. Jose Luis Alvarez provided
orientation and instruction at the beginning of the event. Ed Rashin, Jose Luis, and the school’s teachers
and parents supervised tree planting by the students. Ten volunteers from the Grupo Ecologista de
Zitacuaro and eight staff members from the municipal government Ecology Director’s office participated
in the tree-planting event.
d. In a collaborative program with the Mexican non-profit Echeri, A.C., 5000 trees were distributed to six
primary and secondary schools in the Municipalities of Erongaricuaro, Patzcuaro, Quiroga and
Tzintzuntzan as part of the Lake Patzcuaro watershed reforestation program, in addition to two schools in
an adjoining watershed. The students received environmental education classes by Echeri representatives
and the trees were planted on school grounds and/or on school or community-owned properties by
students, teachers and parents, and by the Juatarhu volunteer youth group. Many school families also
took small numbers of trees to plant at their homes.
e. Jose Luis Alvarez and Ed Rashin of LCHPP participated in a community/school reforestation event in
Patzcuaro, in collaboration with Echeri A.C. and Reforestamos Mexico A.C. The event was held on June
6, 2009 at Centro Educativo Patzcuaro primary and secondary school (better known as “La Troje”
school). Approximately 40 students, 35 parents, and five teachers planted pine and cedar trees behind the
school buildings on the slopes of Cerro Blanco with the assistance of a 16-member brigade of the
volunteer Juatarhu youth group.
f.
Trees were distributed to eight public schools in the Municipality of Contepec, Michoacan, Mexico and
were planted on school grounds, and in the case of the local high school on school-owned property, by
students, teachers and parents. Many school families also took small numbers of trees to plant at home.
g. LCHPP, Inc. Board Member, Maraleen Manos-Jones, spoke about the project at a number of libraries and
schools in New York, including: Ketchum-Grande School: 35 students - 3 sessions, Ulster Community
College - series of three classes: All About Butterflies: 25 people. Sophie Finn Elementary School,
Kingston, N.Y.: 250 students. Glenham Elementary School, Fishkill, N.Y. 250 students. Hunter Mtn.
Elementary School: 200 students. A total of approximately 800 students were provided with information
about the program.
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h. Ed Rashin and LCHPP volunteer Mercedes Garcia presented an educational program on forests and tree
planting to a total of 11 class groups at two kindergarten schools in Santa Clara del Cobre in the Lake
Zirahuen watershed on June 5, 8, and 12, 2009. Approximately 240 students from Jardín de Niños
Adolfo Lopez Mateo and Jardín de Niños Rosaura Zapata benefited from the programs, where trees were
planted at the schools and each student took home a tree to plant and care for.
i.
In Special Address to the Society for Ecological Restoration, Texas Chapter, at their Annual Meeting on
November 6-8, 2009 in New Braunfels, Texas, LCHPP, Inc. Board Member Ed Rashin presented a paper
entitled “Reforestation and Forest Restoration in Central Mexico - A Strategy for Conserving Remnant
Native Forests while Restoring Watersheds”.
j.
LCHPP, Inc. Board Members Sue Sill, Maraleen Manos-Jones, Ed Rashin and LCHPP-Mexico Program
Director, Jose Luis Alvarez participated in a Monarch Area Reforestation Forum October 2-3, 2009 in
Tuxpan, Michoacan. The forum was organized by Reforestamos Mexico, A.C. in collaboration with
LCHPP and the Monarch Butterfly Fund, and was aimed at increasing understanding and collaboration
among the eight non-governmental and academic research organizations attending, as well as the federal
monarch butterfly biosphere reserve, which was also represented.
k. A new informational and promotional video about the LCHPP project is in the final stages of production.
Advances made during the current project period include shooting of additional footage, editing and
production of the final 10-minute video for review by key project personnel. Release is anticipated for
late June 2010.
