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.

 

 

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