Eye On The Rainforest

08/06/2026

Some relationships are measured not in months or years, but in landscapes.

Las Casas de la Selva has always been shaped by long-term commitments: trees planted decades ago that now tower above the forest canopy, research projects unfolding across generations, and friendships that continue to evolve alongside the land itself.

Among those enduring relationships is that between Gregg Dugan and 3t Vakil. Their shared history stretches back decades through expeditions, storytelling, conservation work, filmmaking, construction, work with teenagers, and creative collaboration.

Dugan is not simply a visitor to Las Casas; he is part of its story.

Some relationships are measured not in months or years, but in landscapes.

28/05/2026

Mercury pasó marzo y abril de 2026 en residencia artística en Las Casas de la Selva, Patillas, Puerto Rico, viviendo y trabajando en el paisaje de la selva tropical del sureste de Puerto Rico. Artista y activista puertorriqueña de segunda generación, radicada en Hartford, Connecticut, Mercury trabaja en diversas disciplinas, centrándose en instalaciones específicas para cada lugar, utilizando materiales disponibles y respondiendo directamente al lugar, la memoria, el idioma y las condiciones del momento presente. Su práctica está profundamente ligada a cuestiones de identidad puertorriqueña, diáspora y pertenencia. Paralelamente a su trabajo artístico, Mercury participa activamente en la justicia de vivienda y en respuestas comunitarias a la gentrificación, integrando el activismo y la práctica creativa de maneras inmediatas y vividas, más que teóricas.

Durante los últimos cuatro años, Mercury ha pasado los inviernos en Las Casas de la Selva, construyendo gradualmente una relación con la tierra a través de trabajos de conservación, actividades forestales y creación artística inspirada en el entorno. Su estancia allí refleja un proceso continuo de reconexión con Puerto Rico como parte de la experiencia de la diáspora, una relación que no es fija ni simple, sino que se desarrolla constantemente.

(Haz clic en el botón de traducción en la parte superior de la página web para ver la versión en inglés o español).

Mercury is a second-generation Boricua artist and activist.

28/05/2026

Presentación absolutamente hermosa e informativa realizada por Steve Maldonado Silvestrini, Cristina Vélez Roque y Erid Román Rosario sobre plantas que necesitan nuestra protección.

Documentos sobre la flora y fauna en riesgo por el Proyecto Esencia en Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico.

28/04/2026

In April we welcomed teenage students from Cathedral School, San Francisco, CA, brought to us by Global Works. 3t was ecstatic as she, Jon Warwick, and multi-media artist and writer-in-residence Gregg Dugan led a team to plant endemic species Pisonia horneae saplings into the forest. Read more here.

Cathedral School from California, planting Pisonia horneae in the Sierra de Cayey.

22/04/2026

Earth Day. Celebrate your home.

21/04/2026

Charles H. Barrows STEM Academy at Las Casas 🌿

21 students, 16 staff and parents, and a full day of real work in the forest. We split into three mixed teams and got straight into it:

Team Caoba (3t) – preparing slopes for tree planting
Team Ausubo (Jon Warwick) – building steps into a steep trail
Team Tabonuco (Mercury, artist in residence) – clearing and restoring drainage on the ethnobotanical trail

This is hands-on work. Reading the land, moving water, stabilizing slopes. Students and adults working side by side, getting it done.

Huge thanks to Chef Monique Nieves for the food that kept everyone going through the day.

Thanks to Jon Warwick, and Mercury (artist in residence) for strong crew leadership alongside 3t, and to Gregg Dugan (writer in residence) for his thoughtful input throughout.

Appreciation to Nicole, Nick, and Kim for steady leadership with the group. Big thanks to School Tours of America and Bernardo Benetti and Wendi, for continuing to bring groups to us that show up ready, willing, and able to take on hard labor in the forest!

Short visit. Real work.

Progress made despite the heavy rains this season!

18/04/2026

After two devastating hurricanes, El Yunque national forest has built a new visitors center that hosts a vibrant arts festival