On May 2 TORTUGuiones published its Ostional National Wildlife Refuge brochure online as the beginning of an educational campaign. The goal of the campaign is to educate the general public on sea turtle conservation, the Ostional National Wildlife Refuge, and other issues relevant to conservation in the area. This will be an ongoing initiative targeted at local schools (K-12) as well as day camps. The program can also be modified for general audiences, tourism groups of all ages (such as students involved in field courses) and local businesses interested in educating their employees.
The brochure emphasizes the campaign’s main message — Playa Pelada and Playa Guiones are, in fact, a part of the Ostional National Wildlife Refuge. The second biggest message is that (despite the lack of enforcement) there are regulations in place to protect the wildlife within the refuge.
Watch for excerpts from the brochure on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Click to view or download full brochure in PDF
Volunteer with TORTUGuiones! Learn some basic sea turtle biology and find out how to identify and report the tracks you see on your beach walks. And report sightings of sea turtles and their tracks by clicking on www.tortuguiones.org
TORTUGuiones is a community- and volunteer-based sea turtle conservation project founded to monitor nesting activity, conduct outreach, and provide educational materials to ensure the conservation of sea turtles and protection of their habitat within this part of the Ostional National Wildlife Refuge.
The BarriGuiones Project is pleased that rainy season has arrived, and what a promising start, with frequent and heavy rainfalls so early in the season. This means it’s time for BarriGuiones Project to start planting! During late April, the group planted 178 living stakes (similar to the living fences you see alongside fincas) from Madero Negro and Indio Desnudo along the north beach entrance to Guiones. These stakes will protect the Refuge from further invasion of vehicles into the protected areas. BarriGuiones will be planting over 150 more living stakes on at the main beach entrance in early May. Volunteers are welcome! Contact gerardo.bolaños@costasverdes.org
BarriGuiones is a local offshoot of Costas Verdes, whose mission to restore Costa Rica’s coastal ecosystems by actively involving schools, communities, and local authorities in generating local environmental, social, and economic benefits.
Speaking of beach protection, NCA is pleased to announce its support of the Río Nosara Biological Corridor initiative as part of the Chorotega Biological Corridor. The goal of the Biological Corridors initiative is to manage sustainable development in these corridors by balancing economic, societal, and environmental concerns. Specific aims include:
- Increasing forest coverage and connectivity
- Building managerial capacity in ASADAS and other modes of water resource management
- Managing the development of sustainable local products
- Promoting a culture of sustainable development through education
Vanessa Bezy writes: TORTUGuiones is proud to support the Rio Nosara Biological Corridor initiative. This initiative will protect water quality and biodiversity by providing connectivity between the Ostional National Wildlife Refuge and other protected areas, both which are important to sea turtle conservation within the refuge.
Gerardo Bolaños writes: We believe that the benefits of BarriGuiones projects can reach their maximum potential only if arboreal corridors are connected within and throughout NCA’s parklands to Río Nosara’s mouth. If we can protect our highly diverse wildlife through an uninterrupted natural corridor, from the highlands where our main rivers are born all the way down to where they meet the ocean, we can sustain water supplies for coming generations. We believe that protecting our surroundings preserves our survival and wellness on this planet!
For more information, see: http://www.sinac.go.cr/corredoresbiologicos/home.html