1. Public awareness
a. Website: http://www.lchpp.org; A new website is now in production.
b. Promotional video: The new video mentioned is being developed to be published on YouTube, and
placed on the home page of the new website. (see Outreach Activities 1k above – pg 3)
c. Informational brochure: The brochure is still being distributed in literature racks at parks, botanical
gardens, etc. Attendees at events, tours, talks and festivals, museums and nature parks received our
brochure.
d. Posters were developed for educational exhibits.
e. Enhanced Web Presence: Board President and Executive Director, Sue Sill, joined the Association of
Fundraising Professionals, and attended a workshop held in Corpus Christi, Texas on how to increase a
non-profit’s web presence and to translate that presence into increased funding. She subsequently
developed LCHPP’s web presence by creating a profile on GuideStar, a site where granting agencies and
foundations research non-profits for potential funding. An associated presence on JustGive allows
LCHPP, Inc. to accept donations online. She also built a Facebook page for LCHPP, Inc and periodically
posts news and announcements that go to 118 “Fans” and 23 “Friends”. A presence on Twitter and
LinkedIn allows LCHPP to broadcast news and announcements to different groups of contacts.
f.
Jose Luis Alvarez and Ed Rashin of LCHPP participated in a public reforestation event held in
conjunction with the inauguration of state-sponsored ecotourism facilities at the Monarch Butterfly
Sanctuary at Ejido El Rosario on June 24, 2009. LCHPP provided 200 two-year oyamel fir trees that
were planted alongside the entrance to the El Rosario Sanctuary, and government-sponsored nurseries
provided additional trees. The event was attended by state agency directors and ejido leaders and was
covered by the largest newspaper in Morelia, the capital of Michoacan, La Voz de Michoacan, which
published a full-page article on June 25, 2009 that included a substantial discussion of the history of
LCHPP-Mexico in the region with quotes from Jose Luis Alvarez.
g. Jose Luis Alvarez and Ed Rashin of LCHPP attended a national workshop for Mexican nongovernmental organizations involved in forest conservation and sustainable management. The one-day
event was held on September 23, 2009 in Mexico City, with participation from 15 non-governmental
organizations from around the country. The outcome of the workshop included the collaborative
development of a statement of problems, needs and a proposed national approach to achieve sustainable
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management of Mexico’s forests, and a plan for participating in the federal legislative agenda. The joint
statement was signed at the conclusion of the workshop and was subsequently distributed to the media.
h. On September 19, 2009, Jose Luis Alvarez and Ed Rashin attended a Reforestation Festival organized by
the Mexican non-profit S.O.S. Tierra east of the town of Valle de Bravo, near the entrance to the Piedra
Herrada monarch sanctuary in the State of Mexico, where LCHPP was recognized. Other Mexican
NGOs, government agencies, the media and television celebrities, volunteer groups and ejido
representatives participated. Approximately 400 people attended the event, including many people who
were bused in from Mexico City.
i.
Representatives sent by American Forests partner PrimaKlima were taken on a field review of the project
on October 9, 2009. Sue Sill and Ed Rashin accompanied PrimaKlima evaluator Christoph Neitzel and
his wife on a visit to sites planted in 2008.
j.
LCHPP, Inc Board Member, Ed Rashin, and LCHPP-Mexico program director Jose Luis Alvarez made
several project presentations and gave nursery tours to international visitors to Michoacan during the
project period.
LCHPP, INC.’S MEXICAN PARTNERS:
1. LCHPP-Mexico completed its 13th planting season in 2009. The nearly ¾ of a million trees distributed in the
summer of 2008 brought the cumulative total for the project to over 4 million pine and oyamel fir trees in and
around the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve in central Mexico since 1997, as well as over 100,000 in
Michoacan’s highland lakes region. Other sponsors for LCHPP-Mexico’s 2008 tree planting included
Reforestamos Mexico, A.C., and the Michoacan Reforestation Fund, both of which worked directly with LCHPPMexico.
