The Talamanca News » Environment

Going Green: Great Green Macaws Back in Talamanca

Colline — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 19:58:42 +0000

For the first time in many years, Great Green macaws (Ara ambiguus) are back in the Talamanca area! Great Greens are listed as endangered, with the last remaining population in Torteguero numbering only 300 individuals, with only 25-35 breeding pairs left. They are endangered due to deforestation and extensive poaching, primarily for the illegal pet trade. They are perfectly adapted for living in the rainforest and may live over 60 years in the wild. They depend mainly on the mountain almond tree, or almendro de montaña (Dipteryx panamensis) for food and nesting. These birds take ten years to reach breeding age and will mate for life!

The Ara Project, based in Alajuela, breeds Scarlet (Ara macao) and Great Green macaws with the sole intention of release into the wild. Find out more and donate at: www.thearaproject.org

We are now re-introducing Greens here with the hopes that once a sustainable population is established, they will eventually meet up with the wild population and re-create the Caribbean corridor. A reintroduction has never been attempted officially with the Great Green species, so the Talamanca area is witnessing the first release of these birds in the world! The first release consists of ten birds, nine of which have been released since August and are doing extremely well.

The success of this release is not solely dependent on the macaws; the community must be supportive of this effort if it is to be successful. We are encouraging people let us know if any macaws are in your area. This lets us know not only how they are using the release range, but also helps us identify birds that can fly farther and faster than we can keep up! With the help of reports, we have estimated they have established a range of 41 square kilometres! People can also help the macaws by planting fruit trees such as the almendros, and enjoying the birds from afar. They do best when left alone, and we hope people watch out for anyone trying to harm the birds.

Thank you so much for your support and interest in the Ara Project and the macaws! Please feel free to contact us at any time:
colline@thearaproject.org (506) 8524-4675
allan@thearaproject.org (506) 8971-1436

Colline W. Emmanuelle is the Education & Community Outreach Manager for The Ara Project. She is originally from Baltimore, Maryland and has been involved with the Project since February 2011. In addition to macaws, Colline’s favourite animals include anteaters and yeti crabs.

How wet was 2011?

Editor — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 02:39:38 +0000

Weather trends 2011 vs previous years. Click the image for a larger version

Did you think 2011 felt wetter or drier than normal?

Well if you guessed drier you’d be correct.

A resident of Playa Negra, Charlotte, has been adding up rainfall numbers each month since 2002 on her rain gauge. Click the image for a full-sized version of the rainfall chart.

The average monthly rainfall is Puerto Viejo is 310 mm (12.2 inches) with November and December generally being the rainiest months and September and October being the dryest months. But in 2011 the dry period stretched from August to November and the average was only 260mm.

Of course, as any resident of the area knows, the rain comes and goes during the day and there’s rarely a day without sun!

The Puerto Viejo Weather page has more information and the most current forecasts.

Seeing Another Talamanca: Volunteering with ANAI

Kevin — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 00:03:09 +0000

Sleeping in an indigenous Bribri house 15 miles from any road, as part of an expedition as insightful and non-touristy as it gets. Listening to our Bribri friends relate the ancient beliefs of their culture, part in Spanish, part in Bribri. Eating lunch out of banana leaves next to a cool mountain stream. Watching a 5-foot eel narrowly escape our seine net. Looking at thousands of freshwater fish daily. These were all relatively normal events during my time volunteering with the Asociacion ANAI, which hopefully sheds some light on how interesting living and volunteering in Talamanca can be.

I spent about half a year living in Hone Creek, a small town 5km inland from Puerto Viejo, as a volunteer with ANAI. The organization’s objectives lie mostly within the realm of river and stream monitoring and environmental education, though in reality it is involved in a multitude of related activities. The field station in Hone Creek takes 25-35 trips a year,between February and May/June, to sites all over Talamanca, for 1-5 days each. The trips take place in many different places, from the border at Sixaola to Limon, from the coast to higher up in the mountains than most people knew existed, even into Panama.

