Imagine standing at the highest point of the Children’s Eternal Rainforest in Costa Rica and witnessing one of nature’s most breathtaking and elegant spectacles as butterflies paint the sky with a splendid palette of colors during their annual mass migration from the Pacific to the Atlantic side of the mountains.

This timeless movement of wildlife remains possible today because conservationists like you have supported the protection of the rainforest habitat that provides the necessary windbreak and shelter to these delicate, migrating creatures.

Will you join in helping MCLUS protect this precious resource? One of you has already made a $20,000 matching gift, so every dollar that you give provides $2.00 to the rainforest. Donating today will double the positive impact of your gift!

And, if your corporation offers a matching gift program, your donation can make an even greater impact. Please click on the “Donate Now” button if you would like to make an on-line donation. Or, if you would prefer sending a check, please use the address at the bottom of this letter.

The Children’s Eternal Rainforest is home to over 700 species of butterflies—an astonishing 3.5% of all those found on the planet—and their continued survival is dependent on the presence of this critical rainforest habitat. Recognizing the urgent need to protect this region and these creatures, Dwight and Rachel Crandell created the Monteverde Conservation League U.S. (MCLUS) nine years ago and we continue to honor their legacy and vision by working to preserve and protect the forest.

But we cannot do it without you! MCLUS urgently needs your care, your protection, and your funding to remain a force for good in the ecological fight to preserve the earth’s rainforests and its spectacular diversity of inhabitants.

Contributions make an enormous difference and MCLUS has accomplished so much this year.

We contributed $67,450 to the purchase of the “Pipe Cruz” land—helping to protect 250 acres of endangered Bell-bird habitat. We paid $26,000 towards the salaries of two guards (one third of the forest’s greatly understaffed protection force) necessary to prevent poaching and habitat destruction. And we contributed $6,510 to the endowment fund that permanently protects the forest. You’ve also helped us work on finding ways to use carbon credits to reforest adjacent areas and increase ecological awareness by leading four successful eco-trips to the forest in 2011.

The Children’s Eternal Rainforest preserves tropical biodiversity, protects a watershed that benefits wildlife and hundreds of downstream communities, and helps to clean and renew the air that we all breathe. But the threats are great, our guards are few, and we must continually work to protect against increased poaching and habitat loss in adjacent areas. For that we need funding from you. We receive no state or federal funds and rely 100 percent on your private contributions.

To help us build a base of operational funding, one of our supporters has stepped forward and will match the first $20,000 we are able to raise by December 31. Each dollar you are able to give will be matched 1:1. MCLUS needs your gift now to preserve this rainforest resource for the future. Can you help us: 1) pay for a wildlife guard’s salary ($15,000 per year); 2) fund an environmental educator ($20,000 per year); and 3) buy crucial habitat like the Pipe Cruz land you helped to save?

Please give a gift today! 100% of MCLUS’ 14 board members support the Children’s Eternal Rainforest by volunteering their time and money. They ask you to join them in protecting the rainforest and the Crandells’ legacy.

Your partner for the forest,

Laurie Waller, President
Monteverde Conservation League U. S., Inc.

P.S. We have much more to share with you! Please see our website, www.mclus.org for more information about our upcoming trips and MCL’s wish list. You’ll also find messages from two of the greatest planetary biologists of our time, Dr. Peter Raven and Dr. Thomas E. Lovejoy – both MCLUS board members.

Photos Credits: Maggie Eisenberger and Dr. Julia Matamoros

Monteverde Conservation League US, Inc.
242 Old Sulphur Spring Road
Manchester, MO 63021

2011 Pocosol Travelers

The new Pocosol trip itinerary was designed to meet several goals; an alternate itinerary for those who have already visited San Gerardo, a shorter trip for those with less time, a less physically challenging trip (although the challenges are there if you want them!), and the chance to experience more of the CER and its trails from the new lodge on the east side of the preserve.

A group of intrepid travelers, ages 13 to 80, were the first MCLUS group to experience the brand new lodge at the Pocosol field station this June.

