Canadian Organization for Tropical Education and Rainforest Conservation

CANADIAN ORGANIZATION FOR TROPICAL EDUCATION AND RAINFOREST CONSERVATION

¡Bienvenidos a Caño PalmaBiologicalStation!

Thank you for considering Caño Palma Biological Station (CPBS) as a site for your students’ fieldwork. The Station’s property and surrounding region offer a wealth of natural resources and we consider it a privilege to be able to share them with you.

Visiting student groups and interns can choose to pursue their own research and programming while here at CPBS, or they can opt to participate in the long-term projects which are currently in progress, the goal of which is to collect baseline data on resident and migratory species.

Please take some time to read through the following information to determine what fits your needs the best. It is highly beneficial to all study groups to be well informed in advance of the trip so as to avoid any possible mistakes in the process. Thank you for your attention.

Independent Research

If your group is planning on running their own research, youwill need to start planning well in advance and discussing the plans with our Research Team.

Dr. Kym Snarr, Director of Conservation and Research ()
Mr. Aidan Hulatt, Research Coordinator ()

Requirements

1. A detailed project proposal to submit to MINAET (Ministry for the Environment in Costa Rica), for research permits.
   - Once all of the information has been submitted, it can take 2 or more months to get approval from MINAET.
2. Any research which requires the removal of samples will also require export and import permits.
   - Thiscan lengthen the process of obtaining permits and should be planned for.
3. A detailed discussion will occur including:
   - equipment and logistics
   - transportation
   - need for in-field assistance from Station staff, a local guide or use of our equipment. - ---We need to consider any scheduling changes that might require, so that we can coordinate all projects and personnel accordingly.

* If you are bringing a group totaling 15 or more during turtle nesting season (March to October), we require that 1/3 of the group be available on a daily basis to assist with the marine turtle project. We have a limited number of beds on base and need to ensure that we have adequate coverage of the beach to reduce poaching. Scheduling of night or morning turtle census will aim to balance your course’s needs with the needs of the turtle project.

Group Supervisors are responsible for the conduct of their group while at CPBS. CPBS staff reserves the right to remove all or part of the group if group members do not follow station rules, or if there is any behaviour that violates Costa Rican law.

Participation inEstablished Monitoring Programs

Cano Palma Biological Station coordinates data collecting and observation surveys around a fixed schedule, to enable consistency and ease of planning. Our current schedule is as follows:

• The turtle surveys run from March-October 31st (Green sea turtle peak period)
• Environmental Education is run either mornings or afternoons on alternate weeks at the local school
• Mammal surveys run either mornings or afternoons on alternate weeks and are scheduled to not overlap with environmental education.
• Plant phenology studies are run for two days, once per month
• Bird banding is run twice a week, weather permitting
• Shore-bird monitoring is run a minimum of once per week

Projects at Cano Palma Biological Station

We have created the following information about our projects and facilities, in order to help you select the students who will gain the most from their experience at CPBS. The fieldwork is generally hard physical work and participants need to be physically capable of performing the tasks. In addition, a great attitude and energy arevaluable attributesfor aparticipantto have.

Regular Monitoring Projects

Except for bird-banding, all surveys are done regardless of the weather. While out surveying, participants need to be able to cope with the physical demands, humidity and mosquitos, whilst focusing on collecting the scientific data.

• Turtle Morning census

Need to be able to walk 7 ½ miles (12Km) on sand in the heat, with a light pack. Depending on the number of tracks and excavations, this survey can take between 2 and 7 hours. This survey is done daily between March-October 31st

The patrol records any nesting data that was not observed the previous night, checks whether nests have been poached, watches for hatchlings and other signs of hatched nests and clarifies any questions that might have arisen from the night patrols. Some mornings this team will excavate nests that have, or should have hatched, to determine the success of the nest and causes of failure.

With minimal training all participants can contribute to data collection, nest location, erasing tracks and the determination of nest status. Those here for longer than one month can apply for a permit from MINAET to work as a research assistant, and receive additional training and testing to enable them to assess the causes of nest failure during excavations.

• Turtle Night patrols

Need to be able to walk up to 10 miles (16Km) on sand at night, with a light pack. Walks are done at a brisk pace without the use of artificial light. The survey runs from 4-8 hours, depending on the number of turtles emerging. 1 to 4 teams are sent out every night between March and October.

The patrol records all human and turtle activity they see on the beach. When a turtle is encountered, the team will record data on her size and health and her tag numbers. If untagged, the team leader will tag her. The team will then observe the turtle through the completion of the nesting process, to ensure her safe return to sea.

With a moderate degree of training all participants can contribute to data collection, nest triangulation and assisting the patrol leaders. Those here for longer than one month can apply for a permit from MINAET to work as a research assistant, and receive additional training and testing to take turtle morphometric data and tag the turtles.