Many of these expeditions take place high up in the watersheds, in places very few people see, where human impact is minimal to none, to get samples of fish near their breeding grounds, where the indicators of stream health are most present and significant. On these expeditions, 3-5 ANAI staff, usually a couple volunteers, and about 4-8 locals, all participate in biomonitoring to improve the health of the water systems in the region.

Everyone, including the volunteers, are directly involved in the work, and aren’t left standing and watching on the side. Fish are collected and identified, along with shrimp, eels and macroinvertebrates (larvaeof flying insects). Visual assessments are taken, water is tested, pictures are taken, and at the end of each day, a delightfully large cache of information has been made to be used in various ways. The information is put into a database and compared to previous years, then given to the local government, the Costa Rican government, the University of Costa Rica (which volunteers sometimes work with as a partnership), UNESCO, and other NGOs working in environmental management. Academic articles are also published from time to time in peer-reviewed journals. The field work can be physically demanding, but then again most rewarding things aren’t easy, right?

These expeditions serve as environmental education courses almost as much as they serve the goal of biomonitoring. The ANAI staff teach as they go, to the local people hired to help carry gear (and participate) as well as to any volunteers with ANAI at the time. These “courses,” at least in my opinion, are infinitely more helpful, practical, and interesting than the majority of courses in a classroom because everyone has the opportunity to ask questions all dht”ay long, see firsthand what the studies look like, and not worry about tests to pass or homework to do. The work is fun, the information is very interesting, and therefore learning becomes an enjoyable and interactive experience that doesn’t feel forced. After all, who could complain with being outside all day, learning about watersheds and tropical ecology?

The locals and the ANAI staff are walking encyclopedias, with stories about how Talamanca used to be (not that long ago!), or about the conflicts between locals and mining companies or dam proposals, or about local plants or animals. They can also help a lot with learning how to live (short or long term) in Talamanca, which can a satisfying experience. It’s apart of the country that is a lot less developed, so you trade some comforts for having a more real Costa Rican experience, meeting more locals, and being more engaged in the culture. Also, the beaches of Manzanillo/Cahuita/Punta Uva are some of the best in the Caribbean for swimming as well as snorkeling and hiking.

For those who aren’t as interested in stream monitoring, ANAI is also involved in various projects from June to January (when the biomonitoring is largely on hiatus). These include waste management, organic fruit tree farming, GPS mapping, local meetings (such as the proposed water treatment plant in Cocles), and more. The projects change and grow from year to year, so it’s always worth checking in to see what the current projects are. The organization itself, though relatively small, is quite established. Founded in the 1970s, ANAI was the very first organization in Talamanca doing this type of work. In fact, ANAI founded and ran the sea turtle project in Gandoca and other sites which is now a very popular volunteer destination. It was then handed over to WIDECAST, which ANAI still has a close relationship with. The comforting conclusion that can be made is that despite struggling for funds and support like nearly all NGOs, ANAI is stable and volunteering with them won’t lead down a dead-end road. Typically, lodging is given free to volunteers, who are welcome year round for any period of time, but they pay their own food. (I lived on about $100/month for food, so it’s not too bad!). All expenses during the field outings are covered by ANAI. These things could change, so please ask them before taking this as fact. Most of the work is done in Spanish, but usually there is somebody who speaks English. Being bilingual isn’t necessary but knowing basic Spanish is definitely helpful.

The website is http://anaicr.wordpress.com and any inquiries can be made to Maribel Mafla, who lives permanently in Talamanca and co-runs the field work, at mmafla@anaicr.org (Spanish only) or to Diego Lynch, the President of ANAI, who lives in San Jose, at diego@anaicr.org (English or Spanish). They are happy to take phone calls at 2756-8120.