Jane Cuba bringing in a bird in a mist net

Our travelers gave top marks to the beautiful building, the terrific food, the well-maintained trails to the bubbling mud pots and the waterfall, and the comfort of “porch birding” before breakfast. The group was most impressed by having a PhD naturalist accompany them on the trails, mist net for birds and bats with them, and answer all their questions about this incredible ecosystem. The group was also honored to plant trees from the vivero at Finca Esteller for an MCL reforestation project.

Other highlights included birding from the watch tower at Finca Luna Nueva, where we discovered a sloth at eye level in a nearby tree; enjoying the heated pool at Rancho Margot; taking the tour of the animal rescue center Proyecto Asis where we got great close-ups of many beautiful animals; making our own chocolate at Tirimbina Lodge; and climbing up the lava field at Arenal volcano.

Zofia Mathews making a donation to the CER of funds raised by her school, Laurelhurst School in Portland Oregon

We also enjoyed floating on the Sarapiquí River, with the howler monkeys and sloths overhead, herons and kingfishers all along the banks, and iguanas, basilisks, and crocodiles to spice things up. Experiencing the rainforest at canopy level on the Braulio Carrillo aerial tram was another highlight, as well as tasting the day-glow purple pitahaya ice cream!

Watch our website (mclus.org) for next summer’s trip dates to be announced soon, for your chance to plan your own visit to the Children’s Eternal Rainforest.

When you’re busy maintaining trails or patrolling for poachers in the CER every day you don’t necessarily think to tell anyone when you see an animal. But for those of us who aren’t in the forest every day it is really special and we would like to know! So Wendy Brenes, MCL’s information coordinator, recently asked all the guards and maintenance staff to send in reports of sightings and the reports have started to come in. In the last few months, Alonso Gonzalez, Protection Staff and Forest Guard and his workmates have had a couple of sightings.

Two wonderful animals seen and photographed in the CER!

The guards managed to get this nice picture of an oso hormiguero (literally, an anthill bear) which was taken near the Pocosol Station on a trail. In English it is a northern tamandua (Brazilian indigenous Tupi for ‘ant trap’) or a collared anteater.

Active by day or night, some tamanduas prefer life in the trees while others are more ground-based. They mostly eat ants, spicing it up with a few bees, though the ground-lovers get more termites. They avoid ants with serious defenses like army ants and leaf-cutters. They raid a nest and quickly lick up as many ants as they can before the soldier ants can come to the defense of the nest. But with a 40cm tongue they still manage to get about 9000 ants a day, though they might have to wander over 1000 acres to find them.

The other sighting was a rare Tapir seen by five of the Forest staff not far from Pocosol station. We knew that there are tapirs in the Forest because the mammal monitoring program has collected casts of their extraordinary 5” three-toed footprints, and so MCL chose the Tapir and its baby for the CER’s logo. But people hardly ever see one. These are the biggest animals in Latin America. They can be active day and night and love water. They eat plants and fruit with the help of their prehensile nose, and biologist Mills Tandy broke open a scat last week and out ran a live hermit crab, but it was probably eaten by accident!

In this brief chat Dr. Lovejoy shares his views on the environment and protecting biodiversity for a more livable planet.

Find out more about Dr. Lovejoy on this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Lovejoy.

And here Dr. Lovejoy shares his hope for the future.

A view of the Peñas Blancas Valley

Variegated tree frog or Hourglass tree frog (Hyla ebracatta)

Spider Orchids in Peñas Blancas (Brassia arcuigera)

The road from San Gerardo to the Caño Negro River

The area known as “Las Chutas” is on a ridge in the CER, northeast of the town of Monteverde, south of Arenal Volcano, west of the Peñas Blancas Valley, and east of San Gerardo biological station.  Forty years ago, the portion of the Caribbean slope of the Tilaran mountain range now part of the CER was largely deforested for pastureland, particularly in the valleys.  The less accessible ridges and hilltops retained more of their tree cover, but clearings speckled the highlands.  Since the CER purchased farms during the past few decades, the forest has regenerated significantly.  Now, to get to a pasture or cleared area from Las Chutas, you have to hike for more than two hours.

