Dear Rainforest Friends,

The CER is absolutely full of wonderful wildlife, and is a prime site for birders. Birding groups as well as loan travelers make it a point to visit both the San Gerardo and Pocosol Field Stations during the high birding season, and a recent visitor was able to take this wonderful photograph of one of the CER’s most colorful residents, the Orange-bellied Trogon.

Natural History

Part of the family Trogonidae, the Orange-bellied Trogon (Trogon aurantiiventris) is a resident throughout Costa Rican highlands and some areas of Panama, ranging from subtropical to tropical moist montane forest, as well as heavily degraded former forest (a total range of about 27,300 km2). It is a fairly common species, and its diet mainly consists of fruits and arthropods. The Orange-bellied Trogon is often confused with its close cousin the Collared Trogon (Trogon collaris), which is described as having a red chest as opposed to orange, and has a much larger range. The call of the Orange-bellied Trogan is a combination of two uncomplicated hoots, and is easy to identify due to its simplicity. Once the call is identified, it is simple to locate and see the bird (In my opinion, it is a wonderful bird to search for due to its long perching periods in the canopy).

Where Can You find the Orange-bellied Trogan in the CER?

The best places to spot the Orange-bellied Trogan in the CER are at the San Gerardo and Pocosol Field Stations. Both field stations have over 5-10 kilometers of trails and various clear areas for optimal bird watching. In fact, you can probably count on the Orange-bellied Trogan waking you up at the San Gerardo Field Station, just in time for breakfast!

For the Forest,

Mia Roberts

References:

1) Remsen, J.V., Hyde, Mary Ann, and Chapman, Angela.(1993).The diets of Neotropical trogons, motmots, barbets and toucans. The Condor. 95:178-192.

2) Orange-bellied Trogon (Trogon aurantiiventris). (n.d.) Retrieved from         http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/speciesfactsheet.php?id=1016&m=1

Dear Friends of the Forest,

2011 is a year of celebration! The Monteverde Conservation League (MCL) celebrates its 25th year as creators and guardians of the Children’s Eternal Rainforest (CER)! Since 1986, and the start of MCL, we have seen hope become action. Recently, I attended MCL’s 25th annual assembly and am convinced that today greater accomplishments are possible. More habitat can be protected. More species can be saved. More carbon dioxide can be removed from the air. The CER is a phenomenal bio-diversity “hot spot” – a world wonder needing your care.

This winter newsletter launches our first quarterly format. We want to give you expanded rainforest news – information to read now or when you have a quieter moment. In this issue you’ll see:

• an update on MCL’s 25th annual assembly
• news of its 25th celebration
• the CER’s unique biological field stations, which give you an immersion rainforest experience and are special destinations of MCLUS eco-tours
• information on the summer 2011 trips – reserve your place today for a Costa Rican adventure!

You’ll also find the latest news on the diverse and wonderful CER in our new blog. Be sure to check out our new blog post on “Canopy in the Clouds” – an immersive, multi-media science education project from the cloud forests of Monteverde!

Let’s join MCL in recognition of what can be accomplished in conservation with dedication, patience and focus.

For the Forest,

Laurie Waller
President
Monteverde Conservation League U.S.
info@mclus.org

It’s MCL’s 25th birthday!

MCL stewards the largest private reserve in Costa Rica. The story of MCL is totally unique – it’s about children’s hope, the uniting of a common conservation purpose, 44 countries donating funds, and over 215 land acquisitions.

Twenty five years ago, 14 people concerned about rampant rainforest destruction in Costa Rica created the Monteverde Conservation League (MCL).

Click here to read more about the celebrations on our blog.

Come to Costa Rica — explore biological field stations!

View of Arenal Volcano from the San Gerardo Field Station

The best way to explore deep within the Children’s Eternal Rainforest is to stay at one of the two biological field stations. San Gerardo station is an hour and a half’s walk from the Santa Elena Reserve entrance. The Pocosol station, on the Caribbean side of the CER, is accessible by car.

By special reservation, travelers can hike to Pocosol. It is a nature-immersion experience, a rigorous twelve-hour hike over two days through pristine ecosystems which gradually change as you descend towards Pocosol. The species of birds, plants and animals are increasingly adapted to the warmer, wetter climate as you descend. The trail crosses rivers, goes deep within primary forests and skirts secondary forests re-forested by the Monteverde Conservation League (MCL), enabling you to see first-hand what has been protected and how it is possible to regenerate even cleared forest.

