Turtle cookies! The phrase echoed through my brain as I slowly walked back to the cars. It seems outrageous that people would destroy the only hope of survival of these endangered animals in order to make cookies. What made it seem even worse was that they were [...]]]>

By Kadin Hecht

Turtle cookies! The phrase echoed through my brain as I slowly walked back to the cars. It seems outrageous that people would destroy the only hope of survival of these endangered animals in order to make cookies. What made it seem even worse was that they were killing small innocent creatures.  Creatures with delicate bodies, wrinkled rough skin, and hard green shells that I had touched only the night before.  A creature like the one that I had held squirming in my hand and let go into the vast unpredictable ocean, hoping that someday it would travel back to this same beach.  This little turtle, whose life the survival of the species depends on, would be butchered for turtle cookies, shooters, and eggnog.  It seemed unfathomable to me, but to the people of Ostional, it is a way of life.

We had spent the morning on a tour of Ostional. We had seen the soccer field school and nutrition center, all of which money from turtle harvesting had either built or upgraded. The money that was made by selling turtle eggs harvested legally by the community of Ostional helped remodel the soccer field, build a computer lab for the school, and construct a nutrition center for the community. The money went as far as to help supply money for student scholarships and give pregnant women maternity leave.  Amazingly, the community of Ostional was able to support its community by harvesting eggs once a month, and it was not only through the ways I have described.  Each family in the community receives 200 turtle eggs and about 1000 per year???? But is this money for the community that is already struggling worth risking the extinction of the ancient beasts?

Ostional is a small town of about a thousand or so people. It is located on the ocean and legally in a national reserve. However, these were not the reasons we were here. We were in Ostional because of the turtles and this very unique thing that they do here. This thing is called the aribadas. Aribadas are when millions of turtles storm the beach of Ostianol in about four days, laying millions and millions of eggs. No one knows why the aribadas happen. Or how come they happen at Ostianol. The one thing that the members of the community at Ostional do know is that, because of these turtles, they live a much better life and are able to support themselves better then other Costa Rican communities.

However not all people agree that this is what is best for the turtles. The people of Ostianol harvest hundreds of thousands of turtle eggs a year. The community claims that this is only one percent of the eggs laid here but it is hard to tell if that statistic is valid. What I do know is that disallowing hundreds of thousands of turtles from hatching is not helping their dwindling population avoid extinction.The day started with a tour that was lead by a short stocky man with a worn look to him. His face was haggard and he bore many scars.  With his rough, corse skin and his slow-couch latex movements, he had the weather beatten look of an old turtle who had traveled thousands of miles around the globe.  Gilbert had been the president of Ostional’s turtle conservation and egg selling program for six years, but he was now retired. This was a man with life experience.  He recounted some stories of Ostional for us. It started with the arribadas  in 1957, and shortly after this occurrence, the community knew they needed to protect the turtles. The first solution was posting guards along the beach who were supposed to guard and protect the turtles recounted Gilbert. However, “these guards soon got out of control,” he said, “the guards were chasing my grandparent’s dog, misfired, and shot my grandmother”. Gilbert himself was also shot by guards and his house was sent up in flames. This was when the community realized that this was not the solution to saving the turtles. In 1981 they set up a wildlife refuge and put in place the system that they are using today. Gilbert feels very strongly that what Ostional is doing is right and that they have the perfect system in place.  He tells us that he “would give his life to protect the community of Ostianol and the turtles”.

To witness her on the sandy shore like that, her strong extremities digging, her mind pursuing and pushing in single direction, set only on completing what she came to do, there is nothing else in the world that could compare. To know she is only one of [...]]]>  

By Indi Nunez

To witness her on the sandy shore like that, her strong extremities digging, her mind pursuing and pushing in single direction, set only on completing what she came to do, there is nothing else in the world that could compare. To know she is only one of the mere two-thousand left on the Pacific coast and to have watched her, to have had the luck itself to watch her is simply incredible. Who knows how many have had the chance to observe a Leatherback turtle dutifully laying her eggs under a shining moon. The one thing I do know though, is that experiences like this a very slim and that if something isn’t done about saving these turtles there will be none of these experiences left to be witnessed.

