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Costa
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News and Events - December 2005 Below is a list of latest news items and upcoming events. If you have any questions or would like to be added to our email list, write us at fccmonteverde@racsa.co.cr or call us in Costa Rica at 506-645-6320. Introduction Welcome to our fourth annual newsletter regarding the conservation of Pacific slope forest for the protection of the endangered three-wattled bellbird, as well as other animals and plants that share this important habitat. It’s been another successful year, thanks to your participation and help.
Bosque Para Siempre Biological Corridor: Another successful year of this collaborative project between Fundación Conservacionista Costarricense and the Change the World Kids to create a forested corridor that connects cloud forest reserves to a protected watershed, passing through critical habitat for the bellbird.
We are now purchasing our second large habitat piece and we only owe $30,000 more. Also, we can lock into a great deal on a 3rd piece of habitat if we commit now (we don’t need to pay until next year) for $40,000. Our goal, therefore, is $70,000. We hope you can help. (Please remember that 100% of your donation goes to land purchase, protection and habitat restoration. No part of your donation pays overhead or administrative costs. The Foundation is run by volunteers and publicity, guarding, and administrative supplies are donated by the Ranario de Monteverde, Souvenir Rana, and Libreria Chunches.)
Donations are gratefully accepted by:
Bosque Para Siempre - 1st Parcel Paid On January 7, 2005, we paid the final installment of Refugio Ecológico Finca Rodríguez (REFR). Thanks to many donors, the Change the World Kids, and a grant from U.S. Fish & Wildlife, we were able to give Don Fausto Rodriguez his last payment of $48,035. Don Fausto who worked this farm for over 60 years, can neither read nor write, but has raised 10 sons by working with cattle and growing coffee, sugar cane, beans, bananas, chayote and other crops. There is an old “trapiche” on this farm where tapa dulce (brown sugar) was made. The forest patch is extremely important to bellbirds, as well as many other species of birds (both resident and neotropical migrants) and we have seen sloths, agoutis, and coatis there.
Bosque Para Siempre – 2nd Parcel Under Agreement In June, 2005, we entered into an agreement with Michael & Patricia Fogden to purchase important habitat that is within one kilometer of the REFR. Michael & Patricia will use the payment of this land to buy habitat in Ecuador, making this transaction a double-win for conservation. We owe $15,000 on December 15th, which the Change the World Kids have raised, and another $30,000 in February. For this payment, we need your help.
We (CTWK & FCC) named this habitat the Refugio Ecológico Nacimiento y Vida. Literally, it means birth and life in english. The name evolved because this piece of habitat has an impressive year round spring on it which is of great ecological and community value since water is very limited in Monteverde. Springs are called nacimientos in spanish (where water is born). Hence, the name of this wildlife refuge that refers to water, birth, and life—all interconnected.
Bosque Para Siempre – 3rd Parcel Started Dev and Harriett Joslin are leading the purchase, now under negotiation, for, a third piece of habitat to protect. While this piece is not large, it is a strategic purchase that will impede development in the area (since no building will be built on these 1.25 acres, electricity will be more costly to bring in). This piece is called Bosque Para Siempre-Sector San Bosco and contains a mix of Pacific and Atlantic slope tree species.
Reforestation What a great year! We delivered 5,295 trees to 36 property owners in Monteverde, including eight farms being reforested as reserves, four schools, a watershed protection project, two hotels, 14 private farms, and seven private land owners. We have distributed 22 species of 10 different tree families. Even better news, we have at least 14,000 trees in our nursery for planting in 2006. Again, thank you all and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service for making this possible.
GREAT NEWS—THE BELLBIRD RECEIVES MORE PUBLICITY! The bellbird received great press this last year as three new books came out that include these special birds. Please take a look at these books; they are well written, beautiful, and very interesting. We are so grateful to Don Kroodsma, Don Stap, and Bob & Vera Thornton for their work. Here are the books, in order of publication:
Look for these books at your local stores or on Amazon.com. Congratulations to Bob, Vera, Don, and Don. Thank you for sharing the bellbird story.
Investigation A phenology project is well underway
where we are trying to understand the relationship between fruit
availability and bellbird activity. We also include the resplendent
quetzal, black guan, and keel billed toucans in this study and
decided to record neotropical migrants to learn about habitat
use and fruit preferences for those birds that switch their diet
to fruit in the tropics. We (Elier, Elberth, Eladio, Dev and Debra)
census tree plots each month to assess the flowering and fruiting
of trees and the presence/abundance of birds. We were very surprised
to find that this year the trees were almost barren of fruit.
High winds early in the season may have destroyed flowers, although
this is speculation. This study is in collaboration with Drs.