Caño Negro River

The camp used during frog monitoring expeditions. It is located 3 hours by foot from the San Gerardo station.

What makes Las Chutas noteworthy, aside from its isolation and dense vegetation, is that it is a site where two species of frog presumed extinct have reappeared.  In the past decades, there has been a worldwide decline in amphibians.  Possible causes include infestations of chytrid fungus, increased UV radiation, and climate change  (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.1472-4642.2003.00012.x/full).  During the 1980s, multiple frog populations disappeared from the Monteverde region, including the harlequin frog, green-eyed frog, lichen stream frog, and the famous golden toad.

In 2002, the green-eyed frog (Lithobates vibicarius) reappeared in the CER.  Just this past March, the lichen stream frog (also known as Starrett’s tree frog) was re-discovered in a stream in Las Chutas.

The Green-eyed Frog (Lithobates vibicarius syn. Rana vibicaria) Photo credit: Luis Solano

Two small ponds surrounded by ferns, palms, heliconias, aroids, and moss-covered trees serve as important breeding grounds for the green-eyed frog.  The frogs lay hundreds of eggs in puddles in the forest, and when the tadpoles hatch, they migrate to the ponds.

One of two ponds at Las Chutas, this is an important breeding site for the green-eyed frog.

Eladio Cruz, MCL member, and Luis Solano, head of maintenance, search for frogs along a stream

On a monthly (sometimes bi-monthly) basis, Luis Solano makes the trek to Las Chutas to monitor frog populations.  He conducts five, 50-meter-long transects in which he counts every Green-eyed Frog that he sees.  At night, he searches for all types of frogs, notes their presence by sight or sound, and swabs some of them to test for chytrid fungus growing on their skin.  In addition to frog monitoring, Luis is in charge of maintenance in the CER, spending many hours cleaning trails and boundary lines.

Emerald Glass Frog (Centrolenella prosoblepon)

Lichen Stream Frog (Isthmohyla tica), listed as critically endangered on the IUCN red list

Bare-hearted Glass Frog (Hyalinobatrachium colymbiphyllum)

Why it's called a glass frog...

Eladio Cruz balances precariously on a log, having collected various species of dragonflies in the middle of the pond. Photo credit: Francis Joyce

Eladio Cruz is another person who has done a lot of fieldwork in the CER.  His most recent project is collecting specimens for an inventory of the dragonflies and damselflies of the Monteverde region.  The Las Chutas ponds proved to be productive places to collect.  When the sun emerged from behind clouds, upwards of six species of dragonflies and damselflies began to whiz above the pond, some mating, some hunting, and some laying eggs in the water.  They flashed metallic blues, greens, and reds from their bodies, tracing ovals and spirals in the air.  To gain a sense of diversity and beauty of these insects, check out this website:Dragonflies and Damselflies of Costa Rica.

One of the many fungus species in the CER, Hygrocybe sp.

Trevoria glumacea, a fragrant, pendant orchid

The Children’s Eternal Rainforest and the Monteverde Conservation League have saved many species from both local extinction and total extinction.  No doubt the green-eyed frog and the lichen stream frog are only a few representative organisms of the biodiversity that the CER has rescued.

A farm bordering the Children's Eternal Rainforest.

A tangle of barbed wire attests to this piece of forest's previous life as pasture.

By guest blogger Richard Joyce.

Recently I  returned from Costa Rica where I met with board and staff members of the Monteverde Conservation League (MCL).   There, all efforts are focused on protecting and expanding the Children’s Eternal Rainforest, as well as sharing it with others.   It’s a dedicated team!

While in Monteverde I was delighted to meet with our new blogger, Rowan Eisner, because this week, our blog is changing hands.  Mia Roberts, who gave us  many insightful blogs is now working full time on a Wyoming ranch.   We’re fortunate that Rowan, who lives in Monteverde can keep giving us news of the forest.   She has a wealth of interesting stories about the CER and community to share.