CIRENAS has been studying turtles and turtle conservation for a couple weeks. We have not only learned about them in a classroom but also by going out into the field, involving sustainability throughout the whole process. Recently, on the five day field trip the group took up north from campus visiting turtle nesting beaches, we had many amazing experiences. Personally, my favorite day was the fifth day which consisted of three main events including the visit of Rancho Avellanas, the town of Tamarindo, and the beach of Playa Grande.

Rancho  Avellanas is a goat farm located in Playa Avellanas and was the first place we visited on day five. It was first created by a man named Carlos who, once he retired, decided he wanted to make his farm into something sustainable that he could live off. Carlos was a somewhat stocky man with a short beard and knowing eyes. He wore a large sunhat, jeans with a brown belt, and a tucked in grey shirt. He began his  farm with a few goats but has progressed into something much bigger. He now not only has many more goats but also everything he needs to feed the goats on the farm. He grows all their food on his property which includes a diverse amount and variety of plants to feed the goats a healthy, mixed diet. These goats then produce milk which is turned into different kinds of cheeses and yogurts. The goats are kept meticulously clean and healthy and are divided into different sections. The male goats are in one, the females are in the other, and the most adorable jumping bean baby goats are in the last. When I saw these baby goats, my heart stopped. Everything about them made me fall in love with them. Their distinct square eyes, the way they jumped up and down and were so friendly to people, and of course their intelligence. They were so small and speedy, it was obvious they are quick learners. There were also newborn baby goats who were absolutely adorable. The way their hair curled into small creamy ringlets around their body and the small throaty goat sound they made when I held them in my arms made me want to keep them there forever. All the goats were obviously well cared for.

Carlos also told us how he was experimenting on the way he bred the goats and the way the products were made to create the best product that could possibly be achieved. It wasn’t just a job for him, it was a life.  He now sells his products in a nearby town called Tamarindo at a Saturday market and also distributes them locally. His products are great because the goats are healthy, which makes their cheese and yogurt  healthy, which makes you healthy. Healthy to me means rich in nutrients, naturally grown and in good shape. For example, a healthy goat is a strong goat, a goat that has energy and is happy. Carlos deeply cares about the way his goats are fed and kept and really takes his time and effort to make sure they are raised in such a way. His whole project is all done in a sustainable, safe, and local way and is a perfect example of how to run a farm.

The next town that the group stopped through was Tamarindo, a rather large coastal town that overlooks a beautiful dreamlike beach. Over the last couple of years Tamarindo has boomed into a bustling Metropolis. It now has tall buildings, private developments, and a flood of stores whereas it used to be a small, calm beach town. Within the first the first five minutes of entering the town limits we counted around fifty billboards. This city like beach town used to be an important nesting beach for turtles but now because of all its lights and commotion turtles don’t like to lay their eggs there or even come near it. I could also really tell the difference between the other quiet beach towns we had  crossed within the last few days and Tamarindo. It felt like the whole point of a beach was lost in Tamarindo. The laid back, placid feeling I get when I am at the beach surrounded by palm trees and as far as I can see there are waves crashing and sandy shores was lost because of the buildings towering over. To me a beach is a place to escape the city, not a place to bring the the city to. In a matter of years this relaxed feeling was lost. Tamarindo and its neighboring beach Playa grande are divided by an estuary that runs between them. The difference between these two beaches that are uniquely divided by this estuary is amazing. When I first gazed from the beach of Tamarindo across to the beach of Playa Grande the most important thing I noticed was that there was no towers, houses ,or lights on the beach, all there was the expanse of the shore. Later that day when I looked from Playa Grande to Tamarindo all I could see we’re large hotels and such. I think part of this is due to the fact that Playa Grande is a protected beach but it’s crazy to think that if it wasn’t it would be just like Tamarindo.

