Class Field Trip to Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí, Costa Rica

While taking a class on Forests, Forestry, and Peace, I had a three day field trip to Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí, Costa Rica. My professor was kind enough to let me bring the kids, so they had a three day vacation.

First, we drove to Santa Clara, 3 hours northwest of San Jose to talk with a professor at the Instituto Tecnologico de Costa Rica (Technical Institute of Costa Rica, a major university). He told us how they are working with farmers to reforest the country using selective breeding (of trees, not the farmers.)

Next we drove to Sarapiquí, which is about 3 hours northeast of San Jose. There the kids hung out at the hotel, Hotel El Bambu (http://www.elbambu.com/) and swam in the pool while my class traipsed through the rainforest, at times in the POURING rain. I’ve been dryer swimming in the ocean! It was a lot of fun. We heard howler monkeys, and I saw a poison dart frog (about the size of a quarter, bright red with royal blue hind legs) on a log. It was also very interesting as we learned about tree plantations, sustainable logging, and Payments for Environmental Services (PES).

PES is a system where money is paid to private landowners to conserve or replant their forests. It is a very popular program that has a long waiting list, but not enough money for every interested party. Ideally, businesses that depend on clean water would pay the landowners upstream to help maintain that quality. Examples of industries now in the program are brewing companies and hydroelectric plants.

On the way home, we stopped at one of the hydroelectric plants and got to go inside and see the large turbines. The owners of this plant pay into the PES system since trees help prevent silt from being washed down the rivers that then damage the turbines, which are very costly to repair or replace.

The kids had a lot of fun. They loved the pool, getting to eat at ‘sodas’ (little, usually family-owned, fast food restaurants), and they even learned how pick a coconut off a tree, break it open, and drink the juice. We saw lots of beautiful scenery from our bus windows, like waterfalls, as well as pineapple and sugarcane plantations. I am very grateful to have such a great UPeace community to make it not just possible, but also so welcoming for my kids to join us when I need to go on these trips.

PS: In a later class, Water Security and Peace, I got to return to Sarapiquí for a day trip along the Sarapiquí River. We saw howler monkeys and iguanas in the trees, amazing birds, and caimans on the river banks!