Rowan comes from Australia and has a background in environmental management research. She moved to MV two years ago looking to make a contribution in conservation after working on a tiger reserve in Laos.

Also, Richard Joyce, a long time explorer of the forest will write– in between his college studies.

Watch for weekly blogs with news  of animal sightings, conservation research, stories from travelers and interviews with MCL founders and workers.

For the forest!
Laurie

Hi! Thanks for the intro Laurie.

We had a very exciting visitor to Monteverde last August. Allow me to introduce the guy on my t-shirt. He’s an oilbird, and extremely rare in Costa Rica – only four sightings till last year.

Oilbird in the Children's Eternal Rainforest

The oilbird is an extraordinary combination of unique traits. A nocturnal cave dweller it finds it food using sonar, like bats. But their clicks are lower, so we can hear them. We don’t know of caves anywhere near here, so where are they roosting? And they come from Venezuela – that’s a long way from here. They eat fruit – the only nocturnal frugivore – which they hover to collect, an amazing feat given their size. Their wingspan is over 3 feet.

They stuff their young so full of food in the nest till they weigh one and a half times the adult weight, which gives rise to their unfortunate name. The babies used to be boiled up for oil.

Well, the word went out that one had been seen near the Friends school and that was it. Anyone interested in birds flocked to the spot from all over Costa Rica. There we were, huddled in small groups in the cemetery in the dark, speaking in hushed tones, occasionally scouring the treetops with a spotlight.

Then suddenly, there it was in a whoosh of wing beats. Of course! It doesn’t have to be quiet – it’s a frugivore. Avocados don’t run away! It was feeding on the ocotea monteverdensis or little avocado, a local endemic whose numbers have plummeted since settlement and are still threatened. Quetzals and bell birds rely on them too. Strange the way they hover to feed, almost like a giant hummingbird. And those clicking sounds too. What a rarity – really one of those ‘once in a lifetime’ experiences!

When it came to the annual Christmas bird count for the Audubon Society, the obvious choice for the t-shirt was the oilbird. The drawing was done from the best photo from its visit to Monteverde, taken in The Children’s Eternal Rainforest, where three more were also seen.

Looking across the forest of Peñas Blancas in the direction of Laguna Escondida. Photo credit: Sarah Maxwell.

Guest post by Richard V. Joyce

Laguna Escondida (or Hidden Lagoon) lies several kilometers north of Eladio’s Refuge in the Peñas Blancas Valley. Rugged terrain and multiple river crossings mean that it can take over three hours to hike there from Eladio’s cabin. Trail-crew members, researchers and biology students are among the few people to make the trip to this remote site.

Eladio Cruz, superb naturalist, conservationist and friend of CER, stands in front of Laguna Escondida. Photo credit: Mollie Deuel.

Beginning in the mid 1980s, an aquatic plant called water lettuce (Pistia stratiotes) began to colonize the lagoon, eventually covering majority of its surface. Because Laguna Escondida is far from away from any waterway that contains Pistia, it is unclear how the plant originally arrived. Perhaps an aquatic bird such as a northern jacana, masked duck or great blue heron brought seeds stuck in its feathers to the pond.

A cecropia tree silhouette at sunrise in the Peñas Blancas Valley.

On a hike to Laguna Escondida this May, a group of biology students saw a broad-billed motmot and heard crested guans. Guans are arboreal birds related to turkeys, whose large size and clumsy flying make them desirable to hunters. Important as seed dispersers, these birds are indicators of a robust ecosystem. As the students hiked, their rubber boots stepped next to the tracks of collared peccaries, another species that the CER protects from hunting.

The CER preserves much of the watershed of the Peñas Blancas River.

The fer-de-lance pit viper is one of the more notorious inhabitants of the Children’s Eternal Rainforest. This rather large specimen was sunning itself on the trail to Laguna Escondida.

7 year old Jorie Bachus raised almost $1,300 for the Children's Eternal Rainforest!

