Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico - Attention local residents and gardening lovers! Here's a new opportunity to get out of Puerto Vallarta for a day into the beautiful farm country just outside of Mezcales. Join us for a day of farm work, fun and food on Wednesday, April 27th, from 9 am to 5 pm. (Adults only.)

Tropical America, a 50 acre working palm and tropical plant ranch, needs volunteers to do numerous tasks around the farm. There are many tasks, both big and small, that you can sign up for when you get there:

• Garden work: raking, shovel digging, mulching, machete work, trimming, pruning, watering, bagging seedlings, composting, etc. (Tools provided, but bring clippers if you have them.)
• Build chicken coop around a mango tree
• Tool inventory coordinator
• Relief back hoe operators (with papers)
• Match volunteers with drivers

Included in the farm day will be a short presentation of the mission and reputation of the farm during our lunch break. A light vegetarian lunch of complimentary soup, bread, non-alcoholic drink and dessert from the bountiful gardens will be served. (Or you may bring your own lunch.)

We will meet at the Coca Cola bottling plant across the highway from the Farmacia Guadalajara in downtown Mezcales and will car pool to the ranch. If you are driving, let us know how many people you can take. If you are taking the bus, get off at main stop in town by Primera Plus and walk around the corner east to Coca Cola. We will leave here at 9:00 am and return there at 5:00 pm.

Volunteers are asked to wear old clothes: long-sleeved T-shirts and long pants, a sun hat, comfortable flat shoes. Be sure to bring sunscreen, insect repellant, gardening gloves, and a water bottle (the Palm Ranch can supply filtered drinking water).

If you are planning to join us, please email Ranch Manager/Director Ingrid Montes Kotze at palmranchvolunteers(at)gmail.com, by Monday, April 25 at 6:00 pm, so we'll know who to meet and how many will be eating lunch.

If you have any questions, please contact Carla at cpiringer(at)gmail.com, or Sandra at sandra.learn.vallarta(at)gmail.com.

The International Palm Society will be visiting the ranch early next year, so we hope to continue this event as often as possible.