Submitted by: Pilar Bernal, Environmental Education & Community Outreach Manager This past Saturday, April 18, we celebrated Earth Day in the community of Puerto Jiménez, an activity organized by ASCONA (National Association of Community and Environmental Service) in which other organizations joined together to carry out a fun, educational celebration for the participants. Presentations were given on the terrestrial and marine ecosystems of the Osa Peninsula, as well as the traditional timber uses of the forests. The children had fun and learned through storytelling, treasure hunts, and a play called "Living...

Juan Carlos Cruz, Osa Conservation's Feline Program Coordinator, provides some insight and history behind the incredible Jaguar sightings our camera traps have recently provided: "The Jaguar is the biggest wild cat species in the Americas and the third biggest in the world after the Lion and the Tiger. It is so big, individuals weighing up to 300 pounds have been found in the Amazon. But being so big means that Jaguars rely on big species of prey, such as peccaries, deer, sea turtles and even tapirs. In the Osa, the Jaguar's home...

Submitted by: David G Larson, Augustana Campus, University of Alberta, Canada Photo credits: DG Larson More than 6,000 species of moths are thought to be found in Costa Rica, and many hundreds of those moth species are found in the wet tropical forests of Osa Conservation. Micro insects, especially micro moths with wing lengths of less than 1cm, fill the air just after sundown and are often the target of the early evening insectivorous bats. Macro moths with 1-15 cm wing lengths usually become more active later in the evening. The...

Costa Rica and the Osa particularly boasts many claims to fame; its frequently cited as the happiest nation on earth; as containing the ‘biodiversity nucleus of the world; and recently, it may have popped up on your news feed as having derived 100% of its energy from renewable sources so far in 2015. All laudable claims to fame! Less frequently celebrated, however, is the nation’s cuisine. Menus in Cost Rica, along with much of Central and South America, are often described as consisting of two choices: Beans and Rice...

My name is Erin Engbeck, I have been volunteering at Osa Conservation for 4 ½ months as a Research Field Assistant for the Ríos Saludables de Osa program. During my time here, I have collected baseline data throughout the Osa Peninsula and had the wonderful opportunity to work directly with community members through workshops and community events.   Our workshops are aimed at educating the community and getting their involvement for future monitoring efforts. In February, we took Ríos Saludables on the road to San Josecito, a small community...

Submitted by: Alejandro Muñoz, M.Sc., Osa Healthy Rivers Collaborator In a new activity carried out under the Osa Healthy Rivers framework, six representatives of communities located throughout the length of the Peninsula got together at Piro Research Station to learn about monitoring the physicochemical and biological conditions of the rivers. This workshop, which took place from Friday, February 27 to Saturday, February 28, had the participation of representatives from ASADA (Administrative Associations for Aqueducts and Sewers) and the La Palma school, ASADA representatives from Sándalo, and officials from the sea turtle...

Hola, [caption id="attachment_7678" align="alignright" width="300"] Photo Credit: Lina Jerrå[/caption] My name is Sofia, I am originally from Sweden, I have a Master’s degree in conservation biology and I have been on Osa Peninsula working as a Research Field Assistant for Osa Conservation for two months. I work for the Sea Turtle program, collecting data and working with turtle conservation based on nesting activity on the two beaches Piro and Pejeperro. Sea turtles are endangered species. Some of the biggest problems are habitat destruction, climate change and human threats, both in water...

Submitted by: Pilar Bernal, Environmental Education & Community Outreach Manager Nearing the date of the 2nd International Festival of Migratory Birds, which will be the 7th of March, we will be giving talks and going on excursions with students to motivate them to learn about birds and the importance of conserving them. Together with the organization Osa Birds, we will walk with students on different trails with the objectives of learning skills in the use of binoculars and bird identification guides; learning to observe birds in their different habitats; and...

Submitted by: Juan Carlos Cruz Díaz, Feline Program Coordinator Strangler trees, mostly Fig trees, have evolved in a interesting way to take advantage of other trees for growing, especially in places where the thickness and canopy of the forest make scarce one of the most important elements in a plant’s life: light. The Osa Peninsula, one of the most biologically intense places in the world has more than 700 species of trees and 3000 species of plants which, in terms of competition and survival, is a lot for a plant. [caption...

Written by: Pablo Porras Edited by: Florencia Franzini Osa Conservation’s Yellow-Billed Cotinga (Carpodectes antoniae) Sactuary is a special place born from the inspiration of a two-year monitoring and tracking program. After the hard work performed by fellow researchers, the only logical process that seemed to follow was for us to create a stronghold for this struggling, endemic bird – Today this little stronghold is the place where OC studies the local population of this endangered bird. [caption id="attachment_6809" align="alignleft" width="300"] YBC Sanctuary location as shown on GoogleMaps.[/caption] The Sanctuary is located in the...