Professor Troy Abel from Huxley College of the Environment and his students share their insights on ecological citizenship, political biogeography, and immersions in one of the most biologically intense places on the planet. Costa Rica is translated as rich coast, a name originating from Spanish conquistadors who mistakenly thought the land was filled with gold. Many now recognize that Costa Rica’s riches are more green than gold with more than 4 percent of the world’s estimated biodiversity. Costa Rica has universal health care, a longer life expectancy than the U.S., and no military. Only by expanding our attention to all of these facets can one begin to see “Ecotopia’s Prism,” or Costa Rica’s intersections of ecology, economy, and culture fostering and inhibiting sustainability.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Carara arrival

Greetings from the rainforest of Carara National Park. And naturally, its raining. Our group arrived to the park yesterday and we spent the afternoon cleaning, fixing beds, and putting up mosquito netting. Larissa and Mallory joined us later in the day after meeting our TA Jim at the airport and taking a taxi to the park. We also got our van stuck and unstuck in the mud!

Today we started with our service projects beginning with trail raking, sign cleaning, and painting the handicap trail bathroom. Carara is Costa Rica´s first National Park with an accessible trail. We ask for our lodging fees to be waived so that we can turn that money into a donation for Park materials. This year´s donation will total $2,530.00 and that goe along way for the Park. For instance, we will donate life jackets for the rangers to use on boat patrols in the mangroves where the Scarlet Macaws rest at night.

Every morning next week, one team (birds, botany, education, geography, and policy) will be up before first light to take part in the annual scientific count of these rare parrots only found in Carara and Corcovado National Park. We will be in position on a hill to observe the Macaws as they take flight along three ¨flyways¨ around and into the Park. Later today the teams will meet to plan their field work.

Hasta luego and Pura Vida

Troy D. Abel, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Environmental Policy
Department of Environmental Studies
Huxley College of the Environment
Western Washington University
516 High St., MS 9085
Bellingham, WA 98225-9079

tel: 360-650-6133
fax: 360-650-7702
http://myweb.facstaff.wwu.edu/~abelt

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