After serving two years in the Peace Corps in Paraguay, Samuel Hagler is taking the long way home: by bike. To advocate protection of endangered forests and raise money to help the San Rafael Reserve, Hagler is cycling 10,000 miles across 13 countries from South America to North America. Along the way he hopes to fund raise $10 per mile, giving him a grand total of $100,000 which he would donate to Guyra Paraguay and Procosara, two non-profits working to save the San Rafael.

Hagler will take off on January 1, 2009 — hopefully he doesn’t party too hard on New Year’s Eve — and besides donating to the cause, there are a couple of other ways to help out, including printing out flyers and planning fundraisers with local environmental groups and cycling clubs in your own area.

Learn more about Hagler’s trip and how you can contribute on his website.