The reason our CIRENAS group visited Playa Grande was to learn about Learherbacks and more importantly to try to see one. Playa Grande is one of the Leatherbacks main nesting beaches and MINAE (Costa Rica’s wildlife protection organization) is in charge of it and of the turtles that arrive there to nest. MINAE has an office near the beach and they offer educational tours to see Leatherbacks. We arrived at the office at around 10:00pm on the night of our fifth day. When we got there, everyone was required to write their names down and sign signatures beside them. They then led us to a meeting in which they gave a brief overview on Leatherbacks and rules about what to do if we had the luck to see one. This is what was to be done: we were to wait outside. If they received a call from someone patrolling the beach we were to go with the MINAE people and follow their instructions there. If we there was no turtle call then the latest they would would wait was 4:00am. So everyone went outside and completely set up on the cement porch outside the station. In minutes yoga mats, thermarests, sheets, snacks and backpacks for pillows were on the ground. Just like that seventeen people were ready for whatever was to come, I guess we were getting good at quick traveling. To look at the scene from the outside must have been strange, to watch so many people go from sitting in a group to everyone taking over and camping out.I layed down and started reading with my sweater under my head, a yoga mat under my back, and a sarong over my body until around twelve o’clock. I also thought of all we had learned recently about Leatherbacks, how there are only two-thousand females left on the Pacific coast and how they are the biggest of all the turtles. I learned about their leathery shell that allows the them move in a quicker way and how because of their shell they got their name.

My mind kept wandering until eventually I fell asleep, but continuously woke to various sounds. At around 2:30 am I woke up to the sound of a woman speaking on the phone. “¿Esta seguro?…… tortuga….” We’re some of the few words I grasped from the conversation which roughly translate into “Are you sure?” and “turtle”. That was enough to make me happy. She got off the phone and turned towards us, “Hay tortuga” she said. We were going to see a leatherback turtle! As soon as we knew this we jumped up and immediately packed everything in five minutes. Less than twenty minutes after that we were on the beach lined up in groups to see this magnificent animal. I was placed in group one and as I walked up to her I could not believe my eyes.

The moon was nearly full shining from above naturally illuminating the waves and the creases in the sand. Her massive shell was outlined by shadows and light and every one of her movements could easily be observed. She was beautiful. I stood in silence, in awe of the work of this creature, in awe of her strength. I will never forget that moment, how she layed her eggs and how she patted the sand down to cover her nest. Her mere size astounded me. I felt so overwhelmingly lucky to have been able to experience such a sight. As we left the beach around 4:00am I could help but thinking that this kind of turtle might not even exist within the next few years and how I had the chance to see one. Leatherbacks are in such a great danger that the possibility of them becoming completely extinct is highly possible.It reminded me of yet another reason why I would like to make a difference with these turtles lives. Nothing can replace being there in person and experiencing it myself. If something is done now to change the leatherbacks fate someone else in the future may have a chance to watch something like this too. If we begin to change now there still may be a chance to turn these turtles’ populations around. I would love to know if future generations will be able to see these Leatherbacks, not just hear stories about their wonders. What if ten years from now you would like to meet a Leatherback on a sandy shore under the starspeckled sky but there are none left to see? Let’s make sure there are more to see, let’s save the Leatherbacks.

The sun hadn’t yet risen when I woke up and pulled the blankets off of my drowsy body. It was a bright, crisp morning and the sun shone through my window and poured onto the floor like honey. I quickly dressed and grabbed my [...]]]>  

By Roxie Daims

The sun hadn’t yet risen when I woke up and pulled the blankets off of my drowsy body. It was a bright, crisp morning and the sun shone through my window and poured onto the floor like honey. I quickly dressed and grabbed my backpack, it was time for our first expedition and I was up and ready to go!

