News + Stories

Uncategorized / 11.04.2019

Blogpost by Marco Hidalgo-Chaverri, Coordinator of the Ecosystem Resilience and Community Outreach Program Citizen science is the participation of the general public in scientific research activities. Citizens contribute actively, either through active monitoring or with local knowledge of their environment. This different way of doing science contributes to scientific knowledge through the participation of volunteer and trained citizens who are not usually specialists in the subject to be investigated and who contribute to help solve questions raised in scientific studies. Community Biological Monitoring Group of Rancho Quemado, training with the...

Land Conservation and Forest Restoration, Science and Research / 04.04.2019

Blogpost by Jonathan Navarro Picado, Healthy Rivers Program Coordinator Whether we perceive it or not, the forest is alive; there is movement, there is disorder, and—most importantly—there are endless interactions. This last word is the key to help make this hidden world clear to our human "worlds,” which are so short and tiny in comparison to the existence of these forests. When you walk through the old growth and secondary forests of the Osa Verde BioStation (Piro), you can see everythimg from herbs, seedlings and shrubs to gigantic trees hundreds...

Uncategorized / 29.03.2019

[embed]https://youtu.be/vjubdLJZJv8[/embed] Blogpost por Kristina Graves, Asistente de campo de investigación del programa Healthy Rivers y estudiante de maestría en el Imperial College de Londres Cuando acababa de llegar al comienzo de la semana, me emocionó mucho saber que Osa Conservation organizaba un "Picnic en el río" para celebrar los ríos de Costa Rica y su importancia para las personas y la vida silvestre. Pensé que sería una excelente manera de entender el contexto de los ríos en Osa y la comunidad y atreverme a aprender algo de español. “Picnic en el...

Aquatic Health, Community Outreach, Environmental Education / 29.03.2019

https://youtu.be/vjubdLJZJv8 Blogpost by Kristina Graves, Healthy Rivers Program Research Field Assistant and Masters Student at Imperial College London Having just arrived at the start of the week, I was really excited to hear that Osa Conservation was hosting a “Picnic in the River” in celebration of Costa Rican rivers and their importance to people and wildlife. I thought it would be a great way to understand the context of rivers in the Osa and community and throw myself headfirst into learning some Spanish.  “Picnic in the River” is an annual festival...

Birds, Community Outreach, Land Conservation and Forest Restoration, Science and Research, Sea Turtles, Volunteers and Visitors / 20.03.2019

Blogpost by Robin Morris and Steve Pearce, General Volunteers It seems like yesterday when we walked through the gate to the Osa Verde BioStation (Piro) for the first time in January 2017 and were greeted by a group scarlet macaws in the trees snacking and squawking.  We’re here now for our third winter excursion, and I have to admit we’ve done some cool things the last couple years.   Robin enjoying a two-year-old balsa forest. During Robin and Steve's 2018 visit, they helped clear plants around the small balsa saplings,...

Uncategorized / 06.03.2019

Blotpost by Sophie Blow, General Volunteer I came to Osa Conservation as a volunteer as part of my year abroad from university to improve my Spanish. I study French, Spanish and Portuguese at Warwick University in the UK and I couldn’t think of anywhere better to immerse myself in a different culture and way of life, while improving my Spanish at the same time, than the beautiful Osa Peninsula. During my spare time as a volunteer, I try to explore the site as much as I can, to discover...

Uncategorized / 26.02.2019

Blog por Hilary Brumberg, Coordinadora del Programa ‘Ríos Saludables’ Gracias a National Science Foundation (NSF), mejoraremos las instalaciones de investigación, la comunicación y el equipo en nuestra Estación Biológica Osa Verde, la cual se posicionará como un centro líder en investigación, educación y conservación tropical. Con nueva infraestructura, tendremos más capacidad para albergar investigadores interdisciplinarios, grupos académicos y para proveer capacitaciones en ciencia ciudadana. Así, contribuiremos al conocimiento sobre ecología tropical y a la alfabetización científica. [caption id="attachment_12217" align="aligncenter" width="640"] La ubicación del nuevo laboratorio en la Estación Osa Verde.[/caption] Estamos...

Uncategorized / 26.02.2019

Blog post by Hilary Brumberg, Healthy Rivers Program Coordinator Osa Conservation was recently awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to improve the research facilities, communication and equipment at our Osa Verde Biological Station (Piro), which will position this field station to become a leading center for tropical research, education and conservation. With this new infrastructure, we will increase our capacity to host interdisciplinary researchers, academic groups, and citizen science trainings, therefore advancing scientific knowledge about tropical ecology and enhancing scientific literacy.  Location of new NSF-funded laboratory at Osa...

Land Conservation and Forest Restoration, Science and Research, Sustainable agriculture / 21.02.2019

By Marvin Lopez Morales, Botanic Assistant Not long ago, the Costa Rican ethnobotanist Jorge Luis Poveda visited Osa Conservation. For me, it was an honor and pleasure to meet him.  Luis Poveda in the forest during his visit to our Conservation campus. Photo credit: Osa Conservation A simple and very friendly person, he has so many stories to tell about his personal experiences, plants, and teaching a wide variety of people. Poveda has devoted many years of his professional career to projects against cancer, Costa Rican Trees, and Manual of Plants...

Uncategorized / 13.02.2019

Blogpost by Mariam Weyand, Sea Turtle Biologist Osa Conservation relies on the help and support of volunteers to maximize our conservation impact, like many non-profits. Fortunately, we have diverse people coming to discover, help and get involved in our programs. We can separate them into two important groups: short term participants, such as students, families and tourists, and long-term volunteers. In 2018, we had the luck that many individuals came and helped us with field work in the Sea Turtle Program. They all came to discover the great experience and hard work...