Rhine (Tomas) Singleton (Franklin Pierce College), William Haber,
and J.Dev Joslin. The MoSI program (Monitoreo de Sobrevivencia
Invernal or Over wintering Survival of Neotropical Migrant Birds)
had a set back last year as the weather was so windy that we were
not able to mist net during the key months. However, we started
again this year. We had amazing luck on our first pulse of mist
netting as we captured three individual birds that we previously
captured in 2003/2004. Two were Ovenbirds and one was a Kentucky
Warbler. For information on this program, visit http://www.birdpop.org/MoSI/MoSI.htm.
The bellbird census was very disturbing.
The count was about one-half of the normal count. Fortunately,
since we are studying the fruit availability we know that there
was a minimum amount of fruit this year. While any set back to
the population is serious, we hope that the birds were dispersed
to other areas in their search for food. Next year’s census
will be crucial. Funding was provided by Leica Optics and the
Cleveland Zoo and census routes were covered by Elier Zuñiga,
Victorino Molina, Elberth, Mauricio, and Alexander Fuentes, Vicelino
Nuñez, Evelyn Cassares, Victorino Molina, Leo Salazar,
and Debra Hamilton. Thank you all very much. Past Year Events The Change the World Kids do it again! This year’s fundraising program by the Change the World Kids raised over $23,000, including donations sent by non-attendees. The first night was family night with games, Costa Rican food cooked by Margarita Salazar of Monteverde, and live animal presentations (i.e. members of the Change the World Kids dressed up!). A six year old from Costa Rica, Liam Bosques Hamilton, presented his world to the audience. The second night was an art show with beautiful pieces donated by loc bal artists. The last night was another superb dinner by Three Tomatoes Trattoria in Lebanon, NH. While the appetizers and entrees were delicious, especially the cheese assortment and roasted duck, the tiramisu for dessert was out of this world! Victorino & Debra gave a slide presentation, there was a silent auction, and there were lots of wonderful people in attendance. All of the proceeds go to purchasing Refugio Ecológico Nacimiento y Vida. Thank you all! (Remember to check out their web site at www.changetheworldkids.com). The Change the World Kids also worked in Costa Rica in April. This great group came and planted 253 trees on the property of Mariano Arguedas, a good neighbor that protects his forest. Then they planted another 48 trees on the Refugio Ecológico Finca Rodriguez. In San Luis, they helped the Leiton family build a trail to a beautiful waterfall. The income from visitors will help protect the area. Other groups that came and helped reforest include Rollins College (led by Barry Allen), groups from Massachusetts led by Fred Morrison and Laurie Sanders, and from Missouri led by Rachel Crandell. Thank you all. We are in our second year of funding from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. We met with Doug Ryan and Guy Foulks of the Washington, DC office in September who encouraged us to re-apply for funds for our reforestation program, since we basically can’t keep up with the demand for native tree species. We wrote and submitted a grant proposal. Any donations that you send will be used as part of the three-to-one match required by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife. The basis of the proposal is protection of habitat for neotropical migrant species. In the area of the refuges, we have at least 52 species of birds that come to us from North America.
Collaboration As always, we have so many people to thank. We thank Doug Ryan and Guy Foulks for their faith in us and their support with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife grant that completed the REFR purchase. Special thanks to a very special donor who contributed $10,000 as a matching grant. A special thank you to all the donors who helped us match that amount. Thanks to Gordon Patty who provided reforestation funds that facilitate collaboration between the FCC and ProNativas, a native plant program. Cy Englert maintains the Foundation’s web page, for which we are grateful. Thanks go to Dev and Harriett Joslin who have teamed up with the Foundation to start a campaign for Bosque Para Siempre-San Bosco. Ged Caddick and Terra Incognita Ecotours are designing true eco-tours of Costa Rica where part of the trip involves interaction with conservation efforts. Part of the proceeds will provide funds specifically for bellbird habitat protection. We encourage you to visit the web site for more information: http://www.ecotours.com. Leica Optics and the Cleveland Zoo provided the funds for the bellbird census. Thank you Rhine (Tomas) Singleton and Dev Joslin for their work on the phenology study. As always, Willow Zuchowski and Bill Haber are enormous motivators and provided hours of advice to us—thank you so much. Huge thanks also to the field assistants and volunteers: Elier Zuñiga, Elberth Fuentes, Mauricio (Mino) Fuentes, Alexander Fuentes, Evelyn Cassares, and Eladio Cruz. They have helped make the phenology study and MoSI projects a success, as well as fun. Also, our gratitude to Barry Allen for his hours of work on the resource economic study. Very important to say, the successes
of the past year were not possible without your support. For the
many donors, collaborators, and volunteers, we thank you all for
your commitment and interest in helping the bellbird and other
flora and fauna of the Pacific Slope tropical rain shadow forest
survive.
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