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ATTA New Member Profile - Casa del Caballo Blanco

Casa del Caballo Blanco, LLC/Casa Avian Support Alliance, LLC, NGO
www.casacaballoblanco.com
www.casaavian.org

Address:
3 Kotsaris Court
Petaluma, CA 94952

Primary Industry Contact:
Vance Bente
President and Co-Owner

Telephone: 707.974.4182

Opportunities for volun-tourism, sustainable travel, avi-tourism, and conservation of bio-diversity are all found at Casa del Caballo Blanco, LLC home of Casa Avian Support Alliance, LLC, NGO (CASA) in San Ignacio, Belize; a small eco-lodge on the outskirts of  San Ignacio, Belize, with an ex-situ conservation facility for the rehabilitation and release of avi-fauna.

As an ex-situ conservation facility focused on the avian community, our mission is to establish a facility for the rehabilitation and release of avi-fauna that had been recently released from illegal capture (poaching for the sake of sale) or treated for illness or injury.

60% of the property is dedicated to habitat restoration, allowing it to return to a pre-agricultural state, with the assistance of purposeful tree plantings to encourage foraging and nesting by the local avian population.  The habitat restoration and reforestation efforts are being undertaken in response  to contemporary observations, such as  those by the American Bird Conservancy (ABC),  that “Birds play an important role in maintaining the eco-systems on which humans depend to maintain our quality of life and civilizations”.

A major part of the undertaking of CASA is outreach to the local community.  In that regard we have forged a relationship with the local Junior College and are initiating a scholarship program that will support two students on a semester by semester bases; CASA’a additional mission is to be recognized as an educational facility and venue for like minded organizations to meet and further there specific agendas.  The CASA project is listed on the Western Hemisphere list of projects, dedicated to the conservation of bio-diversity.

Casa del Caballo Blanco (CDCB), home of Casa Avian Support Alliance (CASA), NGO consists of a 23-acre parcel that was an abandoned ranchito with a few remnant ranch building.  We have converted two of the remnant ranch building into caging and a care facility, redesigned a church structure into a kitchen and dining room, built 3 cabana structures (of two rooms each which will accommodate up to 4 guests each), and redesigned a residential structure as an administrative center with reception and conference/meeting areas, with grand views of  the Mopan River Valley.

We added a caretaker home so the facility would be staffed 24 / 7 and to help with the caretaking of Gringo, the namesake white horse of CDCB.   The entire facility celebrates the Hispanic traditions of western Belize in its Hacienda-styled architecture and appointments.     Meals are prepared on-site by our Belizean cook and served in the private dining room; the menu is varied but focuses primarily on traditional mestizo-foodways, utilizing local herbs, spices, fruits and vegetables.

Please visit our web site to view the accommodations and review the tour packages that we offer, or contact us to create your own itinerary. Airport pick-up and transfers are available, as are tours throughout Belize and Eastern Guatemala to locations such as Caracol, Cahal Pech, and Zunantunich in Belize; and Tikal, Yaxha/Topoxte, Flores, in Guatemala.  More than 500 species of birds, resident and migratory, are known to Belize - birding tours are conducted in the on-site habitat restoration area, as well as in the bush, at surrounding archaeological sites, and sites in Guatemala.  The In-county Director of Casa Avian Support Alliance, Mr. Ricky Manzanero, is frequently available to lead such tours or chat with guests in the evening about the birds seen that day, or where specific species are likely to be observed.

The CDCB Eco-lodge was established primarily to attract tourists and industry experts in the field of sustainability and habitat restoration in an effort to drive revenue to the CASA efforts.  The ranchito has become a demonstration project that illustrates the potential to re-cycle lands previously used for agriculture into eco-friendly conservation facilities.  CDCB is listed among the lodges on the Eco-Index by the Rainforest Alliance.  Owing to its small, intimate nature, packages are available for small groups to reserve the entire eco-lodge for private gatherings, extended stays, sabbaticals, or retreats.  Affordable packages are available to families or groups that wish to reserve the entire lodge; we are happy to work with these groups to develop an itinerary and meal plan of their choice.