On Sunday September 12 we celebrated the Second Annual Osa Peninsula Sea Turtle Festival on Carate Beach. The objectives of this annual event are to raise community awareness about the importance of joint actions in the conservation of the sea turtle species that frequent the beaches of the Osa Peninsula in the months of nesting, and to share the objectives and results of Friends of the Osa’s Sea Turtle Conservation Program with the community. [caption id="attachment_1360" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Children made sea turtle sand sculptures"][/caption] This year at least 120 people from...
Community Outreach, Science and Research, Sea Turtles / 15.09.2010
Party in the jungle!
By Phoebe Edge, Research Field Assistant of the Sea Turtle Conservation Program We are officially half way through this year´s turtle season and it has been a very busy 3 months indeed! Within this time, we have been continuously patrolling our beaches morning and night to help our favorite reptiles. There seems to never be a dull moment, even the walks to the beach prove exciting! Already, we´ve been fortunate enough to have encountered jaguarundi, coati, caiman, anteaters, armadillos, as well as a variety of beautiful and rare frogs...
Science and Research, Sea Turtles / 07.09.2010
Sea Turtle Conservation Program Piro-Carate: August Update
Last month I shared with you the total data for in situ nests, nest predation and false crawls for the month of July, and mentioned that these data were not adjusted for sampling effort. By sampling effort, I mean the amount of time and / or distance that was invested on each beach to get the data. For example, we monitor 2 km of Piro beach and 4.5 km of Pejeperro beach. So, it isn’t the same to walk Piro beach and find two turtles as it is to walk...
Environmental Education, Marine Conservation, Sea Turtles / 21.08.2010
Raising Awareness About Sea Turtle Conservation and Marine Ecosystems of the Osa
Friends of the Osa’s Environmental Education program is carrying out educational activities on the conservation of sea turtles and marine ecosystems in the schools of the Osa Peninsula. The objectives are for students to learn the importance of sea turtle conservation, why Golfo Dulce is a tropical fjord, and the ecological and scientific implications of this designation. Students learn about the four sea turtle species that nest every year on the beaches of the Osa Peninsula: Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea), East Pacific Green or black turtle (Chelonia mydas agassizii), Hawksbill...
This year we started our Sea Turtle Conservation Program with a great challenge, to expand our project to the beaches of Rio Oro and Carate on the southern side of the Osa Peninsula. With an excellent group of Field Coordinators (Geri Cubero, Erick Gomez and Greivin Barroso) and Research Field Assistants (Phoebe Edge, Heidi Montez, Courtney Thomas and Carlos Garcia), under the direction of Manuel Sanchez and Guido Saborio, we have taken the challenge with great enthusiasm. We also have help from Frontier, a volunteer program based in England with whom...
Friends of the Osa's successful Sea Turtle Conservation Program continued in 2009 on the Piro and Pejeperro beaches on the southern shores of Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica, Central America. FOO staff, visiting biologists, students and volunteers from around the world participated in working for the protection and study of sea turtles visiting these beaches. [caption id="attachment_251" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Hatchling Sea Turtle at Piro Beach - FOO Sea Turtle Program - photo: S DePolo"][/caption] Manuel Sánchez is the field coordinator for this season, accompanied by his field assistant, Ronald Villalobos;...
Science and Research, Sea Turtles / 19.01.2010
Friends of the Osa – Protecting the Wildlife of the Osa Peninsula
Welcome to the new weblog of Friends of the Osa. Here we will post news and updates about our programs, activities and important developments affecting the ecology and wildlife of the Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica, Central America. Friends of the Osa (FOO) also known as Amigos de Osa, runs a research station and field programs working to protect the globally significant biodiversity found on the Osa Peninsula. At the Osa Biodiversity Center work centers around supporting scientific research and environmental education, as well as hands on programs like the...