Resolutions to Protect the Beaches of Nosara

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This month we turn our attention to the ways you can personally nurture our natural surroundings.

TortuGuiones Director Vanessa Bezy lists the top five things you can do to save the sea turtles in 2017:

Did you know that sea turtles nest at Playa Pelada and Playa Guiones? Did you know these beaches are protected as a part of the national wildlife refuge? Whether you are a short-term or long-term visitor, you can help us save the sea turtles — all the while fulfilling your new year’s resolutions, protecting the refuge, and benefiting the local community.

  1. Walk on the beach. Leave your car in the parking lot and get into the healthy habit of taking long walks on the beach to help us monitor sea turtle activity. Driving anything motorized on the beach can crush sea turtle nests and leave divots that are barriers to nesting sea turtles and hatchlings. Sea turtle tracks are easy to identify, and you can report them using our online form. Visit our website (www.tortuguiones.org) and our Facebook page for more information.
  2. Pick up trash instead of seashells. Marine debris is a threat to wildlife that ingest it and ultimately becomes a human health concern for those who consume seafood. The extraction of flora or fauna of any kind is prohibited in Costa Rica, and seashells are often seized at Customs, so leave the seashells and take the trash off the beach with you instead!
  3. Enjoy the dark. Turn out the lights, put out the fire, and watch the stars in the dark instead. Light pollution disrupts nocturnal wildlife, and bonfires can disorient nesting sea turtles and hatchlings. Enjoy the dark starry night sky without the distracting lights.
  4. Skip the straw and drink more water. Request “no straw please” when ordering your drink, and ask your favorite restaurants about replacing plastic straws with bamboo or other ecofriendly alternatives. Buy water in bulk and use a refillable water bottle. You’ll save money, and you’ll help keep plastic out of our oceans while doing it!
  5. Keep your dog close to you. A significant number of sea turtle nests at Pelada and Guiones are predated by dogs. Keep an eye on your dog, or use a leash so you can make sure your dog isn’t eating sea turtle eggs or hatchlings.

Returning home from the beach, let’s look at landscaping.

Last week saw the season’s first plea from the ASADA to conserve water. The problem is not a matter of how much water we have, but of how much water we really need. BarriGuiones Director Gerardo Bolaños shares his perspective on gardens’ role in water conservation. His list is shorter than Vanessa’s but may take longer to achieve.

When it comes to plantings:

  1. Think local.
  2. Forgo the exotic.

Nestled in a dry tropical forest, Nosara can expect a rainless season of four to five months annually, ironically our town’s busiest months. As the numbers of visitors and residents grow steadily, demand for water rises, seemingly exponentially. Builders clear trees and plants, which they regard as obstacles, from the land. After construction is done, commercial nurseries cart in new plantings, which are popular, affordable, and available — even if not sustainable.

These often-exotic tropical species need more water because they have not evolved over thousands of years, like our native plants, to thrive without rain for long periods of time. Some landscape architects promote an alternative: indigenous-adapted gardens, which remain green and lush all year round with proper maintenance. These adaptations trick the garden to skip dry season, but still place greater demands on water supplies than nature’s original plants.

To me, sustainable gardens shouldn’t require gardening at all. What if, instead of turning on the chainsaws, owners and developers planned a building that works with the natural surroundings? With a little forethought, much of the natural landscape can be preserved, keeping underground water intact along with the monkeys, birds, reptiles, and other wildlife that inhabit the land.

Skip those sprinklers and soaker hoses. Leave the original trees, bushes, vines, and herbs. We don’t need to tax our aquifer to keep our natural surroundings alive and healthy. Let’s change our mind set, not our landscape!

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