Click here to read more about the exciting opportunities to visit field stations here.

February, 2011 Assembly at MCL

Laurie Waller (president MCLUS), Mark Wainwright (newly elected MCL board president), Dr. Julia Matamoros (MCL and MCLUS board member)

MCL’s 25th Annual Assembly was held on February 12, 2011. This all-day meeting was a time of happy camaraderie, reflection on accomplishments, and hope for the future. Thanks were given for the many caring individuals worldwide who have supported MCL and the CER. That includes many of you! Because of MCL’s commitment, integrity, and wise stewardship the CER continues in good hands.

At the assembly, Laurie Waller, MCLUS president, shared a report of MCLUS’ year of transition. Since the Crandells’ passing, MCLUS is pressing forward, with careful restructuring and a growing board, to continue to be a sustainable organization. MCLUS has a key role in the urgent conservation work that MCL is doing. We must keep raising funds for land purchase and protection. The CER is a dynamic forest, and because of some species’ migration patterns needs to expand. More habitat is needed and forest protection continues to be an urgent priority.

Click here to read the rest of this entry on our blog

Introducing Mia Roberts – MCLUS’ new blogger!

You will find the latest news and information about the CER on our blog. Check out past and upcoming blogs at: http://mclus.org/blog/. Read on to learn more about Mia and her passionate connection to the rainforest! Mia is pictured below climbing inside a strangler fig tree.

“I am a graduate from the University of California at Berkeley, with a BA in Integrative Biology. My connection with the MCL began when I participated in a study-abroad program through my university located in Monteverde, Costa Rica.”

Click here to learn more about Mia

High in the mountains of Costa Rica is a rich forest of over 54,000 acres, saved by the contributions of children from 44 countries. The Monteverde Conservation League U.S., Inc. (MCLUS) supports the preservation of this special forest and you can help this wonderful effort when you travel with MCLUS. All trips include a $200 donation to the Children’s Eternal Rainforest. For more information on MCLUS or our eco-tourism packages, check out our website: www.mclus.org.

14 DAYS IN COSTA RICA
JULY 2-15
ON THE PACIFIC SIDE OF THE CHILDREN’S ETERNAL RAINFOREST
From the scenic peaks of the Tilaran mountains to the warm sandy beaches of the central Pacific coast – your adventure awaits!
Trip cost: $2,195 (not including airfare). Click here for more info…

10 DAYS IN COSTA RICA
JUNE 25-JULY 4
ON THE ATLANTIC SIDE OF THE CHILDREN’S ETERNAL RAINFOREST
Educational opportunities, community service, exploring different cultures and rainforest immersion await you in Costa Rica.
Trip cost: $2,095 (not including airfare). Click here for more info…

Click here for details about these two amazing eco-tourism trips in 2011

It’s MCL’s 25th birthday!

MCL stewards the largest private reserve in Costa Rica. The story of MCL is totally unique – it’s about children’s hope, the uniting of a common conservation purpose, 44 countries donating funds, and over 215 land acquisitions.

Twenty five years ago, 14 people concerned about rampant rainforest destruction in Costa Rica created the Monteverde Conservation League (MCL).

While on a trip to Europe, one of MCL’s members met a Swedish elementary school teacher who was fascinated with MCL’s story and invited them to her classroom. The students were inspired, and they decided they would help raise money to help purchase more land for the reserve. After raising over $18,000, the story of the school children from Sweden saving the rainforest made the local newspaper and then went global. Children from over 44 countries all throughout the world started to raise money to donate to MCL’s cause, and many donations also came from sister organizations established to support the rainforest.

Rachel Crandell (pictured to the right in 2008), co-founder of Monteverde Conservation League U.S. Inc., and her second grade students were a part of this international grass roots movement. MCL members and staff wanted to honor those young people who had worked so hard to create what is now the largest private reserve in Costa Rica, by naming this reserve the Children’s Eternal Rainforest.

All sorts of plans are under way to commemorate this 25th anniversary. Bob Law (co-founder) and staff are reviewing board meeting minutes, old newsletters, photos and people’s memories to create a timeline. What were the highlights and the major milestones along the way? Highlights of MCL’s history will be put on a banner. A slide show will be made for the web site. And this information can be used in other ways such as a walkable line along the ground at events. It will show how the Children’s Eternal Rainforest grew over time, the challenges MCL has faced, and the involvement of different people and places around the world.

