12/10/2008 - Turtle Trek in Costa Rica
In November a group of 25 AFS participants from seven different countries had the privilege of taking part in a very special trip thanks to the efforts of two dedicated volunteers from AFS in Costa Rica; Miguel Wong, Chapter President and AFS CRC Board President and his wife Geovanna.
The group traveled to Ostional National Wildlife Refuge, a beach and national protected area on the northern Pacific coast of Costa Rica famous for being one of the main nesting sites for the Lora Turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea).
The Refuge protects several species of tortoises that come to the beach in large numbers every year to mate and lay their eggs between the months of July and December. This phenomenon known as “arrival” occurs 4 to 10 times during this period and lasts from 3 to 10 days.
To get there, students traveled by bus for several hours, then walked through the rain forest to reach the beach where they saw the birth of the small tortoises.
Once on the beach, the students spent several hours helping some of the thousands of newly born turtles to reach the ocean, a place where they will begin their dangerous journey, to be repeated year after year for the rest of their turtle-lives.
We congratulate the volunteers of the Local Committee of Puntarenas for organizing this interesting visit, and allowing our AFS Participants to learn about the conservation of the wild species and natural beauty of Costa Rica. AFS Local Chapters in Costa Rica increasingly offer this and similar opportunities to our foreign participants throughout their experience abroad.
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