Brian committed his life to the Bosque. His one dying wish was to protect the forest, and prevent it from falling into the hands of cartels. Brian's Mom, his legal heir, has generously agreed to forgo any interest in the property herself, and instead to give the property to Brian's friends to manage in accordance with his wishes. We have a plan to transfer the property to two of Brian's trusted friends and neighbors in Mexico - Felipe and Chilino - but we need some additional funds to cover the lawyers' fees.

Time is of the essence, as any delay could risk the Mexican government or cartels making a claim to the land, which would be incredibly destructive to the forest itself as well as to the people who live in the nearby town, many of whom were dear friends of Brian's.

Two of Brian's friends and neighbors, Felipe and Chilino, as Mexican citizens who have been caring for the property since Brian's death, are the best choices of recipients because Mexican law makes it difficult for foreign nationals to own property there. Felipe and Chilino have been doing a lot of work to look after Brian's dogs and make sure there are no trespassers. In addition Felipe has put in many hours working on the legal documents, despite having a full time job and a school that he helps to run. The legal fees are prohibitive for locals so they would not be able to raise these funds on their own.

There is a possibility of creating a cooperative to manage the property in the long term, but in the short term it's imperative that we begin the probate trial, as once it is begun, no one else can lay a claim to the land.

We have some funds left over from what we raised for the funeral expenses, but we need another $1500 to begin the trial. The final cost to pay the lawyers' fees and notary at the end of the trial could be as much as $5000, but we have the option to sell off a small section of the land to cover these costs. So our immediate need, to protect the forest, is only for about $1500.

If you are interested in exploring long-term ways you could continue to be part of protecting the forest and developing the Bosque as a place that can receive visitors, please don't hesitate to reach out for a conversation. I would be happy to put some time towards helping to organize some kind of trust, corporation or time-share system that would allow Brian's American friends to maintain a connection the the Bosque. I believe Felipe would be very open to transferring the land to such a group endeavor, as he never aspired to own the property in the first place and is only taking it on because he also wants to prevent cartels from moving into his neighborhood.

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Brian's friends in Mexico organized a beautiful funeral service for him; photos and a video are available to view here: https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipPRfZbQHdVLQvhOdsO0WAiRNZOwCdz8sBk0PKymb6fMKW1lEnu0fZlTBSIhsgKWug?key=eWt3SFRJOVZlYUpIMmQ0ak1KMHZ6RlE2RGduQV9n