Aquatic Health, Marine Conservation / 05.03.2020

Blog by: Jorge De la O, student at Leadership Field Course  The tropical rainforest of the Osa Peninsula exhales mists of steam as the sun rises and this time was no exception. The condensation of water vapor could be observed on the plants early in the morning when we were heading to Golfo Dulce, a hilarious and spectacular place. The sea seems pure crystal and allows us to observe the secrets of the seabed formed by coral structures that have been built by nature over the centuries. Being able...

Marine Conservation, Sea Turtles / 05.07.2017

Blogpost written by Marina Garrido, Sea Turtle Volunteer As a sea turtle volunteer, I have spent the last few weeks here in the Osa constructing the turtle hatchery for the upcoming nesting season. Each year, the hatchery is moved to a new location along the beach in order to relocate nests in an area with "clean" sand which was not used in the previous nesting season.  The process is long and tough and requires many hours and many hands, but the end product is so rewarding that the work...

Marine Conservation / 28.10.2016

Why the name? Vibrant, showy, and brilliantly bold, Halloween Crabs are named, and famed, for their colorful costumes. They have a dark brown uppercase that is often confused for black, a bright orange body and purple claws and limbs. Their eyes are a vibrant yellow, complemented by two white spots at the rear part of their carapace. Many people are taken with the crabs' appearance and choose to make these lively creatures their pets. They are amazingly easy to handle and care for. Proper enclosure and careful measures of temperature and humidity will keep these crabs living a...

Aquatic Health, Marine Conservation / 12.08.2016

By: Clara Gomez The world’s seafood stocks will have completely collapsed by the year 2050, scientists say.  According to a study done by a group of economists and ecologists, the growth of the human population combined with unsustainable fishing practices and the devastating loss of biodiversity will lead to the collapse of fish populations in the next 35 years, if trends continue on their current path. [caption id="attachment_9221" align="alignleft" width="199"] Image from: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/[/caption] If the idea of losing all of the world’s fish scares you as much as it scares me,...

Marine Conservation, Science and Research, Sea Turtles / 11.12.2015

Written by: Sukee Bennett There’s something about measuring squirming sea turtle hatchlings that automatically puts a smile on my face. But this batch of babies was extra special. They were from a nest that I relocated on my very first patrol on Piro, way back in the beginning of September. A little over fifty days later, and the ping-pong shaped eggs I once placed in a bucket and buried in the hatchery had resulted in one hundred flipper-flapping babies. I was enthralled. Flash-forward two hours later, when my fellow Research...

Marine Conservation, Sea Turtles, Volunteers and Visitors, Wildcats / 23.10.2015

Hello my name is Kenroy and I am a student at the Professional Technical College Sabalito (Costa Rica), a school in which students can study rural tourism. Over the past three years of studying in this program, I have learned the importance of tourism in Costa Rica. At the end of our three year program, students choose a place for supervised practice, in my case I chose Osa Conservation. This organization carries out projects related to volunteerism and research, in addition to the monitoring and conservation of wildlife. Osa Conservation...

Aquatic Health, Environmental Education, Marine Conservation, Sea Turtles, Volunteers and Visitors / 16.10.2015

The fluttering of papery wings; back and forth, back and forth. They open and close their tiny mouths. Nocturnal hungry bats, paired with the incessant whir of cicada wings and the low, ominous drone of Howler monkeys are the evening calls of the Osa. These sounds signify the awakening of all things that dwell in the night. Usually, it also signifies our bedtime; unless it’s an evening of turtle patrol. When I took herpetology as a senior in college three years ago, my professor used to joke that, “Herpetologists...

Community Outreach, Environmental Education, Marine Conservation, Sea Turtles, Volunteers and Visitors / 25.06.2015

When I came to a yoga retreat in the wilds of Costa Rica, I had no idea one of the best memories I’d take home at week's end would center around turtles--tiny baby ones, all girls. But when Manuel Mendoza of Osa Conservation visited Blue Osa Yoga Retreat & Spa to tell us about the work he and his team of volunteers do to protect these magnificent, highly endangered creatures, I couldn’t believe how paramount the need was, and was excited to become involved. I dragged myself out of bed the...

Community Outreach, Marine Conservation, Sea Turtles / 20.10.2014

On a sunny October morning on Carate beach we had the joy of celebrating the 6th Annual Sea Turtle Festival. We had over 100 participants from the Carate community, neighboring communities and from Puerto Jimenez. To the rhythm of music we begun the first friendly competition: Sandy Sea Turtle Sculptures, with the theme being that of “What does a Sea Turtle eat?” We had three winning families, and they each took home t-shirts with the festivals yearly logo on it. We continued the fun and celebration by opening up...

Marine Conservation, Sea Turtles / 17.10.2014

Written by Manuel Sanchez and Wanda Cope. Photo by Manuel Sanchez. Translated by Florencia Franzini   It may be the world’s largest species of marine sea turtle, but it is also the most endangered sea turtle species, too. On October 16, 2014 we are delighted to announce that this critically endangered species still has the beaches of the Osa Peninsula as an safe nesting location. It’s gratifying evidence that all of the effort that have been put fourth to protect this majestic creature, along with the other six remaining species of...