Promote Learning about a Unique Forest Ecosystem

This report provides a snapshot of where we are today and looks at the challenges and the opportunities that lie before us.

As we reflect on the six months since our last report, we remain thankful to donors like you for your steadfast support. We are proud of the steady progress that you have enabled us to make in environmental education online—through the Catalogue of Pterocarpus Forest Organisms and social media—and on-site on the Forest grounds through interpretative signage.

The Catalogue of Pterocarpus Forest Organisms—the inventory of plants, animals, fungi, and other organisms that make the Forest home—remains last year’s singular milestone achievement. Since the initial publication of the Catalogue and your support, researchers and citizen scientists have identified 357 species within the 52-acre Forest, based on over 2,500 observations.

Our educational publications on Facebook and Instagram have exceeded an average of 12 per month (photos, carrousels, reels) y 8 interactive stories, a reflection of our growing commitment to share the Forest’s rich biodiversity with the broader public.

This achievement is particularly poignant considering the challenges we face, underscoring the importance of preserving the Forest’s biological diversity and sharing knowledge about this extraordinary ecosystem.

Challenges

The Forest had made quite the recovery from last August’s assault by Tropical Storm Ernesto, which caused significant damage to the Forest’s natural ecosystem and infrastructure. Since then, however, the inability of the Palmas Homeowners’ Association (PHA) administration to perform essential, routine maintenance and to make needed, relatively simple infrastructure repairs has led to a level of deterioration of the Forest unseen since Hurricane Maria.

• Essential routine repairs to the boardwalk used to be quickly carried out by PHA personnel assigned to the Forest. These are not being done. There are parts of the elevated ¾-mile boardwalk that were closed without explanation or announcement by the PHA and remain inaccessible.
• The boardwalk is supported by fiberglass poles anchored into the wetland substrate. Given the dynamic nature of the swamp environment, periodic adjustments—such as raising or lowering selected poles or sections of the walkway—are necessary to maintain a safe and level walking surface and to ensure structural integrity. These routine interventions are no longer taking place.
• The painted fiberglass walking surface, once regularly cleaned and repainted, now shows signs of serious neglect.
• The 40-foot-high observation tower has been closed for months pending a 'structural review,' with no visible maintenance initiated.
• Failure to replace damaged aeration equipment in the pond located at the passive recreation area is longstanding. Without aeration, the water has turned visibly brown, creating conditions that harm aquatic life and native plant species.

In early May 2025, PHA informed us that minor repairs were underway and shared vague plans for future work. Considering PHA’s recent track record, the long-term future of the Forest as an engaging place for passive recreation, an outdoor classroom for environmental education, and a site for scientific discovery—including the pioneering Catalogue—remains uncertain.

We continue to work diligently to restore the collaborative relationship that once defined our role as stewards of the Forest in partnership with PHA. Our ability to succeed in that effort—and to protect and revitalize this unique ecological treasure—may ultimately depend on the engagement and support of our broader community.

The challenges facing the Forest have only strengthened our resolve. We are committed to ensuring that this precious ecosystem endures for generations to come—and that volunteer stewardship, in collaboration with the PHA, leads the way.

Your support inspires us every step of the way. Thank you for standing with us, for believing in the Forest, and for being an integral part of our community. Together, we can safeguard this extraordinary gift for the future.

Links:

• Visit our website!
• See the wonders of the Forest online at iNaturalist!
• See our colorful, informative Instagram posts!