Paul Heesaker first saw Guatemala's Rio Sauce Valley as owner of Area Verde Expeditions and while on an exploratory kayaking expedition in November 1995. Following a career in public education, Paul returned to Guatemala in October 2011 to begin work on a documentary film that highlighted Guatemala's endangered wild rivers. The resulting film, "Rios Guatemala, The Preservation of Wild Rivers," was a selection of the Colorado Environmental Film Festival and the Breckenridge Festival of Film. Paul and his wife Catherine, a school psychologist, are full time residents of Silverthorne, Colorado. One important aspect of the long term vision is that ecotourism will become at least one economic alternative to slash and burn agriculture. Profits generated through tourism go directly to the local people and will become a sustainable funding source for reforestation, sustainable agriculture, education and all other project efforts. While donations will help establish and maintain project initiatives, the local Mayan people will not depend on them. We value creating opportunity, not dependency.