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« April 2009 | Main | June 2009 »  Laurin Goff’s volunteer experience in Costa Rica. My experience in Costa Rica was incredible! I volunteered for both the Animal Rescue Project in San Carlos (outside of La Fortuna) as well as the Camaronal Sea Turtle Project on the Nicoya Peninsula. Volunteering with animals has been an interest of mine for a very long time and both programs were exactly what I was looking for - and it was a great escape from NYC! While volunteering at the Wildlife Rescue center I helped construct a larger cage for the 2 adorable kinkajous, Benjamin and Cindy. Landscape work around the complex was also a daily task. Feeding the animals was fun, too - Perla (wild boar), Hercules, Jessica and Mobli (spider monkeys), Benjamin and Cindy (kinkajous), lots of parrots and a sweet raccoon as well as the groups of ducks that would visit. Even a sloth lived on the grounds but he came on his own (not injured) as well as a cayman and a large turtle.
Working on hands-on activities outdoors with beautiful wildlife around us was exactly the experience I was looking for! And the staff were amazing as well. Mary, Teniente, Alvaro and Don Jaime were great to work with during the 2 weeks that I volunteered. I certainly recommend this program if you want a chance at working outside among beautiful wildlife and landscape! I lived with a host family in the area which was a GREAT education. Living in a different culture was a refreshing experience and was great for brushing up on my Spanish!
The Sea Turtle Program in Camaronal was an incredible experience as well. I was the only volunteer during my week stay. I lived in the shelter area along with the park ranger, Herman, and the project coordinator, Ricardo. The daily chef, Yaki, came every day (except Sunday) and cooked us hearty meals which was great. As for the turtle experience - what an amazing sight to see. Although we took night patrols each night or early morning I never did see a large sea turtle. However, I did see approximately 100 baby sea turtles hatch in the protected hatchery area within the week! Wow, they are incredibly cute. After they hatched we set them free onto the beach about 20 feet from the water. They made their own way into the water as we watched. I felt we helped at least partially with their survival as only 1% of sea turtles live until adulthood because of poachers or animals that steal their eggs from the beach or because they don’t survive predators in the ocean. The hatchery must be patrolled at least once every 2 hours to watch for hatching turtles as once they’re out and walking around the sun and heat can be quite dangerous to them. The hatchery is sheltered however, only by a thick mesh so sun can still get through. The experience in Camaronal was very laid back and quiet. Not only is the beach a hatching ground for 4 types of sea turtles it is also a great spot for fishermen and surfers. It’s beautiful! Overall, I’d recommend either program. They’re quite different from one another but a wonderful experience if you truly love helping animals and working outside! Join us on our Summer Adventure!Costa Rica is famous for many things. So it’s no wonder this beautiful country attracts over 1.5 million tourists each year. The people, beaches, wildlife, weather and the diversity in landscape & climate make Costa Rica a paradise for everyone. But behind the glossy print of tourist brochures the fact remains; Costa Rica is still a developing country with a lot of poverty. Help is needed to make the situation better. On our Summer Adventure we want to show you this beautiful country in a completely different way. The Summer Adventure is made up of 8 weeks and spans all our different projects. You will be traveling to different parts of the country, working in different projects and taking amazing tours, while making a big difference in many lives. You will be working with children, elderly, wildlife, nature, sea turtles and Indigenous people. How amazing is the experience? Just ask Charlotte Bernsohn one of our 2008 Summer Adventure volunteers, who is going to join us again this year as our Summer Adventure Volunteer Coordinator. We hope you can join us too! Click here to see a complete description of the Adventure.
$25,000 Grant Received to help Bambu CommunityAfter a great start with our new partners, Children, Incorporated, and our “sponsor a child program,” we are very happy and honored to announce that we have received our first grant! Children Incorporated submitted a grant proposal to work in partnership with Tropical Adventures Foundation to build a farmer's market in the Indigenous community of Bambu on the Talamanca Indigenous Reservation. The idea came in response to the devastating flooding that has hit the region not once – but twice – in the last 7 months. The communities’ entire crop of plantains and bananas were destroyed, wiping out 18 months of income. We wanted to find a way to help this community find a more stable and sustainable form of income to support themselves. The grant we received provides a total of $25,000 to create the areas’ first farmer’s market. After many trips all the way to Bambu, over the span of several months for town meetings, to work and communicate with the community, conference calls, research and crossing our fingers has been rewarded and we are ready to begin construction of the market. Our fantastic new intern, Rebecca Uncles, has been named Project Manager, and will be living in Bambu for 6 months to oversee the project. Chicago Event - Annual Volunteer Appreciation NightAs we announced in our last newsletter, we are busy planning our first Annual Volunteer Appreciation Night, which will be held on August 14, 2009 in the Center on Halsted in Chicago. This year’s award recipient will be Danilo Gabb from Bambu on the Talamanca Indigenous Reservation. We are really hoping Danilo will be able to obtain a US Visa so he can join us in person. Our staff and board members are putting a lot of time and effort into this event and we are working hard to get everyone there: local staff from Costa Rica, past volunteers, local community members and our supporters. Our sincerest and deepest appreciation goes out to Modesto “Tico” Valle, the Executive Director of the Center, for donating the space and beverages.