We drove for an hour through green hillsides and pastures filled with cows and horses before arriving at the Karen Mogenson reserve. Even before starting the hike I knew it was going to be a wonderful adventure. Our guides were kind and forgiving of of slow pace as we steadily and surely made our way upwards. After hiking for about an hour I had become exasperated, hot and rather sweaty but I knew that we must go on and I was aware eventually each step would pay off. We hadn’t been going for long but the heat was rapidly getting to me.

At last we came we came to a crystal clear river and within that moment I thought it was the most perfect and incredible thing.That was until I walked about 50 feet further and there towering above me was a giant, powerful and gorgeous waterfall. My breath was instantly ripped from my body and my mouth dropped, it was so incredibly amazing I was practically stunned. I stood in utter awe of this natural miracle for a minute… or maybe five before proceeding to the waterfall. I dropped my bag and plunged myself into the fresh, crystal clear water. The feeling was magical as the cold but perfect water embraced me and the trees above created a green, glowing and welcoming environment. I have found there are not many perfect moments but that was surely one and it will stay in my heart and mind forever.

On the second day of our hike we rose at 5 o’ clock, ate a delicious breakfast of plantains, pancakes,fruit and hot chocolate then started on the long journey we had ahead of us. After a few hours the sun was high in the sky and its warmth was pouring down upon us as we reached the top of a tall peak. The sea was to my left and the mountains to my right and I was simply on top of the world. Everyone was taking pictures, talking and laughing but In that moment Everything disappeared and I was captured and fascinated by the perfect beauty of the natural world around me and the feeling was incredible.

The hills that we were climbing seemed to me to stretch forever into the sky but despite my tiredness I put one foot in front of the other and continued on my way. As we proceeded I found myself thinking about how much of this natural world has been cultivated, renovated and civilized. Being in a place so untouched my people makes me think about what we have lost throughout civilization. The conservation I must take when living in nature makes me appreciate the seemingly simple things I may take for granted everyday. After hiking all day a sip of water is delicious, a plate of food is heavenly and a cool shower almost breath taking.

We hiked for 8 long hours and when we finally reached the end I was sweaty, tired and disgusting but at the point of blissful, carefree happiness. The feeling of accomplishment was in the air and I felt pretty wonderful. Our adventure had been wonderful, it was amazing to be in a place where humans are not in control, where we are the guests and the visitors. We completed the long journey and it was surely a success. The memories from such an adventure will never fade.

Waking up really early in the morning is not that easy sometimes, but we did and we were feeling excited about the adventure of the day.Caroline started the car and the trip began. We passed through different towns and every little town seemed special. The towns looked [...]]]>

The  sun was really hot and I felt like I was getting roasted, but I just kept paddling with enthusiasm. It was amazing to look how gorgeous this place was. There were many green trees at both sides of the estuary, and I felt completely in another world. We made our first stop, and it was amazing to see how all these roots were above all of us, but also we had all these bugs dancing all over our heads. At that moment I didn’t care about all these creatures making their special dancing, because all around me was magical and that is the only thing that I could think and concentrate about. Eddie, our fantastic tropical ecology teacher, was explaining all types of things related to the mangroves. He is such a good teacher and so intelligent. It’s awesome that he can recognize almost every bird that we can see in the road and tell you a brief explanation about them. He is the kind of person that always makes you laugh and have a good time, but also someone from where you can learn valuable things. It was really cute when he told us that his first kiss happened in a mangrove, it is an original place for your first kiss. He taught us about the different types of mangroves, their importance, and what things we can find in the mangroves.

I learned many things about mangroves. Mangroves are places where that fresh and salty water combine. Moreover, they are nurseries for different living things as fishes and crabs. One function that they have is that they act as buffers, they help to hold the sediment in place so if a hurricane comes it won’t take the sediment away. Mangroves are protectors! They not only keep sediment in place, but also they are filters of pollution. People destroy mangroves and I think  they aren’t realizing how much harm they are causing to the environment and the rest of the humanity. Destroying mangroves and any other things in the environment is harming ourselves.