Article by Kevin Wells. Kevin is a 25 year-old Biology/Spanish college graduate currently living in Talamanca. His current work is in the field of forest ecology and wildlife conservation, but is involved in other related projects. He is from Eugene, Oregon, USA, and is therefore well adjusted to the rain. Kevin welcomes any questions or comments, and can be reached via email at kjwells86@gmail.com

Demolition begun on Hotel Las Palmas

Editor — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 19:05:43 +0000

Officials begin demolition work on the Las Palmas Hotel this morning. Photo courtesy La Nación

Government officials this morning have begun carrying out a demolition order on Hotel Las Palmas in the Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge.

However, a judge has ordered a stay on the demolition at nearby Hotel Suerre pending a further appeal. Both hotels are located near Punta Uva.

The legal fight here goes back almost 20 years.

In the late 80′s, the Czech-born businessman Jan Kalina proposed a hotel in the area within the refuge Gandoca-Manzanillo. On June 17, 1990 he received a land use permit with the commitment to carry out the project in strict compliance with the environmental regulations for construction in the reserve and he proceeded to build the Hotel Las Palmas.

However, in 1992, apparent irregularities and environmental damage were detected. These included the construction of an artificial lagoon, the construction and expansion of drainage, the obstruction of natural water ways, tractor work, mercury lighting on the palm trees and use of coral to fill a swamp and unauthorized removal of trees.

On March 5, 1993, a court ruling gave the green light to a resolution issued by the then Ministry of Natural Resources, Energy and Mines to revoke the original land use permit. This order required the eviction and demolition of everything that was built.

After that, Kalina appealed seeking to overturn the measure. In 2004 the appeal was rejected by the Sala Primera court which again ordered the resort demolished.

It was not until September 28, 2005 when the Ministry of Environment and Energy (Mina) took possession of the hotel, evicted the guests, then the employees and ultimately the owner and his wife. Two days later Sala IV court stayed the eviction and demolition order pending another appeal.

On October 8, 2009 an Administrative Court judge ruled again for the eviction and demolition of the hotel.

The work was finally begun today despite the opposition of some neighbors and protests over the last two days. Those protesters fear that the demolition of the hotel will lead to eviction and demolition of other properties which may also be in violation of the environmental regulations in the reserve or their land use permits.

When the officials entered the hotel, there were 14 tourists staying there who have been relocated elsewhere in the area.

Meanwhile, 28 employees were assisted by the Joint Social Welfare Institute (IMAS) to determine if they qualify for financial assistance.

Luis Diego Román, coordinator of the eviction operation, said the demolition of the buildings would start today and there is no deadline to finish it.

“Here they drained a wetland, cut down trees and modified the beachfront. And there is not even any wastewater treatment. The environmental damage was caused 20 years ago when the hotels were built. The owners have not paid the state for five years and now we will try to return to its natural state,” said Roman.

Playa Negra Croc Captured and Relocated

Editor — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 05:26:48 +0000

This morning at around 5.30 am, a dog seems to have cornered the crocodile and continued barking until a local resident spotted the crocodile. The dog didn’t back off, the police were called and before you know there is a crowd there trying to find out what’s going on.

The police then left an officer there to make sure no one would harm the animal and called MINAE, the environment ministry. Before MINAE arrived at about 9 am, some bystanders had caught the crocodile. When MINAE officials arrived, the group helped them load the crocodile in the MINAE truck.

MINAE then took the crocodile to Puerto Vargas in Cahuita National Park where they will release it in a river. According to them it looks like it is a female looking for a place to lay her eggs.

There was some speculation that the multiple sightings over the last few days were more than one animal. So keep your eyes open in case there’s more to this story.

The crocodile pre-capture:

Catching a crocodile is a community event in Puerto Viejo:

Loading in the croc taxi:

Next meeting about water treatment facility set for July 7

Editor — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 22:08:42 +0000

July 7, 2011
3:00 pm	to	6:00 pm

There is broad community support for getting a proper water treatment facility operating in Puerto Viejo but the community still has many questions about the location, the methods used and how it will affect its neighbors if it is built in the proposed Cocles location.

The next community meeting with AyA and MINAE is the place to bring your questions and get more informed about the project. It is set for July 7 at 3pm at the Cocles School.