Spring 2011

Dear Friends of the Forest,

New discoveries. New vision. New dynamics. Renewal is spring in action! In this issue you will read of the exciting March 2011 rediscovery of the Lichen Stream Frog in the Children’s Eternal Rainforest, a species previously feared to be extinct. Mark Wainwright, MCL’s board president, and author of Mammals of Costa Rica, tells of this discovery in a letter to each of you.

Renewal is also what happens when an organization sets new goals as the Monteverde Conservation League (MCL) is doing. As stewards of this pristine rainforest, MCL is forging a new vision of the future

MCLUS, too, is reforming itself so we can be a constant support for the Children’s Eternal Rainforest. New MCLUS board members, with strong skills and passion for conservation, are joining a dedicated board. This dynamic creates exciting opportunities for growth!

In this spring newsletter we’re also sharing inspiring stories of support for the Children’s Eternal Rainforest. This includes seven-year-old Jorie’s birthday initiative to buy land for the forest. We are grateful to Tom Newmark, CEO of New Chapter, whose successful story of partnership with Whole Foods Market is described below.

Our guest blogger Mia Roberts has shared a wealth of information about visiting the Children’s Eternal Rainforest in her recent series of articles. And, if you’re ready for a Costa Rica adventure there is still time to join our Pocosol trip this summer. Space is limited and the trip is filling! You’ll find more details on the Pocosol trip page.

Whether it’s reforesting a barren pasture, creating eco-sensitive energy systems, buying critical habitat, or building a new information center – all are signs of progress being made for the Children’s Eternal Rainforest.

Wishing you a happy spring!

For the Forest,

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

Jorie’s Story

Children saved this rainforest and they keep it growing. Seven year old Jorie is a child who cares deeply about her world. She wants a healthy planet and thriving rainforests.

“My name is Jorie Bachus. I am 7 years old and in first grade. I love the rainforest because everything about it is important to us. It gives us oxygen and medicine, but what I love most is how many animals and plants live there. My Grandma and Grandpa have told us all about the Children’s Eternal Rainforest and this year my family got to go to Costa Rica and see some of it. It is amazing! This year, for my birthday, I asked my friends and family not to give me gifts but to help me raise money to help the Children’s Eternal Rainforest. I learned a lot about the Rainforest and tried to teach all of my friends. I even got to talk in front of my whole Girl Scout Troop. All of them were excited and helped me reach my goal of $1,000. We did it in two weeks and some people are still sending checks. I think we are almost at $1,300 now. In this next year I hope to raise a lot more.

When we went to Costa Rica I got to meet some of the people who work to save the Rainforest. I even got to meet the President of the Monteverde Conservation League, Mark Wainwright. They were all so nice and I like knowing who they are.

My sister Julia helped me a lot. We both liked going on a night hike in the Children’s Eternal Rainforest. We didn’t see any big animals but saw a lot of really neat bugs. Our guide, Henry, knew a lot. My Grandpa went with us. He loves the Rainforest and so do we.”

Jorie with members of MCL staff and board members

Schools and students world-wide raise money for the forest!

Between 2009 and 2010, MCLUS received $13,400 from schools and academies whose students held fundraisers to support land purchase in The Children’s Eternal Rainforest. Ideas for raising money were unique and varied: bake sales, a karate memorial break-a-thon, note paper sales, home chores and home electric/water conservation, contributing birthday money, giving programs and collecting funds from other students who care about the forest, collecting deposit money from bottles and cans, sponsoring a silent and dress up day at school to raise money, read-a-thons, and writing stories about the rainforest. As you can see, when children put their minds and hearts to a good cause much innovation follows. MCLUS wishes to honor and thank those schools, students, teachers and parents who worked hard to raise awareness of the rainforest and give charitably to our organization.

New Chapter and Whole Foods Market team up again to donate to the CER!

Terry Newmark helps launch the St. Louis regional New Chapter promotion for the CER

The New Chapter Key Account Team and Tom Newmark are working with Whole Foods Market to raise money for the Children’s Eternal Rainforest (CER). Tom recently told the board of MCLUS that several stores in the Midwest, Northern California, and the Rocky Mountain regions have a month long fund raising campaign that supports the CER.

