What started as a student-led project to clean up the local soccer field and school grounds has led to a community wide effort in Bahia Ballena to keep the city clean. Local efforts have made a huge difference in managing trash, and in turn, helping to protect the waters of adjacent Marino Ballena National Park.

Weekly cleanups that mapped collected trash, led to local businesses organizing resources to construct mini trash and recycling centers around town. Discussions with the local municipality have led to an agreement for the municipality to pick up the trash from these eight new trash/recycling containers in town. Local businesses still retain the responsibility for placing bags in the containers to ensure an easy pickup for the municipality.

While Anita and I were visiting Bahia Ballena in September, we encountered U.S. tourists Laurie and Bob who were participating in community projects through Discover Corps during the 7^th Annual Festival of Whales and Dolphins. We first met them picking up an empty soda bottle to recycle when they recognized Amy. When asked how they were enjoying the Festival, they replied how different the community was to that of the community across the river where they had visited earlier in the week. In that community, they had purchased ice cream from the store and searched extensively just to throw away the wrapper. They remarked how clean the Bahia Ballena soccer field was earlier that day where they played a makeshift softball game and how the houses and shops leading to the park were brightly colored and the trash centers were brightly painted. “I would love to come down and volunteer more in this community” remarked Laurie to which her husband replied, “It is great to spend my vacation in a place that is excited and appreciative to work on their community spaces!”. We couldn’t agree more!

Geoporter seeks to catalyze change here and our neighboring communities!

~ Roger Palmer

As a grade-5 student, Maria Paula was one of the first Bahía Ballena community members we (Roger Palmer and Anita Palmer) met and worked with. This was in 2009, three years before we officially became Geoporter. One of our favorite workshops and activities in the community during that time was working with the local grade school, Escuela La Flor de Bahía and with the after school club Groupo Surf, started by Travis Bays of Bodhi Surf. During these workshops, young students learned the use of GPS and GIS mapping for fun as well as use in authentic community projects. Maria Paula was one of the interested students who continued to meet through Groupo Surf activities. They were able to apply GPS and GIS to ocean conservation, mapping their town and a project they personally decided to conduct… a “little” trash-mapping project.

By 2011, that little trash-mapping project garnered attention from Geotecnologías, a company in San Jose, who was the local organizer of the Latin American User Conference for professional GIS users. With the help of a local Peace Corps volunteer to prepare and practice, Maria Paula presented an inspirational plenary presentation on how she and other students used geospatial technologies and Esri mapping technologies to encourage her community to care about trash and to use these technologies to do something about it! All this was presented to a ballroom filled with over 500 professional GIS users from all over Latin America! There certainly were a few moist eyes that day and all adults were amazed at her poise and grace while just turning 13 years old. Needless to say, the resulting standing ovation was not a surprise!

So what happened with the “little” trash-mapping project? It has flourished and grown and the culture of trash in the community and even parts of the region has changed in the past six years. Trash cleanups now engage dozens of community members including local hotel owners, tour guides, boat captains and even visiting tourists, both adults and children alike. Over ten recycling and trash centers have been established and the local municipality has agreed to pick up the trash on a regular schedule. This agreement is unique in that it was propagated by the proactive work that is being done by the community members of Bahía Ballena!

And how about Maria Paula today? She is now in grade 11 at the colegio (high school) with hopes and dreams of perhaps attending college, a rare opportunity for many rural students. She leads a normal community life of playing goalie on the local women’s soccer teams, keeps up with school work and of course spends time with friends and on Facebook. What makes her stand out is her willingness to still step forward and volunteer to work with community improvement projects.

During these first three weekends of September, Maria Paula conducted digital surveys of visitors at the 2015 Festival of Whales at Marino Ballena National Park over the six days of the festival. These surveys will result in many more volunteers to participate in the new mapping and improvement projects in Bahía Ballena and the region. Maria Paula’s volunteer contributions over the years and today are indeed a part of putting her community on the map.

~Anita Palmer

Press release out today! It was picked up by 11 different sites on the first day. Thanks to Brenda, Brooks and Lauren for helping pull this together.

You can read the full version online here:  http://www.prweb.com/releases/geospatial/mapping/prweb11403097.htm

With a little creativity along the way, a lot of hard work by many, many individuals in town, what was one a vision has become a reality. Recently, Geoporter in conjunction with eleven other companies constructed, painted, and placed eight new trash and recycling centers in town. Next year around this time, we will have mapped the trash again to see if these containers are helping to make a difference in the trash problem in town. Thanks to all those who participated!!

I arrived in the beautiful town of Bahía Ballena a week ago, and have witnessed Geoporter work in full swing. This week, I focused on trash and whale monitoring.  However, it is clear that there is potential for GPS and Geoporter analysis in many corners of Bahía Ballena.

One the trash front, we collected between the two BM supermarkets early on Friday morning. We had a great crew with us, and were able to collect along the entire stretch in two hours. As expected, we collected mainly plastic items, many of which were related to food. I began analysis of the previous data, searching for trends and points to improve upon. I found that: A) the red zones for trash are in the school zone, along the highway, and near the bars and restaurants; B) most of the trash collected is actually recyclable; and C) most of the trash is related to food or drink consumption. With this in mind, we can make recommendations for steps forward to mitigate the trash problem here in the community.

One of the main points that we wish to stress is the connection between trash and beauty. Less trash would mean a clean beach with healthier animals. Less trash on the ground means less people are likely to litter, leading to a more beautiful landscape. I was particularly inspired by how some community members have taken it into their own hands to actively turn the trash in to beautiful projects: the plastic bottle basureros and Luz’s jewelry. Projects like these exemplify a cultural shift in the community’s relationships with waste.

This week we had a meeting with the association of guides in Bahía Ballena.  We practiced using new and more durable whale monitoring sheets. The new ones can withstand the winds and wetness that often accompany boat tours. I was lucky enough to go out on a combo tour with Bahía Aventuras where I saw the new sheets in action.  Plenty of whales and dolphins, too!

I keep coming across different potential uses for GPS and geospatial technologies in Bahía Ballena.  For instance, today I went on a hike and learned that trails are relatively unmarked and unmapped. Maps made possible by GPS could open the doors to a new sector of tours branching from Bahía. We saw plenty of wildlife on the hike: sloths, monkeys, butterflies, and frogs. All these animals could be mapped, just like the whales.  This could open the doors towards a more developed guided hike business in the community.

Amy, Fernando, and I drove up to Hacienda Baru, a National Wildlife Refuge and Lodge, to give a presentation about the potential of GPS and GIS in their reserve. They were interested in using it for tracking turtle locations, animals and trees. The possibilities seem broad, and they were excited to get going in the learning process. We plan on returning later for further trainings.

Some next steps forward for Geoporter are to continue to train community members in using our technologies and making sure that whatever data is collected is put to a practical use.

More later!
Maggy

Geoporter has been lucky enough to have it’s first volunteer. Margaret Wenzlau, from Stanford University, will be here in Bahia Ballena for 1 month. Arriving July 13 she will assist in the various Geoporter projects. These projects include Mapping for Trash Elimination, Monitoring Whales in Marino Ballena National Park, and helping to get a new project off the ground that will involve recording animals killed on the Costanera, between Hacienda Baru in Dominical, and Playa Ballena, just south of Bahia-Uvita. We’ve invited Maggy to share some of her experiences here on our blog. We are excited to have Maggy here with us in Bahia Ballena and share with all of you some of the exciting this from her perspective!