News + Stories

Blog Post by Lawrence Whittaker, Osa Conservation Field Researcher [caption id="attachment_11274" align="aligncenter" width="513"] A Spider Monkey Observing the Osa Canopy; Photo by Manuel Sanchez[/caption] Elusive Subjects of Study The Osa Peninsula is a stronghold for the Central American spider monkey, an arboreal acrobat adapt to navigating the rainforest canopy. Studying these dynamic mammals can be a challenge, as they don’t give up their secrets easily. To study spider monkeys, one must track them from the moment they wake to the moment they fall asleep. With the closed canopy that blocks out fading daylight from those on the...

Blog Post by Hilary Brumberg, Rios Saludables Program Coordinator [caption id="attachment_11262" align="aligncenter" width="576"] Osa Land Cover Maps from 1987 to 2017.[/caption]   Good news for Osa’s forests and wildlife! Over the past 30 years, the Osa has seen an 11% increase in vegetation and a decrease in grassland. This year, Osa Conservation started an exciting new partnership with NASA DEVELOP and the University of Georgia (UGA). NASA DEVELOP partners with local organizations to apply NASA Earth observations to address environmental issues around the globe. Through this partnership, we gained insight regarding land use and...

Blog Post by Amaris Norwood, Intern in our DC Office [caption id="attachment_11228" align="aligncenter" width="909"] A Couple of Purple Passion Flowers; Photo by Manuel Sanchez[/caption] It's Almost Earth Day! As Earth Day approaches, we can take this time to reflect on the current environmental state of the planet.  From habitat loss to climate change, from poaching to illegal animal trade. Over recent years, we have seen species decline.  At the same time, we’ve seen habitats and species regenerate. Marine restoration, reforestation, and other conservation and preservation efforts are to thank for this.  At times, we've even been...

Blog Post by Yoshinari Fukuzawa from Middlebury College [caption id="attachment_11219" align="aligncenter" width="909"] Sunny Day on the Beach at Osa; Photo by Frank Uhlig[/caption] Journal 1: The sea turtle eggs were so soft, so delicate.  While we knelt on the warm sand and reached deep into the hole we dug, our hands gently searched for the surface of the eggs.  Once found, we took each out, one by one, clasping the soft shells that individually held a life inside.  Although frightened we might break an egg, we felt thrilled once our fingers came upon the smooth surfaces.  “Mother’s touch,” one of...

Blog Post by Sarah Karerat from Middlebury College [caption id="attachment_11207" align="aligncenter" width="940"] The beach during sunset at Osa; Photo by Manuel Sanchez[/caption] While spending our first night in our cabina at Osa, I awoke in the middle of the night to the noises that surrounded us.  The howler monkeys were screeching, rain was pouring, and I could hear insects and the Pacific Ocean crashing against the coast. I remember thinking that I may as well be sleeping outside.  During my stay, I truly felt like there was no barrier between me and...

Blog written by Juan Carlos Crus Diaz, Feline Program Coordinator I can clearly remember:  It was a hot but humid morning, which is common in this area during the dry season. As we walk through the rainforest, we struggle to keep our pace on the trail - it is steep and the humidity make us feel like we are running a marathon. We come to the last hill and finally reach the ridge of the mountain chain that goes through Piedras Blancas National Park. We summit the top and...

Blogpost written by Marvin López, Botanical Specialist [caption id="attachment_11074" align="aligncenter" width="4608"] Flowers of Aristolochia goudotii, a plant commonly called pipevine, in its natural habitat. It is a woody, evergreen, twining vine of the birthwort family that produces unusual apetulous flowers, each of which features a calyx resembling a dutchman’s pipe.[/caption] I have lived most of my life here, in the Osa Peninsula, one of the places with the most extensive forest cover of my country, Costa Rica. It holds a vast diversity of plant species, some of which are still unknown to...

Post by Philip Przybyszewski, DC Office Intern. [caption id="attachment_11117" align="aligncenter" width="6000"] A view of the far-reaching canopy and the Pacific Ocean from up above.[/caption] No, this isn’t just an issue for raving environmentalists. This is a big deal for everyone. Even though they only cover 2% of the Earth’s surface, they are of utmost importance to all species, particularly humans. Tropical rainforests are the wettest, most vegetation-intense biomes in the world, so densely-grown that a canopy is formed that weaves together the ecosystem into a far-spanning green landscape. Incredibly, this ecosystem...