The next day, Saturday August 15, we are welcoming all who want to join us in the morning to an open board meeting. We will be discussing how to improve our services to both our volunteers and our projects, as well as doing some strategic planning for the future. We’d love to have you there to share your experience, thoughts and ideas. If you are planning on joining us, please send an email to event@tropicaladventures.com to RSVP and let us know. We need to know how many people to plan for. Plus, we hope to be able to help you out by sharing what we have found out about affordable lodging and transportation. We hope to have a website ready soon with more information. We understand that for some people it is not possible to come all the way to Chicago. If you can’t make it but you do want to help support us and Danilo…you can! Here are a couple of ideas:
Thank you all for your continued support. We look forward to seeing you in Chicago!
How many turtles will I see while volunteering at Camaronal? There are four different species of turtles that nest at Camaronal. They are the Olive Ridley turtle (Tortuga Lora), the Black turtle (Tortuga Negra), the Leatherback turtle (Tortuga Baula) and the Hawksbill turtle (Tortuga de Carey). The Olive Ridley turtles nest in Camaronal year round and it’s quite common to see at least one every week. During their peak nesting season, from July through to November, an average of 10-20 turtles will nest each night on the beach. In fact, last year between 6000-8000 Olive Ridley turtles came ashore between the 18th and 22nd November in a mass nesting that is known in Spanish as an ‘arribada’.
The Black turtles are a little bit harder to observe, as they lay their eggs in a very remote part of the beach. However, you might be lucky enough to see one between the months of June and December. The Leatherback turtles nest between October and February and the Hawksbill turtles, which are the rarest, will arrive in small numbers throughout the year.
Planting HopeTropical Adventures has begun a program to make our entire operation carbon neutral. In the program, called “Planting Hope", we will join in the effort to reclaim, support and give back to the global environment. As part of the “planting hope” campaign we recently donated 100 trees to the community of La Fortuna de San Carlos. Last Thursday, the 16th of April, 50 students planted the trees in collaboration with the Desafío Adventure Company. The day began with a rafting trip down the Rio Balsa and mid trip the students stopped to plant trees along the river bank. The day really was an adventurous experience for all, as well as a great help to the environment. Voluntourism: the “good” tourismTired of visiting the same touristic places? Of taking the same photos as every other tourist in the area? Of having the exact same vacation experience as everyone you know? Well, why not try some voluntouring? Voluntourism is a well known term in the travel industry today, and it basically means “volunteer vacation”. These days more and more people are combining their vacations with volunteering. It’s a unique way to see the world while giving something back by working in another country with the local people, animals or environment. It’s also a great way to explore the culture and really get to know the country you're travelling through. Voluntourism is for everybody; individuals, families and groups. For four years now, Tropical Adventures has been dedicated to providing high quality voluntour adventure experiences tailored towards the expectations of adventure-minded travelers, check them out on our website.
If you want to know more about voluntourism, you can find more information and some really helpful tips at www.Voluntourism.org. Swine Flu in Costa Rica
Costa Rica recently confirmed its first two cases of swine flu a 21-year-old Costa Rican woman and a 28-year-old man. They both flew from Mexico to Costa Rica on separate flights. They are no longer in danger and have responded well to their treatments. No antiviral medications were considered necessary. They are in stable conditions and have been instructed by health officials to isolate themselves and remain in their homes.
Costa Rica is taking precautions to prevent widespread infection of the swine flu, just as in most other countries in the world are doing. Airlines are offering all passengers face masks to protect them from possible infection. The ministry of health is placing alcohol gel dispensers in all its medical centers for public use and is encouraging people in Costa Rica to avoid hand-shaking and kissing. Costa Rica’s president Oscar Arias said: “Today I want to assure you that I have full confidence in the capacity of our country to be a leader in this health emergency. No nation in the world, even the most developed, can avoid (this) virus. But an organized country, a country with a health system like Costa Rica, can defeat this epidemic (and ensure) it doesn’t have severe consequences.”
Tropical Adventures is not canceling any volunteer trips planned in Costa Rica at this point. Safety of our volunteers has always been our primary concern. Off course we will monitor the situation and we will be taking any necessary precautions. We have to remember that there are more confirmed cases of Swine flu in the US and Europe than in the whole of Central America.
If you or your family have any questions about this situation or any other, please don’t hesitate to contact info@TropicalAdventures.com or call us from the US or Canada at 1-800-832-9419 or internationally at +506 2-574-4412. We will be happy to answer your questions or clear up any doubts. Lastly we want to thank VIDA for giving us information about this subject and letting us use it in our blog.
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