Plans for March 2011 include sessions at a local farmers market to show what has been achieved and to attract people to visit the Children’s Eternal Rainforest. This will be followed by an open house at Bajo del Tigre for local families to come and explore the trails and take part in the eco-learning activities in the Cassita classroom. There also will be community eco-active days – planting trees from the nursery in the La Tigre section of the CER, and cleaning up the rivers around Monteverde.

Ecofest, Monteverde’s festival of art, music and conservation, is planning to commemorate MCL’s 25th anniversary this year, starting with a dinner to launch the festival at the MCL Information Center on the eve of the festival. We will update you on MCL’s other celebrations throughout the year.

Wendy Brenes (Information and Ecotourism Coordinator) and Rowan Eisner (MCL communications volunteer) discuss plans for MCL’s 25th anniversary celebration. Wendy and Rowan work closely with MCLUS to provide news of the CER.

Dear Rainforest Friends,

The cloud forest is one of the most uncommon ecosystems in the world, and also one of the most threatened due to global climate change. It is a complex environment, with an incredible amount of biodiversity found throughout its many misty layers. The cloud forest receives its nutrients not only from rainfall and the forest floor, but also from the ever-present and abundant clouds. As a result, the cloud forest is home to an incredible amount of epiphytes and other one-of-a-kind plant species, which create a unique home for numerous animal populations.

While hiking through the cloud forest, we observe our surroundings from the forest floor, and because of our many limitations we are unable to see the majority of what is going on around us (i.e. in the forest canopy). But these limitations apply less to Greg Goldsmith, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Integrative Biology with the University of California at Berkeley, and one of the creators of Canopy in the Clouds.

Greg and his associates visited the cloud forest in Monteverde, and after trekking through the thick foliage and climbing into and literally hanging in the forest canopy, published a product that they hope will help to prevent the delicate cloud forest ecosystem from disappearing forever- an interactive website that presents the Monteverde cloud forest from multiple perspectives.

Not only is the website chalk full of first hand information about the cloud forest, but provides 360 degree rotational images of various cloud forest ecosystems with embedded videos. The site also provides complete lesson plans for science classrooms, designed for the 6^th-8^th grade levels, and the best thing is, it’s free!

This is a great example of some of the video footage included throughout the site:

Resplendent Quetzal CanopyintheClouds from Colin Witherill on Vimeo.

So, if you are just curious about the cloud forest or a teacher trying to supplement your 7^th grade science curriculum, this website is for you!

MCLUS invites you to visit the site, and keep in mind it’s a great way to visualize what you would see in the Children’s Eternal Rainforest if you ever decided to visit. If you have any questions about Canopy in the Clouds, please direct your inquiries to Drew Fulton at drew@canopyintheclouds.com.

For the Forest,

Mia Roberts

Dear Rainforest Friends,

Hello and thank you for your interest in the MCLUS blog! My name is Mia Roberts, and I will be the principal blogger for the website from this time forward. Laurie Waller, the current president of the MCLUS, has done a wonderful job with the blog so far, but it is now necessary for her to focus on other very important aspects of the organization. So, I have stepped in to help out!

My objective is not only to update you all about the happenings of the Children´s Eternal Rainforest (CER), the Monteverde Conservation League (MCL), and MCLUS, but also to provide you with an intimate connection to the amazing tropical forest reserve that so many people have worked so diligently to create and protect.

Before I get started, I would like to give you all a brief introduction of myself so you can get to know me a little better and understand why I will be your connection to the CER. I am a graduate from the University of California at Berkeley, with a BA in Integrative Biology. My connection with the MCL began when I participated in a study abroad program through my university located in Monteverde, Costa Rica. The semester-long program focused on tropical ecology and conservation, and our classroom was literally the Costa Rican tropical forest. Because of this program, I was able to connect with not only the enchanting cloud forests, rainforests, and tropical dry forests of Costa Rica, but also with the MCL and Monteverde community.

After graduating from the program, I was fortunate enough to be offered a position with the MCL as their Information and Promotion Coordinator. I worked with them for two years, and some of my responsibilities included website content maintenance, the management of the MCL´s visitors center, donor correspondence, and reservations for the unique San Gerardo Field Station. I also served as the MCL´s volunteer coordinator, and on many occasions worked as a field guide with groups that visited the CER. My experience with the MCL was life-changing. In addition to working with an amazingly dedicated group of individuals, I developed a deep appreciation for the CER and rainforest conservation efforts throughout Costa Rica.