You can see more information on the event and sign up for updates on the event’s facebook page. You can also subscribe to the facebook group for more discussion on the project.

Updated: date of meeting moved from June 29 to July 7

Cocles Neighbors Confront AyA Over Water Treatment Plans

Editor — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 07:17:37 +0000

AyA engineer Ana Martinez tries to answer questions from the residents of Cocles at a community meeting.

Residents of the Playa Cocles area are asking the Costa Rican Water Agency, Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados (AyA), for more details on a planned water treatment facility.

While residents are supportive of improved water treatment plant they are critical of “lack of information and transparency” from AyA regarding the project and want to know more details about the facility and where it will be based. Plans for the treatment facility first came to light about a year ago when some local residents found AyA surveyors on their properties looking for sites for the facility.

On June 8, there was a community meeting to try and get some answers and residents asked many questions of the AyA representative.

In an interview published yesterday by La Nación, José Francisco Valverde also responded to questions about the project and why it is being proposed for Cocles instead of Puerto Viejo (where presumably most of the waste water will originate).

Rare Dwarf Sperm Whale Spotted off Punta Mona

Editor — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 01:37:27 +0000

Photo courtesy of the Convention on Migratory Species.

Biologist José David Palacios made the discovery in 2006 while on a project monitoring cetaceans in coastal waters off the Gandoca Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge in 2006. But the discovery has only now come to light with a recent publication in the journal Latin American Journal of Aquatic Mammals.

The discovery is significant because this species has never before been sighted in Costa Rica and is rarely sighted at sea. With this discovery there are now 29 species of cetaceans reported in Costa Rica.

The Dwarf Sperm Whale is the smallest species commonly known as a whale. It grows up to 2.7 meters (9 ft) in length and 250 kilograms (551 lb) in weight— making it smaller than the bigger dolphins. The species makes slow, deliberate movements with little splash or blow and usually lies motionless when at the sea’s surface. Consequently it can be observed only in very calm seas.

More:
La Nacion: Costa Rica reporta presencia de un cachalote enano en el Caribe
Wikipedia: Dwarf Sperm Whale (Kogia sima)

Dolphin Species Gather in Manzanillo to Communicate

Editor — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 19:46:27 +0000

Bottlenose dolphin (rear) and Guyana dolphin (front)

A researcher from the University of Puerto Rico in San Juan, Dr Laura May-Collado, has published a paper in the journal Ethology about what could be two different species of dolphins attempting to find a common language to communicate.

The researcher made the discovery studying dolphins swimming in the Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge where both larger Bottlenose dolphins and smaller Guyana dolphins come together.

Both species make unique sounds, but when they gather, they change the way they communicate, and begin using an intermediate language. That raises the possibility the two species are communicating in some way.

“I wouldn’t be surprised that they can modify their signals to mimic, and even possibly communicate with other species” says May-Collado.

It is not yet clear exactly what is taking place between the two dolphin species, but it is the first evidence that the animals modify their communications in the presence of other species, not just other dolphins of their own kind.

More: BBC News: Dolphin species attempt ‘common language’

La Niña Will Bring Extra Rain to Costa Rica Except to Caribbean Coast

Editor — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 11:28:36 +0000

The national meteorological institute (INM) is predicting that the La Niña weather pattern will increase rains to Costa Rica in the final three months of the year by an average of 70% over normal rainfall.

But different parts of Costa Rica as expected to be affected very differently with the Caribbean expected to receive a fairly normal amount of rain while Guanacaste will be the most affected zone.

INM predicts that Guanacaste will receive 875 mm of rain (34.5″) during the months of October, November and December. The normal there is 514 mm.

The Central Pacific will receive 1,790 mm of rain, 672 mm more than normal. And the Central Valley area 880 mm, 330 mm more than normal.

But Limon province which includes Puerto Viejo is expected to about a normal amount of rainfall, perhaps 10% more than usual.

More: La Nación: La Niña’ casi duplicará lluvia en el último trimestre del año