Destination Conservation: Projects

Our Projects and Goals
Estacíon Biológica Caño Palma is owned and operated by the Canadian Organization for Tropical Education and Rainforest Conservation (COTERC - www.coterc.org). After spending time at the station, we have defined what we can do to help the station and COTERC acheive its mandate to provide leadership in education, research and conservation, and the educated use of natural resources in the tropics. The station serves as a facility for researchers and educators to use while studying the Atlantic lowland rainforest. Educating local ecotour groups and local residents is also a function of the station. This proposal focuses on nine initiatives that will help COTERC achieve its mandate of education and conservation through activities and resources made available both at the station and online. Promotion \| Trail Guide \| Environmental Education \| Online Resources \| Station Tours \| Workshops \| Top
Promotion of Estación Biológica Caño Palma
After 18 years of operation, Estacíon Biológica Caño Palma is still faced with the challenge of making researchers and educators in Canada and throughout the world aware of its presence. Few people know it exists. One of our goals is to spread the word about the station and what it has to offer. We have developed a public awareness postcard. Each postcard features a photo of a plant or animal found in the area and includes some information about it as well as information about the station. Every person who visits the station will receive a postcard. People can either keep the postcard or mail it to a friend, which will ensure that at least one more person learns about the station! The postcards will also be available in an online electronic format that can be downloaded from COTERC's website. Click on the images below to view E-cards created for the station. Printed copies of these cards are given to visitors upon their departure from the station.

A well-designed and effective promotional package for Estacíon Biológica Caño Palma will also be created. As a marketing tool, this package will be invaluable in discussions with researchers, educators, and potential partners who may wish to use Estacíon Biológica Caño Palma as a base for their work/expeditions. The package will include information about the station, the area, ongoing research projects, educational opportunities, etc. The information will be provided in the form of static information sheets and multimedia clips that provide an online virtual tour of the facilities, habitats, wildlife, and projects. The best place for this package is online. Any interested parties will be directed to the website or sent a link to the site to increase web traffic and use of the site. Using electronic media also greatly reduces needless use of paper products. Promotion \| Trail Guide \| Environmental Education \| Online Resources \| Station Tours \| Workshops \| Top

Colibri Trail Guide and Virtual Tour

The Colibri trail has recently been transformed to an elevated boardwalk. The boardwalk provides access to the forest ecosystem while preserving delicate plant life and water quality during times of flooding. Visiting tour groups from local lodges and local residents can easily access this trail but need interpretive information to gain the most benefit from their experience. The guide will focus on 8 to 10 information points about rainforest ecology, conservation issues, and solutions to conservation issues. To accompany the guide, we will create 8 to 10 information panels to be posted along the trail for visitors to consult. Panels feature text and graphics printed on durable plastic to increase the lifespan of the signage. Each panel will relate to the guide but use specific examples from flora and fauna found along the trail to illustrate the concepts discussed in the trail guide.

A small set of guides will be printed and laminated for use along the boardwalk. Laminated guides will increase the life of each hard copy and promote reuse. For those who wish to have a hardcopy, they can print one from COTERC’s website.

An online virtual tour will allow people from all over the world (who can't visit in person) to see and learn about the trail from the comfort of their homes.

Local Environmental Education Program

Over the years, staff at Estacíon Biológica Caño Palma have attempted to establish a local environmental education program in the community of San Francisco. To date, no consistent, long-term program has been successfully implemented. One of the problems has been lack of staff to ensure the program’s continuation. Our goal is to develop an educational program (with specific, progressive lessons) at the school that incorporates visits to the station. We also plan to train local residents to carry on with the program so that it does not rely on educators from outside the community. This will ensure that the program continues, and it gives ownership of the program to the community it serves. In order to do this successfully, we need to develop contacts and work with the local community to ensure the program meets the needs of the community.

Online Educational Resources

The COTERC Education Manual is a resource available to teachers for use in classroom discussions about conservation, sustainability, and rainforest ecology. Video companions to the Education Manual will be developed to provide a more complete product for teachers and students to use. The video clips will be short multimedia presentations that work together with the Education Manual to illustrate the concepts in each exercise. All items will be produced for distribution online or as a DVD; however, online distribution is best as it reduces the production of DVDs and reduces costs of distribution. The multimedia presentations can be used as a foundation to begin discussion and promote thought about a particular issue.

Here's a sample video clip: Survivors (1:18 min., 5.5 MB)

Now that you've watched the clip. What is your gut reaction? Answer the question it poses at the end and justify your answer. If the outcome is to be positive, what do you think must happen and how can your solution be implemented? This is just one example of how media can enhance COTERC's existing and future resource materials for teachers and students.

Station Tours for Guests at Local Lodges

Caño Palma (Canal of Palms) is a popular destination for ecotourists from local lodges. Boats visit the canal on a daily basis with tourists who wish to observe and learn about the local wildlife. These boats pass by and sometimes stop at Estacíon Biológica Caño Palma. A program that promotes visits and provides a unique educational experience for ecotourists will be developed. This program will include an evening visit and presentation to guests at the lodge. The following morning, the lodge guests will visit the station and have a tour of the Colibri trail to round out their experience. A set schedule of tours and specific fees for the lodges will be developed to ensure tours are reliable and that the effort generates revenue for the station. Ultimately, the objective is to train some local residents to give these talks and tours to provide them with an income from ecotourism. To be successful we will have to:

Develop a 20-30 minute talk and multimedia presentation using still images and video to educate tourists about rainforest ecology, conservation issues, and solutions to conservation issues.
Develop a standardized, guided tour of the Colibri trail that is directly linked to the above presentation.
Set a specific schedule and fee structure for the service with the consultation of the Station Manager, COTERC Board of Directors, local guides, and lodges.
Develop contacts and relationships with local lodges to promote the new service for their guests.
Implement the program and provide the service until the end of April.
Begin training some local candidates in May and ensure that the successful candidates meet specific qualifications as set by the Station Manager and COTERC Board of Directors.
Test all candidates and complete training and manage successful candidates during a probationary period.

Workshops for Local Tour Guides

More than 100 tour guides operate out of the Tortuguero area. These guides are often a primary source of information about the ecology, conservation issues, and natural history of the area. Unfortunately, the information provided varies from informative and educational to completely inaccurate. Standardized courses about rainforest ecology, conservation biology, botany, herpetology, mammalogy, ornithology, and entomology can be provided at Estacíon Biológica Caño Palma. Courses can be offered at specific times when experts in each given field are available. Standardization of content and delivery will ensure that guides get the best possible experience and that information is delivered in a professional manner. We will conduct a pilot workshop, focusing on amphibians and reptiles in the area. The following list provides the details of this project:

Determine the course content.
Develop multimedia presentations to be used during the course.
Develop an electronic resource for participants.
Create tests to ensure participants meet specific expectations upon completion of the course.
Advertise for and recruit participants.
Deliver the course.
Assess the effectiveness of the course through testing and feedback from particpants.