JOURNAL OF CORRESPONDENCE
A Timeline of Events
Dear Friends,
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Congratulations to the Mayan people and to the country of Belize! They have just created a new national park- a dream come true. 13,006 acres are now set aside for preservation and the study of plants and wildlife, flora and fauna and there cultural patrimony Sacred Caved And temples. And, it is in the hands of the indigenous, Maya people.
We have an enormous opportunity here to create something very special and important to the natural world and for the education and edification of humans: the newly declared Holistic Noj Kaax Meen Elijio Panti National Park in Eastern, Cayo District, Belize.
We have an opportunity to work toward creating an educational center for the preservation and propagation of endangered jungle flora, especially those that have been used medicinally for centuries by the Maya and whose properties may yet be found useful to modern medicine.
Maria Garcia is the niece, student and inheritor of the work of the erstwhile Elijio Panti. Before his death in 1996, Panti was renowned in Belize and in the world of herbal medicine as a knowledgeable Mayan herbalist and he was a spiritual leader for his people.
Maria is a native Mayan who lives in a village next to the newly created National Park. You can visit her Facebook page about her work in her village at Facebook.com/ItzamnaSociety Maria has dedicated her life to her people, to her uncle's dream of protecting and preserving wild nature and the plant heritage of this area from increasing destruction by humans and to education about our inter-relationship with nature.
We invite you to respond if you are interested in becoming a sponsor or in assisting in any way, with equipment, volunteering, financially and advisory, or know who might be. We invite you to visit our website, facebook page both Itzamna Society and Elijio Panti national park.
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Please take the time to review the following about the new National Park in Belize:
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Press Release
A NEW RESERVE IS BORN:
THE HOLISTIC NOJ KAAX MEEN ELIJIO PANTI NATIONAL PARK
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Congratulations to the Maya people and to the country of Belize! They have just created a new national park- a dream come true. 13,006 acres are now set aside for preservation, and the study of plants and wildlife. And, it is in the hands of the indigenous, Maya people.
This new National Park was born on the 2nd of June, 2001 in San Antonio, Cayo, Belize. Belize, (formerly British Honduras) is a Caribbean country in Central America, located South of Yucatan, Mexico and West of Guatemala. Over 13,006 acres of land, including 90,000 acres of canopied rainforest, 3,000 acres of pine trees, 6,500 acres of secondary rain forest and 500 acres of cultivated land were declared a protected area on that day. Unique on the planet, but not to ecologically conscious Belize, the park includes three Maya villages. The people in the villages are highly committed to right and sustainable use of this land to preservation of wild jungle and rainforest. A small part will be used for organic farming, to provide quality food for their people and for market.
Creating this Park has been a long journey of three years for Maria Garcia and the others on the Park Committee. Now it is a reality. The Holistic Noj Kaax Meen Elijio Panti National Park is officially inaugurated. The ceremony was characterized by traditions of the Mayan Culture. The National Park will become a model for people in villages working together for the common good, no matter what their ethnic background may be.
There is much work now to be done.
A proposal for a comprehensive master plan for the management of the National Park is being prepared by Ana Maria Ramirez-Yanes, Director of Plani Gestión from Caracas, Venezuela.
She is volunteering her expertise as support for the National Park, to help get the ball rolling that will lead to a grand vision for this area. The three villages of San Antonio, Cristo Rey and El Progresso (7 miles) are encompassed by the new National Park and are all part of the initiative that is taking place here.
The goal is to involve these communities from the grass roots to ecologically utilize the resources contained in the Park and to preserve the culture of the area in such a way that future generations will be proud of them. The National Park is to become the model for a development that will improve the quality of life for these communities, including the natural one. The beauty of the precious natural treasures to be found in this magnificent National Park, including plants and animals, caves, waterfalls, virgin forests, and Mayan sites, will be available for sensitive access to visitors from Belize and for international guests.
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For more information contact:
Meg Easling, megalla@west.net in California (assistant and editor for Maria)
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Ms. Maria Garcia
President of the Board of the Elijio Panti National Park
091-2023 Tel / artistmai1981@gmail.com
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