Being in kayak for a couple of hours was an amazing and valuable experience. For a moment I felt frustrated, because sometimes I was having bad moments handling our banana formed friend. I felt proud of myself, because even though I had bad moments with the kayak I just kept trying and Alex was being really patient and always motivating me to not be afraid. Mangroves are special places that take you to different places in your imagination. This experience helped me to strengthen one of my thoughts: everything is interconnected and sometimes I feel like humanity ignores that. Being inside your house watching TV programs such as Discovery Channel is one thing, but being out there living the experience and making your own observations is different. This experience was so meaningful to me, because it made me think about how sometimes we don’t realize how much knowledge we can get from all the things around us.

by Indi Sharer-Nuñez

Every second passing by is a step closer to freedom, a moment nearer to travel the immense sea that lay before their eyes. A path was made for them to follow, a programmed map inside their tiny little heads that will lead them to their next destination. Only a [...]]]>

by Indi Sharer-Nuñez

Every second passing by is a step closer to freedom, a moment nearer to travel the immense sea that lay before their eyes. A path was made for them to follow, a programmed map inside their tiny little heads that will lead them to their next destination. Only a minute out of their shell and they are already on their way, already knowing what they are meant to do in their lives. Flipper by flipper, a newborn Olive Ridley turtle will face the unknown and challenge it as it starts its journey through the sand and into the swaying ocean of waves. And as I watch it swim away with hope and love revolving around my heart and coursing through my veins  I have to make myself remember that this little creature will have a very slim chance at making it in this big, wide world. So why not give it the biggest chance it can get?

Turtle  populations are in such a steep decline due to fishing bycatch and egg poaching that multiple species are already considered endangered.  By being a part of PRETOMA, I had the sensation that I was being part of something that helped these incredible animals. PRETOMA is a sea turtle conservation group and hatchery. There, they do their best to try to find mother turtles laying and collect the eggs to put in the hatchery before the nests are poached along the expanse of the Ario beach. The volunteers wait until the eggs hatch and release the beautiful creatures into the ocean. Next they wait for two days before they exhume the nests, which means open the nest up, take out all the unhatched eggs and also any turtles who are trapped. Our CIRENAS group had the chance to experience this last step which was absolutely thrilling. As soon as one of the volunteers picked a teeny turtle out of the nest all of us immediately were delighted. They were so small and delicate, all I wanted to do is hold one in my hands and look at it for hours. Out of the three nests that we exhumed, there were five baby turtles still captured inside. Later that afternoon we had the chance to release them into the deep, blue ocean.

While at PRETOMA, we were led by a enthusiastic volunteer named Dani who was in his mid-twenties. A brown scruffy beard covered the lower part of his face and his speech carried a heavy Castilian accent. He wore small black shorts and it was obvious from his weathered appearance that he had been living and working on the beach for quite some time. He was a person who was not involved with turtles in his everyday life but took time out of it and put it into protecting them. You could tell from the way he talked that he was incredibly interested in the turtles and their outcome in life. He allowed us to hold these beautiful creatures in our hands and release them into the tumbling waves. I encountered one of the most marvelous, heart warming feelings as I looked into their beady eyes and took in the movement of their minuscule flippers. He also allowed us to realize that for those five little turtles to be released there was a gigantic amount of work behind it and that it was important to take this into consideration.

A small turtle will dive into the sea without even a hint of hesitation or fear. They will push themselves forward and travel as far as they can go. By watching these incredible turtles we can learn how to find courage in our life. If this tiny creature that fits in the palm of your hand can venture into the endless ocean then why can’t we find bravery in our own life? Next time you feel afraid remember what a small animal like this can achieve and let it be set as an example in your life. Now I look back at my old experiences and can think of them in a different way. I remember visiting a turtle beach when I was younger and all I could think about was how cute they were. Now that I have a better understanding of turtles, their hardships, and their life I have a different perspective. I still think they are incredibly adorable but now I understand how hard it is for one turtle to survive and how deeply strong these creatures really are. This was one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had and I would love to give thanks to  CIRENAS and its faculty, PRETOMA , and also to Dani for allowing me and the rest of the group this experience and for caring. Overall though, I would like to thank the turtles for their bravery, hard work, and for never giving up.

