Venturing through the forest with Escuela Verde

Yesterday I spent the day with Margarita and her 3 grade class at Hacienda Barú. Hacienda Barú is a National Wildlife Refuge situated on the Southern Pacific Coast north of Uvita. Hacienda Barú has 330 hectares (815 acres) of different habitats, from wetlands and secondary rainforests in the lowlands to primary rainforest on the highland coastal ridge.

Our trip yesterday was to walk some of the seven kilometers of walking trails with a guide to learn about the ecosystems and wildlife we encountered. Besides just walking and learning, the students worked in groups of 2 or 3 to use GPS to map locations of interest. Items of interest included parrots, caimans, snakes, leaf-cutter ants, fire ants, and a variety of trees. We also walked through the orchid garden and butterfly garden.

The next step will be to take the GPS points and download them to the computer. We will then also link the photographs to the waypoints. However, one thing that will make this step more interesting is that the school had their electricity line stolen the night before. It’s made of copper. Not sure when the electricity will get turned back on, but hopefully soon. Otherwise, we’ll make do by using a laptop that has a strong battery life.

 

 

Finding my way via Basura

As mentioned earlier, one of the projects I’ll be working on while I’m here Uvita – Bahia Ballena is mapping the basura (trash). The first day I arrived, I wanted to get to know my way around town a little better. I figured what better way to get to know the town than to walk around while also getting a closer look at one of the projects I’ll be working on. I could have ventured by myself, but then what fun would that be. Maria Paula was out of school for the week (think more like a spring break for students in the U.S). so she came with me. For this first venture, we walked through town and then along la playa Chaman. For this adventure we took two GPS’s. We found several other items of interest besides trash.

On our next outing the following day, Maria Paula and I stopped to pick up her friend and classmate Suhel. This time we had 3 GPS’s and a plastic bag to collect trash in. When we reached the park entrance, the park rangers let us in without having to pay the $6 that’s typically required to access the Marino Ballena National Park. We ventured in the opposite direction towards the Tombolo, or the part of the beach that look’s like a whale’s tale. This tombolo is a natural formation.

uvita-bahiaballena-whales-tale

Shortly after we ventured down the beach, we realized that the bag we brought with us to collect the trash was too small. We made too and eventually wound us using our hands to take the trash out with us. It’s amazing the type of basura you’ll find on the beach. These are some of the most beautiful beaches I’ve seen. So where does this trash come from that ends up on the beach? Well that’s one of the questions we hope that using GPS and GIS will help us to understand.

 

 

Pura Vida from Costa Rica

You know it’s been a good couple of days when you lose track of exactly what day of the week it is. My trip down from San Jose to Uvita and Bahia Ballena was wonderful. I met two other travelers, Adam and Myrna, from D.C. who were planned to spend some time down in Drake Bay. The conversation we had made the ride go by quickly. When I arrived in Bahia Ballena, I encountered a small problem. There was a slight mix up in the confirmation of my payment for the ride. I had some help from Bahia Aventuras to sort out the situation.

 

I’m living with Ronald, Sugey, and their kids Maria Paula, Ronaldo, and Natalia. They have been wonderful to me and I feel at home. They provided me with a little dresser to put my things in so I’m not living out of my bags, have made incredible meals and provided me with a comfortable bed. I like having a roommate again, this time Maria Paula is my roommate.

The last few days have been busy on the GEOPORT project too. I’ve met with Travis and Ronald to discuss some the projects that we would like to complete. Each project will have some different tasks to complete, but it’s a good start. The projects involve working with:

  • The tour boat operators and mapping the ballenas (whales) in the ocean. Four tour boat companies have interest. They are Bahia Aventuras, Pelican Tours, Dolphin Tours and Pacific Whales and Kayak Tours.
  • Ronald, Rafa and other community residents to map basura (trash) in the community. This will involve selecting sections of the town and working with the youth and adults to organize some mapping and trash collection events. Where is the trash found and where does it end up?
  • The school in town and working with 5th graders to map trash on football field, the salon communal (common community meeting area) and the park. There’s a new director at the school so we’ll see if there’s interest in not only mapping the trash but also doing other GPS activities.
  • Escuela Verde and the teachers to get students using GPS and GIS. In July when we were down here for the first time, we conducted a training with the teachers. So we’ll see what questions they have.

After organizing all the equipment that I brought down (computers, a projector, GPS units and a camera) for the project, I had to unload and setup everything. I had a lovely office to do this in. It’s the backyard of Travis and Pili, the neighbors of Ronald and Sugey. I’ll also be living with them while I’m down here. I think this is going to become a common office environment. I think I have a few places in town that I’ll making my working area while I’m here.