In July TortuGuiones worked with volunteers from Global Leadership Adventures to place markers every 50 m along Playa Pelada. The group also made a TortuGuiones sign and did a beach cleanup at Pelada.
They have started a “Keep Nosara Wild” campaign to educate locals and tourists that driving is prohibited within the wildlife refuge on both the beaches and trails. Stickers have arrived and will be distributed for free to local quad rental agencies and anyone else who would like them. Please contact TortuGuiones for delivery.
The group has also started selling tank tops, bracelets, keychains, and tote bags with its logo. See Facebook posts on the TortuGuiones page and Nosara Classified Ads for items and prices). Contact www.tortuguiones.org if your business is interested in featuring any of these items. Stickers are also available at Organico for a $5 donation.
In July BarriGuiones planted almost 850 trees in North Guiones in six planting activities with a lot of participation from our community and guests. Volunteer groups from Pennsylvania’s Buckingham Friends School and the University of Georgia attended workshops and then planted trees. The Universidad de Costa Rica sent a group of volunteer planters. A group from San Diego transplanted seedlings at the tree nursery as well as planting trees at the beach.
The highlight this month was the visit of one of BarriGuiones’ biggest environmental heroes: Chilean big wave surfing legend Ramón Navarro (see July 22 blog, Surfing Legend Visits Nosara). To recap, BarriGuiones invited Navarro to introduce the screening of “Son of a Fisherman,” a documentary about his life. The film touched on Navarro’s leadership in Pichilemu, the Chilean coastal fishing town where he grew up. Corporations have been displacing local residents and their livelihood in favor of condominiums, hotels, and other exclusive tourist amenities up and down the Chilean coast, but Navarro mobilized townspeople to preserve Pichilemu’s coastline and livelihood for future generations of local fishing families.
Navarro became friends with BarriGuiones’ parent organization Costas Verdes last year, when he came to Costa Rica to present his film. He planted trees with Costas Verdes in Playa Hermosa, where he was inspired by Costa Rica’s laws mandating preservation or restoration of its coastline. This year he returned with his family and friends to discover more of our beaches. Even though on vacation, he screened “Son of the Fisherman” for local surfers, fisherman, children, and anyone else who wanted to hear his story. While in Nosara, he presented the film to Del Mar Academy students, as well as at Gabi’s Play in Guiones.
Because Nosara stands out from other beach towns in Guanacaste for reforesting of its beachfront, Ramón insisted on planting a tree. BarriGuiones Project Director Gerardo Bolaños organized several groups and neighbors on July 2 to say goodbye to Ramón and his family and friends. “We planted 190 trees that morning. It was an epic day for us!” said Bolaños.
