Wednesday, July 14th, 2010
Two very big eyes stared at Walter in the dark as he shone his flashlight up the trail on his way out from working at El Remanso.
Not knowing who -or what- those eyes belonged to, he dashed to his motorcycle for better light, and the beam hit the right spot just in time to see a large puma dart into the jungle night!
Although no wildcat has ever been reported to attack a human in Costa Rica, Walter confesses to have been quite frightened when he saw it last night. Still, he knows he has been very fortunate to see this magnificent rainforest predator.
Wildcats are on the verge of extinction, and the Osa Peninsula is one of the few remaining places where they can still find a healthy ecosystem to live in. However, they need all the help they can get as habitat loss and poaching continue to be a threat to their survival.
Aida and Ricardo are two young researchers that dedicate their lives to ensure the safety and survival of wildcats in the Osa Peninsula. One of the things they have done is to install camera-traps throughout the area outside of Corcovado National Park, so that they can monitor the abundance of wildcats and their prey.
At El Remanso we have purchased and installed camera-traps in our own reserve, so that we can contribute to this wonderful project. Take a look at some of the animals that have been roaming our property! For more information on Aida and Ricardo’s work with wildcats in the area, please click http://www.yaguara.org/eng/index.php.
Ocelots' patterns are like human finger prints: completely different from each other!
Though tayras look similar to cats, they're actually closer related to the weasel family
Collared peccary searching for food
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Sunday, May 16th, 2010
Before you decide to have a pool, make sure you can keep it friendly with the environment.
1. Ensure that the water you’re taking does not deprive others from water in your human and natural community.
2. Choose a chemical-free way to treat your water (sand filters, ionization)
3. Use the water for as long as possible, but when you discard it, put it to good use (give it back to nature, water the plants, mop the floor, wash your car, flush your toilet, get creative!)
At El Remanso we have a small pool with a very unique system. We are proud to be 100% free of any chemicals whatsoever to run our pool, and this is how it happens:
-We fill our pool with spring water from our rainforest preserve. This water reaches our pool thanks to a mechanical pump activated by the force of the natural drop of the creek.
-When the sun rises, a solar panel activates the cleaning pump.
-This pump makes the water in the pool continually flow into a sand filter, which frees the water from impurities, and sends it back into the pool.
-Every 3 days, we brush the insides of the pool and plug in a special solar-powered hand vacuum, to rid the pool from dirt and prevent algae from appearing.
- When bigger sand and dirt particles build up and can’t be taken out with a net or vacuum, what we do is send the water back into the creek where it came from, just as naturally as it was “lent” to us and all with the pure force of gravity.
-The sides of the pool are washed by hand with nothing more than a scrubbing brush and more water.
-The pool is refilled again and the cycle starts over.
This system fits our particular case, but each case is different. You might not have access to your own water spring, for example, or you might live in a place where a pool heater is needed. The important thing is to always aim not only for the lowest impact on nature and the community, but hopefully even for a positive output. As we said before, get creative!
We found this link online that might be useful for more ideas on how to make your pool environmentally sound: http://www.practicalenvironmentalist.com/for-the-home/swimming-pools-and-the-environment-is-your-pool-eco-friendly.htm.
Let us know if you have any ideas or if you know of a different link that might be useful!
Thanks for sharing!
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Thursday, April 22nd, 2010
To celebrate this important nature holiday, we invited our guests to plant a tree with us in our native plant garden. Miguel and his father Alfredo were especially helpful and willing to learn about the “Guayabo de Mono” that Miguel planted and watered. When Miguel comes back to visit in a few years, the tree will have bloomed and provided plenty of fruit to the four species of monkeys that live in this area.
You can try doing the same at home! There’s no need to wait for a special occasion when you can invent it yourself:
-Consider planting a tree with your kids during the weekend, to spend some time with them and help them learn a little about the environment and about responsibility in general
-Plant a tree with your spouse as a symbol of your love towards each other =)
- Choose a tree that is native to the natural ecosystem in your area, so that it attracts birds and butterflies
-Your tree will grow into a natural element that will add life to your home, as well as privacy and shade
-You and your family will enjoy it for generations!
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Sunday, January 3rd, 2010
Thanks to the quick eyes and good heart of the wonderful Van der Meer family, 54 sea turtle eggs have gotten a second chance for survival.
While strolling along the beautiful deserted Pacific beach at El Remanso, Mia was the first to spot what looked like a bunch of bright white ping pong balls: a turtle nest had been uncovered by the force of an unexpected turn in the course of the creek!
Ava and Lida quickly darted up a steep forest trail to let El Remanso staff know, while Wendi and Mia helped Roland improvise an impressive temporary containing wall to prevent more eggs from sliding off the bank and into the river. Soon Jackie and John Keith –who seconds earlier had spotted a large snake during their search for the magnificent blue morpho butterfly- joined in with Cindy from El Remanso staff on the mission to relocate the very vulnerable nest to a safer place. After carefully doing their best to mimic the original nest in a different spot, hopefully at least some of these endangered creatures have a better shot at survival.
We’ll keep an eye on the nest for you guys!
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Saturday, December 12th, 2009
El Remanso participated in the native plants workshop organized by the local organization “Friends Of The Osa” and given by ProNativa. The workshop focused on the need of using non-exotic plants in the local gardens. Different aspects from landscaping, which native or endemic plants to use and how to collect the seeds were discussed. The group also learned how to create a native plant nursery thanks to the advice of the experts from ProNativas (for more information visit www.pronativas.com/pronativas/)
El Remanso has had its own tree nursery for many years, not only for planting the trees in our Private Reserve but also to donate trees for local reforestation projects. For landscaping the lodge uses mainly native plants, minimizing the use of non local plants and avoiding all invasive plants. Most of the newly planted areas are 100% native plants.
Here are some pictures of the 2 days workshop:
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