|
Thanks for your patience while we update our website. Please refer to links below for 2012 program information:
2012 Sea Turtle Volunteer Program information
2012 Sea Turtle Volunteer application
Introduction
You make a difference
As a volunteer you will
Free time
Our commitment to you
What we expect from you
A typical day
Volunteer, Student and Intern Positions & Program Costs
Why we charge
What is & isn't included
Program dates
How can I sign up?
This is FOO's most well established program. Our goal is to guarantee the health and ecological success of the sea turtles nesting on the Osa Peninsula by integrating conservation, research and educational outreach. Four species of sea turtles occur on the Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica - Leatherback sea turtles (Dermochelys coriacea), Hawksbill sea turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata), Olive Ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea), and East Pacific Green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas). Our work focuses on populations of Olive Ridley and East Pacific Green sea turtles with Olive Ridley as the predominant species. All of these species are on the "red list" of endangered and critically endangered species developed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Protecting these sea turtles is a large undertaking and we can't do it on our own - we rely on the help of dedicated volunteers.
We work in partnership with the Costa Rican Park Service to monitor and protect nesting sea turtles on 18 km of Osa's Pacific beaches from Matapalo to Carate. Apart from the Ostional and Nancite beaches, where annual arribadas (when large groups of sea turtles emerge to lay eggs in a single night) occur, the Osa provides the most important nesting area along the entire Pacific Coast of Costa Rica for Olive Ridley sea turtles.
You Make a Difference
The Sea Turtle Conservation Program is vital for collecting baseline data that is shared with national and international networks enabling the continual improvement of species and protected area management. Furthermore, this facilitates policy makers in developing well informed policies for long-term sea turtle conservation. Tagging enables scientists to learn more about the natural history, migratory patterns and lifecycle of sea turtles. If you choose to participate in any of the educational outreach on sea turtles in schools and the surrounding community, you will be imparting invaluable knowledge and ensuring the long-term viability of sea turtles by preventing future generations from supporting bad conservation practices. This should be prearranged with the volunteer coordinator via e-mail (seaturtles@osaconservation.org) before arrival.
Our volunteers come from all over the world in order to help save sea turtles. With the help of volunteers we have protected more than 16,000 sea turtle hatchlings over the last two nesting seasons and carried out a number of educational projects to raise local awareness about the importance of conservation on the Osa Peninsula. We rely on volunteers to provide the level of coverage that makes this project successful and it is our goal to provide an enriching personal experience for everyone who contributes their time to this project.
This program allows volunteers to participate in supervised research and provides the opportunity to get close to these truly magnificent creatures and other wildlife in their natural habitats while making a true difference to sea turtle conservation.
As a volunteer you will
- participate in night beach patrols
- conduct morning beach surveys
- take biometric measurements of sea turtles
- record data
- assist in applying identification tags
- monitor nesting sites
- take sand temperature
- cover nests with protective screens
- mark nests
- evaluate nesting and hatching success
Free time
Each day you will have plenty of free time to catch up on sleep, explore the Osa Peninsula and hike the many established trails through primary and secondary rainforest to see monkeys and other Costa Rican wildlife, bird watch, chill in the hammocks and read. There are also swimming and surfing beaches nearby (can be reached by public transportation) and there is plenty of time to take some of the local tours including waterfall rappelling, kayaking, horseback riding, and nature hikes.
(Optional tours are not included in the program rates)
Depending on the time of year, there may be other activities that you can participate in during your free time. Such activities include tree planting in our forest restoration plots, native seed collection and tree nursery work, primate and amphibian monitoring, and trail system maintenance and improvements.
Our Commitment to You
Our primary concern is the health and safety of our volunteers. We are committed to ensuring that all participants have a safe, enriching, and educational volunteer experience.
You Can Expect:
- an e-info pack before arrival with lots of information about what to expect and what to bring
- an orientation upon arrival about the work of Friends of the Osa
- to receive an educational presentation about sea turtles
- to receive hands-on training and support on how to conduct sea turtle field work
- training on how to use all equipment essential to collecting data
- monitor nesting sites
- access to onsite staff and field coordinators
What we expect from you
Our volunteers come from all walks of life and have a shared interest in helping to ensure the future of endangered sea turtles. Ideal candidates work well both independently and as a member of a team, enjoy being outdoors, don't mind remote areas and most importantly have a sense of humor!
You must commit to working a minimum of 30 hours/week and be in good health: the work is physically strenuous and requires up to 6 hours of walking at night in humid tropical climate on soft sand, and sometimes in heavy rain. Morning patrols may involve walking in the blazing hot sun.
All participants must sign a release of liability, however, as the minimum age for individuals to particpate is 18 years old, we will only allow participation of minors when accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. Independent participation of minors will only be allowed with the signature of an additional release form by a parent or legal guardian.