Through these posts, I will try to capture the breathtaking beauty of the CER´s flora and fauna, introduce you to the local biologists who study its many mysteries, walk you through the day in the life of a park guard, connect you with the volunteers who have selflessly dedicated their time and efforts to make the reserve possible, and even take you on digital hikes through the CER itself. I hope I will be able to provide you all with a glimpse into the CER as well as a connection to those individuals, young and old, who have worked so hard to make it a reality!

For the Forest,
Mia Roberts

There is one week left! Belize beckons, but the deposit deadline is next Thursday, December 16th. We have four enthusiastic women committed and ready to go. We need at least four more intrepid travelers for the trip to proceed! Don’t miss this opportunity to explore the best of Belize — rainforest, reefs and ruins with Blue Water Ventures.

Trip Dates: March 18-27, 2011
Cost: $2,449.00 (not including airfare)

This special trip itinerary (http://mclus.org/eco-tourism/belize-trip-2011) designed by the late Rachel Crandell, is for women only – so pack your mask and fins and bring a mother, sister, niece, daughter, friend, co-worker or colleague with you! If you are interested in joining us, please email us at info@mclus.org. You can also print off the registration form from the website and send it in with your deposit of $200.00.

Click here to learn more about this special trip!

Please Join Us for an Extraordinary Adventure in Belize!
March 18-27 2011
This trip combines the very best of Belize – Ruins, Reef, and Rainforest

Our Belize adventure is a celebratory trip for women travelers.   We’re celebrating the strength found in both old and new friendships, the joy of “sisterhood” and the fun that comes from sharing extraordinary experiences. This trip is open to all women, including those who want to bring a daughter, niece or younger friend.  If you have someone who you think would be interested, feel free to share this email with them.

We are thrilled to be going and hope that you will come with us!

Belize and the Mayan culture were greatly loved by the late Rachel Crandell.   She wanted to share the natural wonders of Belize and the present day Mayan way of life. This rich itinerary was created last year by Rachel, with Kim Powell, her trusted friend and owner of Blue Water Ventures. It celebrates Rachel’s appreciation for international friendships, indigenous people and ecological resources.

TRAVEL INFORMATION

Kim Powell and Nikki Doyle will be our guides on this adventure! Check out our website at http://mclus.org/eco-tourism/belize-trip-2011/ to see more information. We are taking a 10 day trip from March 18-27, 2011 at a cost of $2,449 (not including airfare) with a full group of 15-18 people. A $200 donation to MCLUS to support the rainforest is included in the price.

Ricardo's Beach Huts in Belize

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS

This adventure is richly layered with fascinating nature and cultural explorations. You will discover Belize’s Mayan culture, both ancient and contemporary, while learning more about Belize’s unique rainforest and reef eco-systems.

It begins when you travel “up river” and explore the ancient site of Lamanai-Mayan Ruins which have a rich history beginning in 1500 B.C.

Hike through the thick tropical foliage that surrounds Blue Hole National Park to St. Herman’s Cave. Explore this magnificent cave once used by ancient Mayans. Then tube through the cave’s stalactite filled chambers.

Travel to Hopkins which is the home to an ethnic group in Belize known as the Garifuna. Learn about the fascinating blend of West African and Carib Indians traditions. Enjoy delicious traditional Garifuna meals.

Hike into the heart of the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, a primary habitat for the endangered jaquar. In addition to jaguars, this sanctuary is also home to tapirs, kinkajous, leaf-cutter ants and hundreds of species of tropical birds such as toucans, motmots and curassows.

Visit the Maya Center and the wonderful families that welcomed Rachel Crandell into their lives while she lived in the village. You’ll have the option to overnight with families in the village.

Travel to the Bluefield Range Islands. Examine the shallow turtle grass flats and intricate system of mangrove roots where an array of species find refuge. Venture out to Rendezvous Caye, an island jewel located on the majestic barrier reef of Belize. Travel to English Caye, a nearby lighthouse surrounded by reefs. The last night in the Caribbean there will be an opportunity for a night snorkel to observe the nocturnal inhabitants of a coral reef and enjoy a campfire on Rendezvous Caye.

Click here for full trip itinerary and to request an application.

All photos courtesy of Blue Water Ventures. Questions regarding the itinerary can be made directly to Kim at bluewaterventures@sbcglobal.net or call 831-459-8548.

Interested in joining us on this trip?
Contact info@mclus.org for more information and a registration form!

Can’t make the trip but would like to make a donation to the Children’s Eternal Rainforest? Click here to donate now!