The Graeme Gibson Prismaticos Project, an outreach initiative of PIBO, this month distributed nine pairs of binoculars donated in Canada to environmental workers in Mexico’s state of Guanajuanto.

Four recipients are volunteers in the Sierra de los Agustinos biosphere near the city of Acámbaro. Under the aegis of the city’s Environmental and Ecological Department, the volunteers conduct bird counts and tour guides in the protected area, as well as participating in clean-up and restoration projects. The state’s largest lake, Lake Cuitzeo, falls within Acámbaro’s jurisdiction, and is home to two endangered species – the Aztec quail and the Black-polled yellowthroat — as well as 47 species of waterfowl.

Five more pairs of binoculars went to Mexican youth involved in Ecochavos, a volunteer organization within the Sierra Gorda Biosphere reserve involving high-school students and their teachers. Ecochavos monitors endangered bird species in the 2,000-square-kilometre biosphere, including five Golden eagle nests and critical habitat of the Military macaw.

“We desperately need this equipment,” says Ecochavos organizer Maru Gonsalez, who works for the federally protected reserve. “It has been extremely difficult to undertake our monitoring and educational activities without them. Now we can train future generations to restore and protect this unique habitat.”

For more information about the Prismaticos Project, or if you have binoculars, scopes or field guides to donate to this project, please go to the Prismaticos Project page  to find out where to send them.