New Chapter encourages their vendors, in this case, Whole Foods, to help educate and support biodiversity and research for tropical rainforests in their Whole Body Departments. New Chapter’s products are currently being sold and displayed on store end caps with signage indicating that 5% of every purchase will go directly to the CER!

This campaign is New Chapter’s vehicle for good and a win/win for everyone, New Chapter and Whole Foods alike. Individual Whole Foods stores that do the best with their educational efforts and also convey the strongest rainforest message to store customers have the opportunity to send their team members to New Chapter’s biodynamic farm, Luna Nueva, outside the CER. While there the store teams plant trees, hike, learn more about the rainforest and explore in the CER.

In 2010, Whole Food raised over $25,000 for the CER. They plan for even bigger returns in 2011. This past April approximately $45,000 was generated in CER donations! So, check out your local Whole Foods Store to see if the New Chapter display and products are being featured.

Click here to view more photos of the wonderful in-store displays

25th Anniversary Celebrations Continue

by Rowan Eisner, Monteverde, Costa Rica

MCL continues to enjoy marking the results of the 25 years of hard work that created the Children’s Eternal Rainforest. On the 2nd and 9th of April they held a children’s event at the farmers’ market with face-painting, story telling, games and puzzles all focused on nature and animal themes.

On April 16th the Bajo del Tigre section of the reserve had an open day with guided walks, food, nature videos, forest creature face-painting, puzzles and know-your-forest activities in the casita (The Children’s Education Center).

Back in February, staff and associates of MCL gathered at Bajo del Tigre visitor center to hear the story of MCL from Bob Law – a 25 year timeline in pictures. The video of this and Bob’s slide show will soon be on MCL’s web site. They also planted punch berry trees (Myrcia splenders) which they had propagated in MCL’s nursery because there were only two left alive in the reserve. At the February assembly meeting at the main office everyone sang “happy birthday MCL” accompanied by a birthday cake.

Sleeping sloth at Bajo del Tigre open house

The biggest celebrations are yet to come. On May 1st Ecofest marks the occasion in art, nature and sustainability, highlighting eco-friendly alternatives such as solar cooking, pedal power, hydroponics and composting, with an art show and concerts.

At all such events people can check out the milestones along the way on the 25 year time-line banner with MCL depicted as a tree growing from the roots up, from 14 people meeting in Bob’s living room, into a flourishing canopy as part of a biosphere reserve with IUCN recognition.

A Thank You Letter from Mark Wainwright, President of the MCL Board of Directors

Monteverde, April 2011

The Lichen Stream Frog rediscovered in the CER on March 30, 2011

Dear Friends of the Children’s Eternal Rainforest,

A few weeks ago (on the night of the March 30th), during an MCL-sponsored field trip to monitor amphibian populations, we were able to confirm the presence of the Lichen Stream Frog (Isthmohyla tica) on a remote ridge in the heart of the CER. The Lichen Stream Frog was thought to have vanished from the Monteverde area in the late 1980′s along with the Golden Toad and many other amphibians. Subsequently it disappeared from other parts of its tiny geographic range (a roughly 1500 ft elevational sliver extending from northwestern Costa Rica to western Panama), and many feared it might be extinct. This is the third time we have encountered the species on this one stream, but to my knowledge it is not known to occur today anywhere else in the world.

The Lichen Stream Frog is but one among tens of thousands of species of plants and animals protected within the CER. Yes – tens of thousands. The CER is home to about 3,000 species of vascular plants, including more than 500 orchid species; several hundred non-vascular plant species like mosses and liverworts; about 450 species of birds; we can only guess at the numbers for most insect groups but it seems reasonable to speculate that the CER harbors some 900 species of butterflies, perhaps 9,000 moth species, and perhaps 18,000 beetle species, just to mention a few. Undoubtedly, many of these organisms are as yet unknown to science.