2. TCHPP, A.C. is a Mexican non-profit Associacion Civil organized to hold property and conduct other activities
for the benefit of reforestation. Currently about 220 hectares are under TCHPP, A.C. management and have been
replanted with trees with plans to develop a demonstration sustainable forest. TCHPP, A.C. also receives
funding from Mexican companies that want to sponsor tree planting activities undertaken as part of the LCHPPMexico cooperative program.
THE LCHPP, INC. / LCHPP-MEXICO COOPERATIVE REFORESTATION PROJECT:
3. In 2009, over 720,000 LCHPP-Mexico trees were sponsored through LCHPP, Inc. and other supporting partners,
including 470,180 sponsored in whole or in part by LCHPP, Inc.
4. LCHPP-Mexico through Vivero La Cruz, cultivates high quality pine, oyamel and cedar seedlings.
5.
LCHPP-Mexico through Sr. Jose Luis Alvarez Alcala provides the following servicesa. recruits local landowner participants who are interested in restoring degraded forests or converting
degraded farmland to well managed stainable forests;
b. transports and distributes seedlings to local landowners at the proper time and place during the rainy
season
6. Planting of seedlings was accomplished by local landowners and community volunteers
7. Monitoring of reforestation sites was accomplished by Mr. Ed Rashin and Sr. Jose Luis Alvarez Alcala, and
others who:
a. collect basic site data, observe overall conditions and maintenance needs, and evaluate seedling survival
rates
b. train and provide technical assistance to landowners in seedling planting and care, and in woodlot
maintenance, including re-planting, tree pruning, thinning and pest control, and sustainable harvesting
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8. Training and technical assistance contacts for the LCHPP, Inc. sponsored tree planting consisted of one-on-one
contact with participating landowners during follow-up monitoring and documentation of the planting sites.
LCHPP, INC. FUNDING SOURCES FOR 2009:
1. Planting of 150,000 trees in 2009 and education programs funded by a grant from American Forests Global
ReLeaf Program.
2. Funding for planting 200,000 trees in 2009 and educational programs sponsored by LCHPP, Inc came from
October Hill Foundation.
3. 100,000 trees purchased by Monarch Butterfly Fund were distributed by LCHPP, Inc., as a collaborative effort.
4. Funding for 20,180 additional trees came from support of an eco-tourism organization, Spirit of Butterflies, and
from individual donors from across the U.S. and Canada.
LCHPP, INC. GOALS FOR 2009, AND TO WHAT EXTENT THEY WERE REACHED BY YEAR-END:
1. To plant at least 350,000 tree seedlings – This goal was exceeded as 470,180 trees were planted.
2. Distribute brochures through hotels and other tourist venues in and around Morelia, Patzcuaro, and other
appropriate locations to develop support for the lake watershed program from visitors to the region. – This goal
has not been accomplished.
3. Improve the organization’s web presence and devise a method for accepting donations online. – This goal was
accomplished. (see Outreach Activities 1e above – pg 3)
4. Contract with an independent expert to review and evaluate the results of LCHPP-Mexico’s 11 years of
reforestation and use the results as a guide as we plan for the future – This goal was accomplished. (see 2009
Accomplishments, Project Review above – pg 1)
LCHPP, INC. GOALS FOR 2010:
5. To plant at least 486,000 tree seedlings
6. Finish and upload the organization’s new website.
7. Finish developing and publish a Planting Guide to be distributed to the people who plant our trees.
LA CRUZ HABITAT PROTECTION PROJECT
Profit & Loss Statement January – December 2009
Balance carried forward from 2008
Income:
Foundation grants
Donations
Total income
Total income & 2007 carryover
$ 12,323
185,000
6,210
191,210
$203,533
Expenses:
Administrative Expenses
Program Expenses
Total expenses
$ 19,718
145,191
$ 164,909
Balance carryover to 2009
$ 38,624
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