The Nature Conservancy's Adopt an Acre Program

Manuel Marquez, MD, works as a tour director for Insight Vacations by Destination America, where he provides guided motor coach tours throughout the country. With many tours of national parks and other natural sites under his belt, Manuel Marquez, MD, is passionate about nature and donates charitably to the Nature Conservancy.

There are multiple ways to support the Nature Conservancy, which strives to address the world’s most pressing environmental threats. 

The Nature Conservancy’s Adopt an Acre program allows you to symbolically adopt an acre of land in a key conservation area. Your donation contributes to the Nature Conservancy’s environmental and conservation efforts in the area you choose. For example, adopting an acre in the Northern Rockies area helps protect the habitat for local animals like grizzly bears, wolverines, and the Canadian lynx. 

The Nature Conservancy offers five locations across the country from which you can adopt an acre. These areas include the Northern Rockies, the Central Appalachians, the Great Planes, the Gulf Coast, and the Northern Sierra. Upon symbolically adopting an acre, you will receive an adoption kit that includes a certificate, photos, and information on your adopted location.

Tips for Fall Leaf Viewing Travel

Manuel Marquez, MD, stands out as a tour director certified through the International Tour Management Institute (ITMI). Manuel Marquez, MD, is qualified to lead fall foliage tours during the New England leaf-viewing season.

If you are hoping to view some of New England's famous fall foliage, begin by scheduling your trip for late September to the middle of October. This peak season tends to provide the best vistas and the boldest colors, though you will need to carefully plan your route to optimize your viewing experience. Small curving roads tend to provide the most varied scenery, particularly when they wind through woods, villages, and farmland.

Experts suggest planning a trip that includes plenty of opportunities to leave the car, walk around the area, and use as many of your senses as possible. Remember to take time to breathe the crisp fall air and feel the leaves underfoot as you walk, and schedule your excursions so that you can experience the foliage at different times of day. Early morning presents the most vivid colors, while the low light of dusk serves to highlight rich hues.

Finally, be sure to seek out many of the cultural and scenic experiences that autumn in New England offers. These may include outdoor activities such as a hot air balloon ride or zip line tour, though a wine tasting or an amble through a picturesque town can also be an ideal enhancement to your visit.

Strategies for Assisting Students with Special Needs

A versatile individual with experience in medicine, education, travel, and multiple languages, Manuel Marquez, MD, served as a paraprofessional in the Ventura Unified School District during the 2014-2015 school year. During that time, Manuel Marquez, MD, performed duties including tutoring, bilingual translation, and after-school supervision for students with special needs.

When teaching or supporting students with special needs, the key to success is finding the student's strengths. All students have talents, abilities, and interests, and the teacher who uncovers these can best motivate the student to learn. Such motivation is essential to students who may have received the message, whether explicit or implicit, that they do not have the capability to succeed academically.

Teachers and their assistants also need to understand what supports and accommodations the student needs to succeed. A savvy educator knows how to match a student with the correct learning tool, such as a stability ball chair for a student with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or a talk-to-text program for students who have reading and writing disabilities.

The truly dedicated teacher also knows how to advocate for his or her students. Doing so may involve ensuring that a student has access to extra test time or class notes, and it typically requires knowing which departments or administrators are able to arrange such accommodations.

If the teacher can provide these modifications and supports, while also communicating a belief in the student's abilities, that student may be more likely to develop a success mindset. The student in turn then stands a greater chance of progressing and of reaching his or her true potential.