When CIRENAS was created our goal was always to help combine conservation, education and research with meaningful projects designed to give back to the people and environment surrounding the Caletas-Ario National Wildlife Refuge.  Each of our courses is charged with the responsibility of completing a service learning or ecological restoration project.  These projects have [...]]]>

When CIRENAS was created our goal was always to help combine conservation, education and research with meaningful projects designed to give back to the people and environment surrounding the Caletas-Ario National Wildlife Refuge.  Each of our courses is charged with the responsibility of completing a service learning or ecological restoration project.  These projects have been the backbone of each of our courses, providing students with a tangible project and direct outcomes.  Each student steps away from their experience with a different realization of the power of service and hopefully a few new skills and friendships in the process.

Each project is identified by each town’s school board at the beginning of the year, in order to best address the needs of the students and community.

This year’s service learning projects included.

• Building Solar Ovens – Our Semester Program students learned to build solar ovens with Dr. Francis Vanek of Cornell University.  The students built one oven for the CIRENAS campus and then built another with the students of Quebradas de Nando for the school to use.  Solar ovens utilize the sun’s rays to create enough heat to cook food, thereby reducing the expense of propane or the health risks associated with cooking with wood.

• Computer Donations – Over the last two years The Park School has donated 14 MacBook laptops to the local students and schools.  These computers are not really donations as much as an exchange for the kindness and hospitality of our homestay and service learning project communities.  These computers enable students to begin to learn important computer skills that will make them more competitive in the job market and reduce their dependence on traveling to Internet cafes in order to complete assignments that require online research or a typed paper, which is becoming more common especially in the high schools.
  

• Costa de Oro Turtle Nursery Construction - This year’s Summer Program students helped PRETOMA (a marine conservation organization) construct a new turtle nursery just north of the CIRENAS campus on the Costa de Oro.  The students also helped PRETOMA volunteers patrol the beaches for nesting sea turtles, in order to transport their eggs to the nursery.

• Painting and Murals – This continues to be one of our favorite activities to do with our student groups as it enables participants of all ages to join together to beautify the schools.  This year our Semester Program students created a beautiful mural for the Rio Frio school, while our Exeter and Westminster courses repainted the Quebradas de Nando school building and touched up our first ever mural created by Telluride Mountain School in 2009.

• English Lessons – The local communities have identified English and computer skills as being the two areas in which they would like their students to have more of a focus.  Each of this year’s groups who participated in service learning also taught English lessons to the local students sometimes combined with environmental education.

• Signage – Our students worked with local school children to create fun and informational signs to place around their towns and within the Caletas-Ario National Wildlife Refuge.  These signs help students, local people and tourists by providing information about speed limits, school zones, turtle nesting areas and identify local trees.

• Beach Clean Ups  - Almost every group participates in a beach clean up sometimes accompanied by local students or community members.  CIRENAS is now working along with Water Keepers Alliance to help Playas Manzanillo and Ario earn their Blue Flag certification for clean beaches.  Usually our beach clean ups also involve creating art with our beach trash and discussing all of our responsibilities as consumers to buy products that can be recycled, biodegrade or repurposed.  This year CIRENAS removed over 100 large bags of trash from Playas Manzanillo and Ario.

• Picnic Table – When asked what type of project that the students from The Park School in Brookline, MA could do along with the Bello Horizonte school their teacher told us that they were in need of another picnic table for their dining hall area.  The students helped to sand and assemble the table and as a thank you the students from Bello Horizonte put on an incredible dance performance ending with almost everyone participating, laughing and enjoying new friendships.