The CER doesn’t only protect one of the most biologically rich ecosystems in the world. It is also the backbone of the protected area that is the primary attraction for ecotourism, the cornerstone of the local economy. And just as importantly, the CER protects an enormous watershed that provides clean and constant water for communities, agriculture, and hydroelectric projects – at present, the CER is fundamental to the production of about a third of Costa Rica’s electricity.

I throw these numbers at you because I want to drive home how immeasurably important it has been to protect these forests. All of these things would have been lost if it wasn’t for the help of caring people like you. Today we can continue our dream of safeguarding the existing CER and expanding it into critical areas thanks to the ongoing support of people like Tom Newmark, whose unwavering help has held fast despite the global economic crisis and extensive changes both at MCL and at MCLUS, or Jorie Howe, who requested that her friends and family celebrate her seventh birthday party with gifts to the CER. For example, a few months ago we finalized the purchase of a 250 acre piece of land of enormous importance. By protecting this piece of land, we simultaneously connected a previously disjunct piece of the CER to the rest of the protected area, closed an entry point for trespassing poachers and livestock, and protected a swath of what is arguably the most endangered type of forest in the region – the Premontane Wet Forest.

So on behalf of the beautiful Lichen Stream Frog, and all that it represents, I would like to express a heartfelt THANK YOU! for your essential help. Please take pride in the fact that your support makes all the difference, and know that it serves as further motivation for all of us here at MCL in Costa Rica to do everything in our power to make this magical achievement truly eternal.

Sincerely,

Mark Wainwright
President of the MCL Board of Directors

Renewable Energy Improvements in The Children’s Eternal Rainforest Field Stations

Rachel Crandell showing visitors the spring house at San Gerardo in 2008.

By Rowan Eisner – Monteverde, Costa Rica

QUESTION: How do you dry sheets in the rainforest?
ANSWER: See below!

Energy at the field stations

The field stations are the hub of activities in the Children’s Eternal Rainforest. Study groups, research projects, monitoring programs and, of course the income-generating tourism that keeps everything going all revolve around the field stations. So how do remote, off-grid locations meet comfort expectations when a group of thirty visitors may leave and another group arrive the same day?

Volcancitos, rivers and sun

Fifteen years ago San Gerardo (the current site of the San Gerardo field station on the Pacific side) was part of a “Tico*” farming community. The reserve acquired a hydropower generator to provide power for the community. Gradually, the small landholders left and now the 25kw generator is far too big: 10W would be enough. It is 1000 yards from the stations where the water pressure was too high, blowing the fittings and a tree fell on it. The plan is to swap it for a smaller generator, which uses less water and is closer to the station for easier maintenance.

The Pocosol field station on the Atlantic side also has a hydropower generator, but it is home-made from cups of cut pipe and a car differential. It is used to power lights and kitchen appliances like the blender. Pocosol also has volcancitos, or bubbling hot mud pots, half a mile away that could produce hot water if MCL can figure out the transport.

The challenge with hydropower is that the busiest time at the field stations is also the driest time. To solve this problem San Gerardo has inherited used solar panels from a Costa Rican indigenous community that has been connected to the grid and no longer uses the solar panels. When delivered these panels could be used for lighting and MCL is keeping an eye on the price of energy-efficient LED light bulbs. San Gerardo also has a diesel generator which produces more power than is needed for the washing machine and lights it currently powers, so that too will be sold for a smaller, more energy-efficient replacement.

Laundry: Until recently, washing sheets and towels meant two, 1 hour return trips to the nearest clothes drier on the all-terrain vehicle: expensive and time-consuming. But all that has changed with the new drying room at the San Gerardo station. Built from off-cuts of fallen trees with a poly-carbonate greenhouse roof, the 20×30′ drying room can reach a temperature of 120 degrees F inside and can get towels dry as quickly as one hour. Pocosol will get its own drying room soon, replacing an attic cupboard or hour- long road trips to a clothes drier. But, true to its name, solar drying will take longer with little sun. A trip to the duty-free zone in Golfito to buy a spare set of quick-dry sheets also helped. Now the station manager can stay at the field station and help with the change over between visiting groups rather than spend the day (and all that gas!) going to dry the laundry. This will be a great help this summer with the change over between groups, when five groups – each with 28 people – will be staying at the station.

