Community Outreach, Environmental Education, Land Conservation and Forest Restoration, Marine Conservation / 15.07.2014

Written by: Luis Alberto Williams Fallas Translated by: Florencia Franzini We find ourselves in the middle of a project titled “Conservation and Management of Marine and Forest Resources in the National Terraba Sierpe Wetlands.” Our associates are APREMMA: a local community of fishermen and piangüeros working out of the Ajuntaderas area, a small community off the Southern Pacific coast of Costa Rica. This newly formed group is looking for a method to develop a healthy relationship between their community and efforts to conserve the local wetlands. APREMAA, like many of the...

Community Outreach, Environmental Education, Science and Research, Volunteers and Visitors / 28.03.2014

by Lauren Lipuma, Conservation Outreach Coordinator, and Jim Palmer, founder of Creek Connections This past week local students from Puerto Jiménez had the chance to discover what lives in the streams that flow by their small town and the incredible amount of chemistry and biology that goes into keeping their water sources clean and healthy. Led by veteran biologist Jim Palmer, founder of the Creek Connections program at Allegheny College, Osa Conservation staff and volunteers worked with 8 sixth-grade students, a teacher, and several parents from the local public school...

Aves, Birds, Community Outreach, Environmental Education / 21.03.2014

by Pilar Bernal, Environmental Education and Outreach Manager On March 1, Puerto Jimenez was filled with color, music, and recreational activities for children and adults. More than 200 people congregated to say their farewells to the migratory birds that will be returning to their nesting habitats in North America. The occasion celebrates the first migratory bird festival of the Osa Peninsula, an event jointly organized with Osa Birds and ACOSA-SINAC, with support from Tropical Wings and the National Park Services of the United States. The festival’s objectives were to promote...

Community Outreach, Environmental Education, Land Conservation and Forest Restoration / 05.03.2014

This two-part series chronicles the efforts of Osa Conservation and Amazon Conservation Team to learn from one another’s conservation strategies through staff visits to each other's field sites and the ensuing exchange of knowledge and experience.   My first time in the Amazon by Agustín Mendoza, Land Stewardship and Maintenance, Osa Conservation [caption id="attachment_5846" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Agustín (right, tan shirt) talks about native seed collection and forest restoration.[/caption] I arrived on the Osa Peninsula well over 39 years ago; since I was young I worked the land with my father, through him learning the...

Community Outreach, Environmental Education, Land Conservation and Forest Restoration / 26.02.2014

This two-part series chronicles the efforts of Osa Conservation and Amazon Conservation Team to learn from one another’s conservation strategies through staff visits to each other's field sites and the ensuing exchange of knowledge and experience.   My trip to Costa Rica and the Osa Peninsula by Wilmar Diaz Bahamón, Field Projects Manager, ACT Colombia [caption id="attachment_5848" align="aligncenter" width="428"] Agustin shows Wilmar and ACT how to climb trees to collect native seeds in the forest.[/caption] I was born in the countryside. As a child I explored my small town walking for hours in...

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...

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...

Community Outreach, Environmental Education, Land Conservation and Forest Restoration, Marine Conservation / 18.11.2013

by Lauren Lipuma, Conservation Outreach Coordinator, and Ándres Jiménez, Wetlands Program Coordinator [caption id="attachment_5289" align="alignnone" width="857"] Térraba-Sierpe wetlands, Costa Rica. Photo credit: Cavu[/caption]   OC’s conservation efforts in the Térraba-Sierpe wetlands have gotten off to a great start! Our wetlands program, started earlier this year, aims to strengthen the presence of government and conservation organizations in the Térraba-Sierpe National Wetlands and to develop sustainable economic opportunities for neighboring communities. In addition to housing a diverse array of wildlife, wetlands perform important ecological functions - from water filtration to carbon storage. Mangroves...

Community Outreach, Environmental Education, Sea Turtles, Volunteers and Visitors / 01.11.2013

by Pilar Bernal, Environmental Education & Community Outreach Program Manager Video by Lindsay Metz http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNaCw6OrDU4&feature=youtu.be On October 6th, we celebrated our fifth annual Sea Turtle Festival on Carate beach. Over 150 gusts joined us for these festivities highlighting the past year of sea turtle conservation. The sun shone brightly throughout the event while families began pouring in as early as 8 am and stayed throughout the day. We began the festival with the release of infant sea turtles from the Corcovado Turtle Committee (COTORCO) hatchery. Afterwards, we played games and held events encouraging...

Community Outreach, Environmental Education, Land Conservation and Forest Restoration, Science and Research / 11.10.2013

By Andrés Jiménez, Wetlands Program Coordinator   Recently I had the opportunity to spend time with Doctor Jurgenne Primavera, a world-class mangrove scientist from the Philippines. A quiet yet cheerful scientist, she shows a special glitter in her eyes every time she talks about mangroves. After more than 40 years of working with these trees, she still smiles when showing a picture of herself climbing one. I have to admit, at this moment I had no idea of what was happening in the Philippines. The only vague concept I had about...