The Costa Rica Conservation Project
It is as if we are in another world. The vegetation is a deeper green and varies from an inviting, voluptuous leaves to scary-looking, prickly orbs. Birdcalls of the most intriguing types reverberate through the dense canopy, and below fleeting glances of color and the sound of little wings let you know that birds are everywhere. Monkeys howl in the distance and excited birders are reminiscent of children hunting Easter eggs. In fact the colors popping up are very much like those seen scattered against green lawns on those mornings. Overhead comes the sound of wings drawing our attention upward and then is followed by audible gasps as all eyes settle on a Keel-billed Toucan.
Recently I had the privilege of birding in Costa Rica, and that experience has been a life-changing one. Intellectually I have known for years about the importance of the Central American habitat to the songbirds that breed in North America and winter in the tropics and to the hawks and shore birds that work their way northward every spring cycle. Approximately 148 bird species fall into the flock of part-timers in nutrient rich Costa Rica. The importance of this habitat doesn’t end there, of course, because there are approximately 800 bird species that depend on this habitat year round.
It is one thing to know something intellectually and entirely another to be admiring species like Lesser Yellowlegs, Willets, Spotted Sandpipers, Chestnut-sided and Townsend’s Warblers, to name just a fraction of species familiar to me, looking all “foreign” among the tropical vegetation and simultaneously wondering if I might see that exact individual in two months time while birding in my neck of the woods. I found this thought to be very captivating as well as being the nail that drove home to me the vast significance of this habitat to the birds that we all love so much. This is the habitat that a good percentage of the common birds in North America depend on. That percentage includes the 10 common birds that Audubon has studied since 1967 and has documented a 70% population decline in, a decline from 17.6 million to 5.35 million individuals. Eastern Meadowlarks, Common Terns, and Grasshopper Sparrows are just a few well-known species on this list.
After being so deeply struck by the hemispheric importance of and life sustaining dependence upon this emerald habitat surrounding me, I was better able to take in what my guide, Edwin Ramirez, was sharing with us. He told us about what is happening to the habitat in Costa Rica, about how forest fragmentation, human disturbance, habitat loss and degradation have negatively impacted both the breeding and wintering grounds of North American birds as well as Central American resident birds. Further it was fascinating to gain a better understanding of how forest fragmentation threatens sensitive altitudinal migrants like the Resplendent Quetzal.
I came home from Costa Rica determined to foster an increased awareness of how the destruction of habitat in Costa Rica and in the U.S. negatively impacts the birds and the ecological balance between the northern and southern hemispheres. With this goal in mind I have done two things. One of them is that I have developed a multimedia presentation titled “The Idaho/Costa Rica Majestic Feathers Connection.” It is a presentation that highlights the ecological connections between the hemispheres of North and South America including the migration connection, the role that humans play in habitat destruction and restoration, and the stunning beauty of the birds and habitat of these areas. This program has been well received by Idaho Audubon Chapters in Idaho Falls, Pocatello, Twin Falls and Boise, as well as the Southwest Idaho Birding Club.
As important as education is there is nothing like firsthand experience to deepen one's understanding of the interconnectedness of the northern and southern hemispheres and how habitat loss in one affects the other. This is the way it happened for me, and with this in mind, I did the second thing toward raising awareness, I began organizing Majestic Feathers birding tours to Costa Rica with Edwin Ramirez. Edwin has eighteen years of experience leading birding and natural history tours in Costa and other Central and South American countries. Not only will participation in a tour raise your understanding of the connection between the northern and southern hemispheres, it will raise your life list by some astounding number, especially if this is your first trip to the tropics for birding. A percentage of each tour fee is donated to the Foundation for the Protection and Conservation of the La Paz River and surrounding Forests.
Here is the history of this foundation written by Edwin Ramirez:
The La Paz Cloud Forest is located in the county of San Ramon (province of Alajuela) approximately one hour and thirty minutes northwest from Costa Rica’s main International Airport. Here beautiful remnants of the original forest that once covered the whole of the uppermost portions of the Tilaran Mountain Range thrive and resist the ever-increasing pressures that humans continue to put on this delicate and fragile mosaic of ecosystems.My very first visit to this magical place was some thirty years ago when a friend of mine invited me to come along and help him round up and herd some cattle. As we made our way through this evergreen realm of trees covered with bowl-shaped bromeliads and the yellow, white, and purple-colored flowers of different orchids, I grew more and more enchanted by the beauty that surrounded me. There was something about the many creeks and the way the river’s water played before me like wondrous crystal clear avenues that took hold of me. The voices and songs of birds followed me as I walked up and down this lush world. Before I knew it a big part of me got captured here and actually continues to dwell amongst the breezes and mosses of this heavenly spot, Si La Paz de San Ramón, where the Sunbittern nests and displays, and the wild aguacatillos (avocados) get dispersed by the Quetzals. This is my idea of paradise, where our moisture charged alisios (trade winds) bathe the ridges atop the continental divide, and the rain shadow swings back and forth towards the depths of el Rio La Paz.
Over the last thirty years I made many trips to this precious corner of Costa Rica to hike, camp, and,of course, go birding. There was something about this place that would not let go of the captured part of me that was always dwelling there. Then about ten years ago I woke up one night and realized that, as I tried to go back to sleep, something within was bugging me. It only took me a few minutes to discover that the time had come for a closer connection to this sacred (to my thoughts and understanding) site. The next morning I took the public bus to the end of the paved road and started my walk on the mud and gravel sections (the filter) and began to carefully look for a piece of land I liked. This was a difficult decision for me because to my eyes all the land looked so beautiful. These diverse and fertile little parcels were each a part of what the Costa Rican Agrarian Institute had given to the people of La Paz de San Ramon. Each little piece of land was meant to be a farm for sugar cane, strawberries, and a few other crops. This idea had very poor results because the true vocation of this soil is to sustain areas of forest not grow crops.
I knew in my heart that as beautiful as this place was it was calling out for repair, for restoration, so I did it! I bought my first small chunk of land and began reconnecting the fragmented corridors of forest. Then I bought a bit more and soon a bit more. Eventually the restored corridors on my land were doing quite well, and I came to the realization that it shouldn’t just be me purchasing the land that needed to be protected, that it would be much more meaningful if many other people joined me in this Forest and River conservation/restoration project. It was at this point that the Foundation for the Protection and Conservation of the La Paz River and surrounding Forests was born.
Now the members of this group include friends, neighbors, and family members. We all cooperate in order to talk to farmers and convince them to let us plant some native trees in a section of two on their plot of land, and in this way there are more and more restored corridors of forest. So many farmers are allowing us to plant trees that we even have our own tree nurseries.
Perhaps the greatest reward of all has been to see a pair of Resplendent Quetzals (the most beautiful bird in the Americas) come and pluck wild avocados from a tree I planted some seven years ago. This is truly wonderful because the Quetzals had not been coming to this forest for nearly fifteen years.
On some Majestic Feathers in Costa Rica trips we will visit the restoration project and may even have the opportunity to plant some trees!
I hope you will join us as we explore the wonders of the diverse country of Costa Rica. You will be amazed by the birds as well as all the flora and fauna. Along the way you will be learning about the important conservation efforts underway in this country and will come to understand why these efforts are so vital. To learn more about our tours, please visit the Tours page. Read what past participants have to say about Majestic Feathers' Costa Rica tours on the Testimonials page.