2006 Dwight Crandell with stone masons Danne and Mike Rhaesa building the San Gerardo spring house

Spring house construction completed complete with a coati proof door

Food: Salad for dinner? Fresh fruit for breakfast? Or how about fish for lunch? There is no refrigeration at the field stations, so anything fresh must be brought in frequently. Fish, for instance, needs to be picked up just before meal preparation. San Gerardo has a custom-built spring house which keeps food cool, and Pocosol uses ice boxes. Still, there is the time and cost of shopping trips and so MCL is looking into economical alternatives, including a kerosene refrigerator for the San Gerardo station.

Hot showers please! This is the number one request by guests. Currently, it is possible to make hot water by lighting a fire under the tank, but often there is no one to do it or no dry wood. Now that the solar drying room is in place at San Gerardo it should be possible to run solar hot water pipes through the room to make warm water for showers. The drawback is, with cold showers people only take 2 minutes to shower. With hot water, it would be hard to keep showers to 10 minutes.

Top energy priorities for the field stations:
Management: refrigeration
Visitors: hot showers

* “Tico” is a name that Costa Ricans call themselves.

Gratitude for Support from MCL in Costa Rica and MCLUS

Laurie Waller, MCLUS president, introduces Dr. Rainer Bussmann, Director of the William L. Brown Center and William L. Brown Curator of Economic Botany at the Missouri Botanic Garden

April 28th was a reunion of kindred spirits, and an opportunity for MCL and MCLUS board members and staff to say “thank you” to friends and supporters of the CER.

April 28th was a beautiful evening with a view of downtown St. Louis from the Maryland Walk rooftop.

St. Louis area supporters enjoyed a beautiful spring evening with camaraderie and refreshments on the roof-top at Maryland Walk in Clayton.

Carol Weisman, MCLUS’ governance consultant, friend of the forest, and her husband Dr. Frank Robbins, hosted the thank you reception and presentation by Dr. Rainer Bussman from the Missouri Botanical Garden. Dr. Bussman’s talk on “Protecting Tropical Forests and Keeping the Source of Traditional Knowledge Alive” gave new insights on rainforest conservation and the CER. Tom Newmark, CEO of New Chapter, shared inspiring remarks about his connection to this special forest and of successful reforestation. Laurie Waller, president of MCLUS, read a heartfelt thank you letter from Mark Wainwright, president of MCL’s board of directors and author of Mammals of Costa Rica.

Click here for more photos from this event

Have you missed guest blogger Mia Roberts’ fantastic series of posts about getting to know the Children’s Eternal Rainforest?

For the past couple of months, guest blogger Mia Roberts has written a wonderful series of posts about the CER that really take you inside. If you haven’t checked them out yet, please explore. Each post has vibrant pictures and descriptions of what you’ll find if you decide to take a trip to the CER.  Let us know if you like these posts!  Please send feedback to info@mclus.org or leave a comment on any posts you enjoy. Also feel free to share MCLUS blog posts with your friends and co-workers if you like!

April 27th, 2011 – Getting to Know the CER: the San Gerardo Field Station
April 19th, 2011 – The Pocosol Field Station
April 5th, 2011 – Peñas Blancas to Pocosol: The Ultimate CER Adventure
March 27th, 2011 – The Story of a Three Wattled Bellbird
March 17th, 2011 – An Interview with Marc Hoffman
March 12th, 2011 – Getting to Know the CER: Visit Finca Steller
March 7th, 2011 – Wildlife Sighting in the CER: Meet the Orange-bellied Trogon
February 28th, 2011 – Getting to Know the CER: A close-up of Bajo del Tigre
February 19th, 2011 – Exploring the Cloud Forest: Saving an ecosystem through innovative education
February 4th, 2011 – An Introduction to the Children’s Eternal Rainforest: Where is it, and how can you visit?
January 29th, 2011 – A New Way to Photograph Wildlife in the CER
January 27th, 2011 – An Introduction to MCLUS’s Newest Blogger

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