Science and Research, Sea Turtles, Volunteers and Visitors / 18.02.2014

by: Lauren Lipuma and Lindsay Metz [caption id="attachment_5799" align="aligncenter" width="627"] Volunteer Alisa Wang collects vulnerable turtle eggs from the beach for relocation to our hatchery.[/caption] The 2013 Sea Turtle Season at Osa Conservation has ended, and what a spectacular year it was! From the opening of the new turtle hatchery to the annual festival on Carate beach, it was an exciting and successful year for OC’s sea turtle conservation program. The Osa is home to four species of sea turtles: Leatherback, Hawksbill, Olive Ridley, and Pacific Green. Our beaches mainly support...

Community Outreach, Environmental Education, Land Conservation and Forest Restoration, Miscellaneous / 12.02.2014

[caption id="attachment_5289" align="alignnone" width="857"] Térraba-Sierpe National Wetlands, Costa Rica. Photo credit: Cavu[/caption] By: Luis Williams Community Planning - Wetlands Program A functional environment is built on a day-to-day basis, from all sectors of society, and a fundamental support for environmental security comes from the participation of local citizens. In many cases, local organizations become protagonists that can either complement or detract from the government’s role in supporting a functioning environment. At Osa Conservation, we aim to highlight the responsibility of citizen participation by presenting useful information to voters during this year’s...

Uncategorized / 31.01.2014

Por: Luis Williams Planificación Comunitaria-Programa Humedales [caption id="attachment_5289" align="alignnone" width="857"] Terraba Sierpe wetlands, Costa Rica. Photo credit: Cavu[/caption] Un ambiente funcional se construye en el día a día desde todas las trincheras, y un asunto fundamental para construirlo es el ejercicio democrático a través de la participación ciudadana. En muchos casos, las organizaciones civiles toman un rol protagónico, para complementar o contrarrestar el papel del gobierno. Desde Conservación Osa, queremos hacer visible la responsabilidad de participar, presentando información útil, de cara a las elecciones presidenciales, como parte de aquel ejercicio democrático....

Aves, Birds, Miscellaneous, Volunteers and Visitors / 27.12.2013

It’s that time of year again - birding time! Aside from the hundreds of native tropical birds who reside in the Osa, the peninsula is also winter home for many North American migratory birds. Every spring, they return to nest - the Scarlet Tanager, the Indigo Bunting, the Golden-Winged Warbler, the Baltimore Oriole, and scores of other migrant songbirds. And every winter, they make the perilous journey back to the rainforests of Central America to wait out the long cold season. Unfortunately, their wintering grounds are under intense pressure...

Uncategorized / 20.12.2013

Por: Pilar Bernal, Gerente de Educación Ambiental y Extensión Comunitaria [caption id="attachment_5766" align="alignnone" width="1863"] Estudiantes realizan pruebas de la calidad de agua en la Osa.[/caption]   El Club Ambiental las hormigas defensoras de Osa, integrado por 15 estudiantes de 4to grado de la Escuela Saturnino Cedeño de Puerto Jiménez, iniciaron un programa de monitoreo de la calidad del agua de la Quebrada la Ignacia, el pasado noviembre. Esta quebrada pasa por el pueblo de Puerto Jiménez y en ella se estará analizando sus características físico-químicas y biológicas una vez por mes. ...

Community Outreach, Environmental Education, Science and Research / 20.12.2013

by Pilar Bernal, Environmental Education and Community Outreach Program Manager [caption id="attachment_5766" align="alignnone" width="1863"] Local students perform tests to measure water quality of streams in the Osa.[/caption]   Osa’s Ant Defenders, an environmental club composed of 15 fourth grade students from the Saturnino Cedeño School in Puerto Jiménez, have started a program to monitor the water quality of Osa’s waterways this past November - starting with Quebrada la Ignacia, a stream that passes through town. These students will be analyzing the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of the stream once a...

Uncategorized / 05.12.2013

Por: Juan Carlos Cruz Díaz, Gerente Programa Ciencia Los mamíferos son un elemento muy importante en los ecosistemas y en los bosques lluviosos - en Costa Rica no es la excepción. Los felinos son los depredadores máximos de este ecosistema y proveen un control sobre los niveles subsecuentes en la cadena alimenticia como los herbívoros, que a su vez ejercen control sobre la producción de biomasa. Todo funciona en perfecta conexión en los ecosistemas, de manera que si los depredadores faltan en él, los herbívoros incrementarían en número y...

Science and Research, Uncategorized, Wildcats / 05.12.2013

by Juan Carlos Cruz Díaz, Science Program Manager Mammals are a very important element in ecosystems, and the rainforest is no exception. Wildcats as the top predators in an ecosystem provide control for the lower levels of the food web such as herbivorous animals, which in turn control biomass production. Everything is in perfect balance, so if a top predator is missing from the ecosystem, herbivores will increase in number and that will tremendously affect the biomass production, potentially leading to ecosystem collapse. For this reason it is highly important...

Uncategorized / 26.11.2013

La guerra eterna entre depredador y su presa Por: Max Villalobos, Gerente de Conservación Terrestre [caption id="attachment_5695" align="alignnone" width="2816"] Un serpiente come una rana desprevenida. Foto por Manuel Sánchez.[/caption]   Es casi el medio día y el bosque parece aletargado por el intenso calor y la humedad, aun cuando nos encontramos en la época lluviosa en Costa Rica, en la Península de Osa la temperatura puede superar fácilmente los 30 C°. Dirijo toda mi atención hacia el suelo del bosque en busca de los frutos dulces y carnosos de Zapote (Pauteria sp), sin...

Miscellaneous, Science and Research / 26.11.2013

The epic battle of predator and prey in the jungle by: Max Villalobos, Land Conservation Manager [caption id="attachment_5695" align="alignnone" width="2816"] Snake captures an unsuspecting frog. Photo by Manuel Sánchez.[/caption]   It’s almost midday, and the forest is drowsy with the intense heat and humidity that you find during the rainy season in the Osa Peninsula, where the temperature can easily surpass 90 degrees. I direct all of my attention to the forest floor in search of the sweet and fleshy fruits of the Zapote tree. The spider monkeys that also eat from...