2009 TAX RECEIPTS
|
Lost your 2009 gift receipt? Just e-mail us for a copy, we'll be happy to send you one by e-mail!
Email us!
|
OTS ONLINE STORE
|
|
Shop today!
|
|
New Lodges for Researchers in Braulio Carrillo
The OTS Project TEAM (Tropical Ecology
Assessment and Monitoring) has been monitoring the biological diversity of the altitudinal
transect between La Selva Biological Station and Braulio Carrillo
National Park since 2003.
Braulio Carrillo NP is well known as an area of steep topography, harsh climate
and limited access. In fact the only way to access the Park and walk the
altitudinal gradient is a path on the slope of the Barva volcano called
path-transect, which is a 20 km (12 � miles) hike.
Currently, there are four lodges for
this transect, however, scientific research at intermediate elevations is
limited by the lack of shelters. An example of this is that reach the nearest
shelter from 1500m sector can take up to 3 hours crossing a damp and difficult
topography.
With the aim of increasing the chances
of developing studies in this poorly known elevation, it was decided to build a
small shelter at this elevation and which can house a team of at least five
people. The process of securing the permits as well as the search for funds
began at the end of 2008. Finally in February 2010, six OTS workers began the
next task of selecting the location and preparing it for the arrival of
materials. Due to the difficult
locations, materials were flown in by helicopter. Everyone was thrilled
when the materials arrived safely, after several attempts were
delayed by fog and rain.
The new lodge will provide a basic
structure for researchers to stay overnight and conduct research in the area as
well as allow the Rangers a refuge for their surveillance patrols.
|
. |
Great Green Macaws Courting at La Selva
Great Green Macaw (Ara ambiguus) nesting at La Selva Photo by Rodolfo Alvarado
| Taconna
Mhoon and Jeff Pasko always anticipate their annual
trip to La Selva with enthusiasm but this year they got even more than they
expected. On their first day here they
observed a pair of great green macaws (Ara
ambiguus) courting. Taconna and Jeff
returned to the same spot every afternoon for five days to watch the pair in
their elaborate ritual. If these birds
nest successfully, it will be the first such case in the Sarapiqu� area for at
least twenty years.
Jeff reported, "We were walking along the dirt road between
the cabins and the police station [next to the Starkey field] where we saw a
Nicaraguan seed eater last year. Two
macaws flew overhead and we followed them to a large almendro tree in a field. They were dancing, locking beaks, hanging
from each other's beaks with their wings open, nibbling and grooming each
other, and looking inside a cavity in the tree."
Taconna and Jeff went back to the same location every day
and consistently found the macaw pair in the tree between 4 o'clock and 6
o'clock in the afternoon. Although the
macaws visit La Selva every year to feed on the almendro fruits (Dipteryx panamensis), they usually
return north along the R�o San Juan to nest.
Experts have been puzzled about why the birds do not nest in the
Sarapiqu� region, where the habitat seems entirely appropriate. This species is considered highly endangered
(CITES I), with only about 50 breeding pairs in Costa Rica and a total
population of about 3,700 individuals.
Taconna Mhoon and Jeff Pasko at La Selva
| Taconna
and Jeff are engineers for a medical device company in Minneapolis. Both are biologists by training, however, and
it is their love of the natural world that keeps them coming back to La Selva. Jeff bought Taconna a pair of binoculars for
Christmas in 2008 for their first trip together to Costa Rica. La Selva captured their hearts. Once here on their annual trip, they get a
field lunch every morning and spend all day hiking the trails.
"This is our winter fat burning routine,"
explains Taconna. "We go back home 10
pound lighter and we tire out our dogs.
They can't keep up with us after our time at La Selva." Taconna and Jeff add a day to their visit
every year, so soon they will be spending a whole month at La Selva on each
visit.
|
. |
Submit your design for the next OTS Membership T-shirt
We're leaving it up to you -
our members. Send us your design, illustration or photo to [email protected] by
June 1, 2010.
In June, we will send an online poll to everyone
on our E-Canopy electronic mailing list. The design with the most votes will be
selected as the new Membership t-shirt! |
. |
Las Cruces Book to Document Fragmentation
Utricularia from Las Cruces Photo by Jonathan Singer
| Through a collaboration with Jonathan
Singer and John Kress from the Smithsonian, a sequel to the highly received Botanica
Magnifica, will document the process of forest fragmentation in the cloud
forests of Las Cruces through images of plants and habitats of both pristine
forests as well as degraded landscapes.
Although books on tropical deforestation
and land degradation are numerous, no book has attempted to address these
issues from a photographic perspective in the style of Botanica Magnifica. In that
regard, the message of the volume will not solely emphasize the negative
impacts of civilization on these forests, but capture the beauty of the plants
in all of these habitats, whether pristine, fragmented, or restored. Even
in the most scarred zones of forest ruin can be found the beauty of nature.
The book will contain five
sections, each dealing with a specific aspect of the habitats surrounding the Las Cruces forest
reserve. These sections include the
primary forest of Las Cruces and adjacent forested regions, the
fragmentation process and fragmented forests, invasive species, restored
agricultural lands, as well as the Wilson
Botanical Garden at Las Cruces.
Four initial photo shoots are
planned for April, June-July, September-October, and January-February 2010/2011
to capture the seasonal variation in flowering. Information on how to purchase this book will be made available after publishing.
|
|
Las Cruces and La Selva Honored for Sustainability
This year both Las Cruces and La Selva will be flying the
coveted Bandera Azul (Blue Flag) awarded by the Costa Rican government for best
sustainable practices.
The award started out as an incentive offered by the AyA, the
Costa Rican water and sewage ministry, to hotels and beaches that could
demonstrate good water management. In recent years, the program has expanded to
include several different categories, and other ministries have become involved
in the evaluations.
This year both Las Cruces and La Selva were awarded three
stars, the highest designation, in the Natural Protected Areas
category. The process for certification is quite lengthy and all-encompassing.
Reserves must meet standards for waste management, completeness of species
inventories, reforestation, forest
protection, and environmental education, among many other criteria.
La Selva also received the award in the Mitigation of Climate
Change category. This required a 5%-25% decrease over a
one year period in use of paper, electricity,
water, and combustible fuels. Meeting these standards in future years will
necessitate stronger conservation measures, including a conversion to solar
power for producing hot water and electricity.
The ceremony for accepting the Bandera Azul will be held on
26 March 2010 at
Inbioparque in Santo
Domingo de Heredia. |
| |