Northern Jaguar Project Inc.

“Form 990 is reviewed in-depth by the board president and treasurer. Copies are distributed to remaining board members soliciting comments and feedback prior to filing.”

“After disclosure of a financial interest by a member of the board or staff, the interested person shall leave the board or committee meeting while the financial interest is discussed and voted upon. The remaining board or committee members shall decide if a conflict of interest exists. If it does, the chairperson of the board or committee shall, if appropriate, appoint a disinterested person or committee to investigate alternatives to the proposed transaction or arrangement. The interested person shall be prohibited from participating in deliberations and decisions about the transaction. Periodic reviews of this policy ensure that njp operates in a manner consistent with its tax-exempt purposes.”

“When determining compensation for management, which includes the staff positions of coordinator and reserve manager, the board uses compensation surveys to approve the level of compensation and has the employee sign a written employment contract. Compensation for the coordinator was last reviewed in 2012, and the reserve manager's compensation was last reviewed in 2017.”

“The organization makes its governing documents and financial statements available to the public upon request. Form 990 is also available via guidestar.”

“Northern jaguar project - statement of program accomplishments october 2017 to september 2018 wildlife monitoring the northernmost breeding population of jaguars is 125 miles south of the u.s.-mexico border, where the foothills of the sierra madre begin to climb skyward. Here, jaguars move freely across a remote, rugged landscape that includes the 55,000-acre northern jaguar reserve. The reserve is the centerpiece of our work and offers a much-needed sanctuary that boasts the highest number of northern jaguar sightings, including females and their cubs. Our team of biologists and cowboys patrols the reserve to deter poachers and maintains an array of more than 150 motion-triggered cameras as a non-invasive method of wildlife observation. These cameras have photographed 68 individual jaguars on the reserve and neighboring viviendo con felinos ranches, with more than 1,000 jaguar images to date. The highlights this year were three females who represent the future for this endangered population: "libelula" was in our earliest videos of a jaguar pair, was the mother of the cub "pedro, and is our second-longest documented jaguar at six years. "luisa" was first discovered through a bonus program designed for our cowboys to explore their surroundings by maintaining their own cameras. "suki" has moved back and forth between the reserve and viviendo con felinos ranches for more than five years. We visited the viviendo con felinos ranches each month to maintain cameras, retrieve photographs, deliver feline photo awards, and make sure agreements to not harm wildlife were honored. Eight different jaguars were recorded on eight ranches. "elvis" was consistently photographed throughout the viviendo con felinos ranches and reserve. He is our longest recorded male jaguar at five years. "don eduardo" arrived on one of the properties enrolled in a short-term trial we started this year for potential viviendo con felinos ranches. This introductory period provides an opportunity to assess habitat quality, jaguar presence, and the threats felines face. A photo of "lucas" won the grand prize at our annual photography exhibit and community-wide celebration, a source of great pride for the ranch owner. At the beginning of 2018, luisa and elvis were photographed on the same camera a few weeks apart. In february, they appeared together in the same photograph. At the end of march, our motion-triggered cameras filmed these two jaguars mating. This was the second jaguar mating video we have retrieved. Not only is this video exceedingly rare, it provides perspective on how our focus to protect female jaguars and their cubs is essential for this population's future. This video tells us we are headed in the right direction.”

“Community outreach our viviendo con felinos project extended protection for jaguars and other felines on 14 ranches, encompassing 75,000 total acres. We provided monetary awards for feline photographs to promote the presence of living wildlife and worked closely with ranchers to minimize conflicts, reduce jaguar mortality, and restore essential wildlife habitat. We hosted a tenth anniversary viviendo con felinos celebration that honored ranchers and displayed a "best of selection of feline photos. Ranch owners earned extra awards such as a solar charger and a 25,000-liter water tank. There was an exhibit of youth-painted jaguar masks, games, face painting, a table to identify scats, jaguar-themed music, crafts from the senior center, astronomers with telescopes, a jaguar photo booth, and a mascot-like jaguar costume. This milestone event was four times the size of the previous year, with 320 people in attendance. Water shortages were a major concern for ranchers. We built gabions on the viviendo con felinos ranches and parts of the reserve to slow stream flow, minimize erosion, and help raise the water table. We held seminars and brought a water restoration specialist to tour ranches and provide specific recommendations. We installed outhouses on ranches where none previously existed to promote water sanitation. We organized the third annual wildlands firefighter training in collaboration with conafor, which was invaluable in extinguishing a wildfire on one of the viviendo con felinos ranches. Activities with our youth eco-club promoted knowledge, ownership, and appreciation for local biodiversity, and included public art projects, drawing contests, bird identification, native tree plantings, a field trip to hermosillo's centro ecologico to see living jaguars, recycling fairs, and interactive, educational games and workshops not part of the regular school curriculum, with a total of 250 participants. We made five field trips with our young eco-guardians after they were trained in motion-triggered camera operation. They divided into teams, selected locations, installed cameras, and later returned to retrieve images. These outings are fun, popular, educational, and get kids out in nature. Participants learn about local wildlife and also some of the challenges to successful wildlife monitoring.”

“Reserve infrastructure and restoration we employed a fulltime reserve manager responsible for insuring the efficient management of all aspects of the reserve. Infrastructure work included repairs to existing facilities, the continued demolition of outdated structures, upgrades to water storage, and ongoing road repairs. Our cowboys mended fences and installed new fencing. We also continued to focus buffelgrass removal efforts along the road and select priority areas. Stewardship and long-term management fund we continued to grow our stewardship and long-term management fund to guarantee the reserve's future through sustainable management and restoration. With more than one-third of our $1 million goal in hand, this fund will eventually create a permanent source of annual funding to cover the costs of basic protection and ensure proper guardianship of the reserve in perpetuity. Building our stewardship fund will continue to be a priority for additional funding in the years ahead. Grassroots leadership if their numbers are going to remain stable and hopefully grow, jaguars need safe spaces, room to roam, and time to rebound. Njp focuses our efforts where the greatest benefit to the ecosystem can be achieved. With our inclusion on the 2018 top-rated nonprofits list, we received a five-star rating from greatnonprofits for the ninth year in a row. Our small overhead, combined with our volunteer board of directors, means that every contribution is well stewarded to directly support jaguar conservation. Our staff dedicate their hearts, souls, and many long hours. They do this because their inspiration, passion, and sense of awe reside on the reserve and on the trail of the jaguar.”