Sarah Otterstrom

I have started this website to gain support for my non-profit. My organization is Paso Pacifico. I founded it six years ago because western Nicaragua is ignored by many conservationists and yet millions of people depend on the health of its ecosystems for a decent quality of life. Also there are sea turtles, spider monkeys, and all sorts of cool parrots, and who doesn't love those.

This is what my organization does:

• We save wildlife
• We empower women
• We give children opportunities with nature
• We turn sad pastures into vibrant forests
• We fight climate change

About me? Well, I am a Mom and as any Mom knows that is how we first identify ourselves. I am an ecologist. To be specific, I am a forest and fire ecologist with applied anthropology training. For work, I talk on the phone and pull all nighters writing grants, and when I am lucky I am tromping through the forest in Nicaragua checking on the trees that are part of the Return to Forest project. For pleasure, I swim, walk my dog, take a ballet class and hang out with my kids and husband. I am a product of a wholesome childhood in the Pacific Northwest, an adventurous decade in Central America, and am now enjoying peaceful years by the Pacific Ocean in California.