Thank you to everyone who responded to our message about Project BRASS (see message below) and suggested we set up a crowdfunding site. We are nonprofit, but you are correct in that sites like GoFundMe are trusted and easy to use. So, here is our site: http://www.gofundme.com/dh9p8c
Second, it also was recommended that we clarify that snakebites in Latin America are, in general, incidental, a result of working and living among abundant, generalist venomous snakes like the fer de lance. Adults and kids are being bitten at alarming rate and not as a result of stupidity or alcohol-related events (things often associated with bites in the United States). The local people are asking for education on how to avoid bites and distinguish which snakes are obviously not venomous so they can reduce killings. We hope to make a difference in this unacknowledged public health problem in Panama and Costa Rica. Thank you, as always, for your support and suggestions! ___________________- Project BRASS: Bites Reduced AND Snakes Saved Panama and Costa Rica Team Snake Panama, based at La MICA Biological Station (www.lamica.org) in central Panama, strives to reduce the number of venomous snakebites, while conserving all species of snakes. Our efforts are focused on research, educational programs, and outreach in Panama and Costa Rica. Because education is so important, our objective is: To distribute information to communities, especially in remote areas, on the identification of and co-existing with snakes. To do so, we will visit communities throughout Panama and Costa Rica to deliver a talk about local snakes and snakebite prevention, donate a copy of our bilingual book The Venomous Snakes and their Mimics of Panama and Costa Rica to health clinics and schools, interact with local people to understand their fears and needs, and participate in guided tours led by residents to better understand the habits and distribution of each species of snake so that snakebite prevention and treatment can be improved. Make a tax-deductible donation NOW! www.lamica.org/Donate.html Background information: A recent publication reported 600 venomous snakebites annually in Costa Rica and a staggering 2800 in Panama! These numbers included just cases treated in medical centers; in many remote areas, traditional (but ineffective and even dangerous) methods are used for people unable or unwilling to go to a hospital. Because of so many bites, people kill every snake they see, despite the fact that most are harmless to humans, their pets, and livestock. Many people have asked us to help them understand which species are dangerous so they can help better protect themselves and peacefully co-exist with snakes. They acknowledge that snakes are important inhabitants of their shared environment, serving such valuable functions as controlling food and health pests like rodents. Now is the time for this essential and potentially live-saving educational experience! Our current goal is to raise $12,500, to fund visits to 125 communities ($100/site) throughout Panama and Costa Rica to deliver a presentation on identifying and co-existing with snakes, and donate a copy of our book. You can follow the project on a blog we will update regularly. Please help us reach our goal to help reduce snakebites while gaining protection for all species of snakes. Every donation will make a huge difference and will allow for more sites to be visited. Note that we also are taking recommendations of sites to visit. Please email us at teamsnakepan...@gmail.com with your suggestions. No need for crowd-funding sites; we have a nonprofit fiscal sponsor!! To make your tax-deductible contribution: Online donations can be submitted at: www.lamica.org/Donate.html Checks can be made to: Cloud Forest Institute*, P.O. Box 1435, Ukiah, CA 95482 Please note “La MICA” on the memo line of your check. *Cloud Forest Institute is the US-based 501c3 educational non-profit fiscal sponsor of La MICA Biological Station. Tax deductible donations restricted for use for La MICA can be made out to Cloud Forest Institute and mailed to the address above. Online donations can be made through PayPal. Be sure to note La MICA on check memo lines. Thank you for your contribution. Julie M. Ray, MSc, PhD Director La MICA Biological Station La Montaña para Investigación y Conservación Ambiental El Cope-La Pintada. Provincia de Cocle. Republica de Panama Fundación Centro de Investigación Biológica El Copé, S.A. (Panama) www.lamica.org la.m...@yahoo.com