A typical day
Example 1:
5.00 am: Beach Survey: Count and measure tracks, excavate nests and take sand temperature. This provides a great opportunity to see hatchlings appear and head towards the ocean.
8-9 am: Arrive back at the station for breakfast
***Free time***
Noon: Lunch
1.00 pm: Beach walk: Nest monitoring and sand temperature data collection
3.00 pm: Arrive back to the station
***Free time***
7.00 pm: Dinner
Example 2:
8-9 am: Breakfast
10.00 am: Clean and prepare equipment for the night patrol
Noon: Lunch
***Free time***
7.00 pm: Dinner
8.00 pm: Night Patrol: take biometric measurements, record data, assist in applying tags, cover nests with protective screens and mark nests. You will cover between 3-7 km, so be prepared to walk.
2.00 am: Arrive back to the station; the time will vary considerably night to night depending on number of nesting sea turtles and weather conditions.
Note that we try to ensure that you are not assigned a morning shift following a night shift, nor will you exclusively be doing night patrols; we alternate these. However, this always depends on how many volunteers we have and scheduling priorities.
Volunteer, Student and Intern Positions & Program Costs
We offer three different options to submit an application to our program, based on the following criteria:
Volunteer
Volunteers must be able to commit to a minimum of seven days at either beach but we do not require previous experience working with sea turtles and you do not need to speak Spanish. The program fee is USD $200.
Student
Full-time students (undergraduate level or above) must be able to commit to a minimum of two weeks and have previous fieldwork experience. A basic knowledge of Spanish would help. The program fee is USD $100.
Intern
There are a limited number of intern positions available and we welcome applcations from people with prior knowledge and experience working with sea turtles. These placements require a minimum three week commitment and cost USD $140 per week, which covers food and lodging at Friends of the Osa’s Piro Research Center. A basic knowledge of Spanish would help.
All submissions will be carefully reviewed and applicants for the student and intern positions may be asked to send further information in the form of a cover letter and resumé.
If you are not able to participate under one of these options but would like to make a valuable contribution to our sea turtle conservation efforts, please consider a donation to our program.
Accommodation
If you choose to participate at Carate beach, you may decide to stay at one of our partnering eco-lodges in Carate. Please refer to the accommodation booklet to pick the lodging option that best suits your needs. 2012 rates from participating eco-lodges are coming soon. Accommodation for those working at Piro Beach is at our Piro Research Station, details for which are also found in the accommodation booklet.
Why we charge
We charge sea turtle volunteers to cover the cost of running the Sea Turtle Conservation Program. Unfortunately, volunteer fees alone don't cover the complete cost of running the program; it is currently subsidized by grants. Our long term goal is to make this program 100% sustainable, based on volunteer fees alone, thus ensuring the continuity of sea turtle conservation. Without fees from volunteers, we simply couldn't run the program. 100% of fees charged by Friends of the Osa (registered non-profit) goes back into supporting conservation on the Osa Peninsula. When looking at the cost, bear in mind that our facilities are remote and off the grid which adds further costs to operating our biological field station.
What is & isn't included
Included:
- Lodging at Piro Research Center or participating ecolodge
- 3 meals per day prepared for you
- Educational presentation about sea turtles
- Training in data collection and sea turtle field work
- Supervision by a field coordinator or research assistant on beach patrols
- Tour to natural frog pond to look for red eyed tree frogs, hourglass frogs, cat eyed snakes, and much more*
- 2 hour nature hike*
* Only included for sea turtle volunteers staying at Piro Research Center
Not Included:
- Your round trip international air travel to and from Costa Rica, including $26 airport departure tax
- Any domestic travel to get to the Osa Biodiversity Center or Carate from San Jose
- Personal expenses such as laundry, phone calls, etc.
- Tours that we have not included above
Program Dates
Please refer to our Turtle Program Information Booklet to find out dates for 2011.
Volunteer weeks at Piro Research Center begin every Tuesday while volunteer weeks in Carate begin every Thursday. This schedule allows us to provide a thorough program orientation to all sea turtle volunteers.
How can I sign up?
Before you apply, please make sure you've reviewed all the information provided in the Turtle Program Information Booklet and the Visitor Information Booklet to familiarize yourself with volunteer duties. Then consult our Accomodations Booklet to decide where you would like to stay.
To apply:
Complete and submit the online application form:
2012 Sea Turtle Conservation Program Application Form.
We will review your application and respond to you within a week.
Please contact us at seaturtles@osaconservation.org if you have any questions.
Once we approve your application, you will be asked to send your signed volunteer agreement and your program fee to Friends of the Osa. If you choose to stay at Friends of the Osa's Piro Research Center, you can make one payment for both your program fee and accommodation.
If you choose to volunteer on the beaches of Carate and stay at an independent lodge, you will need to first pay the program fee to Friends of the Osa. We will then confirm your registration with the lodge and you will make your accommodation payment to them directly.
Thank you for your interest and we look forward to your application! |