Please note that there are noTurtle Night patrols between October and February. Morning surveys continue until all nests are excavated – sometimes through November and early December.

• Caiman census

Is generally done by motor boat and takes up to 3 hours. It is done once a week.

The survey collects baseline data on caiman distribution and abundance in the canal, categorizing their age and recording their GPS coordinates.

With minimal training all participants can contribute to spotting the caiman, assessing age and recording data.

• Mammal survey

Need to be able to walk 2.5 miles (4Km)through jungle terrain in sometimes, very boggy conditions.Surveys are done at a very slow pace and take between 2 and 4 hours.

The patrol records all signs of mammal activity; scat, prints, burrows etc. Tracks are measured and recorded on GPS, with estimates made on group size where appropriate. Recording of mammal sightings may include information about group size, age and gender distribution and activity.

With minimal training participants can assist with recording data, measuring tracks, taking photos and mammal observations.

Those who are here for a month or more can be trained to find some of the more obscure signs.

• Plant phenology

Need to be able to walk about 1 mile (1.6Km) through jungle terrain in sometimes, very boggy conditions. Surveys are done at a slow pace and take approximately 4 hours. This survey is done over a 2 day period once per month.

Patrols record percentages of the canopy that is flowering, fruiting or in new leaf. Twice a year, (January and June) the teams measure and record tree diameter for all trees over 10cm within a 1 hectare plot. This is done over a two day period.

With minimal training participants can contribute to all aspects of this project.

• Bird banding

Need to be able to maintain a brisk pace through the 7 ½ hours from set-up to take down. Walking quickly through often boggy jungle conditions, 15 minute net reviews are done every ½ hour. Year round two 20 minute area searches are also done, and during migration seasons, 5 additional 10-minute migration counts are added.

All volunteers are welcome to observe the banding process on days we band at CPBS.

With a moderate degree of training, volunteers can assist with net set-up and take down, and data collection. With prior approval from the license holders, the CRBO (Costa Rican Bird Observatories), those with appropriate backgrounds who are here for one month or longer can apply for a permit from MINAET to work as a research assistant. They will receive additional training in extracting birds from the nets and assessing their physical condition.

• Shorebird Monitoring

These surveys are done at a slow pace and take approximately 2 hours. Surveyors identify and record all birds observed using the beach, tracking normal patterns and changes in the resident and migrant birds’ use of the shore.

With minimal training volunteers can participate in all aspects of this survey, but they will require their own binoculars to participate.

• Environmental Education

While not a survey, we conduct classes on a weekly basis at the local elementary school. As the focus of these classes is educational,participation is limited to those who can speak Spanish with reasonable fluency. Other volunteers can be involved in the preparation of materials to use in class, or planning the scientific content of lessons. In order to maintain a low-distraction environment, we limit participation to 2 volunteers per class.

Other activities:

• Tortuguero Trips

Most visitors want to take a trip into the local tourist center of Tortuguero. We can arrange group transportation, but in order to get a good deal on the pricing, this needs to be booked at least a week in advance. If you would like to combine this with a tour into the National Park or during turtle season, a night turtle tour, you will need to pay Park fees and the tour price, which usually adds to $29 (USD) per person.

• San Francisco Tour

We encourage all who visit us to get to know the local village of San Francisco. It is a short canoe ride and 20 minute walk from the Station. Here the group can buy snacks or visit a bar or soda in their spare time, providing support to local businesses. To acquaint you with the facilities and history, we can arrange an afternoon guided walk at no cost to the group.

• Canoeing and Kayaking

We have a limited number of kayaks and canoes which are available for people to use in their free time.

• Swimming

Thenearby coast of the Atlantic Ocean has dangerous currents and is too dangerous for swimming. Some people are comfortable cooling off in the canal by the Station, but there is often boat traffic. Across from the Station is the hotel Vista Al Mar, and for $2 (USD) volunteers can use their swimming pool.

Daily Life at the Station

All CPBSstaff on base are involved with projects and other aspects of running the Station. Everyone who lives on base for any period is expected to participate in the daily chores that keep the area safe and clean, and will be scheduled into the duty roster. When we have more than 10 people on base we hire a cook to make lunch and dinner, otherwise, this is part of the daily task list.

If your group’s scheduling is such that you do not think they’ll have time to participate in the cleaning, the group can opt to pay an extra $25 (USD) per day and we will hire a cleaner to take care of the chores.

Planning Schedule for Your Visit to CPBS

CPBS is owned and operated by the Canadian Organization for Tropical Education and Rainforest Conservation (COTERC). This charitable organization raises funding and awareness to support CPBS and the conservation efforts that it establishes. For more information on COTERC please visit us at .

P.O. Box 335 • Pickering, Ontario • L1V 2R6 Tel: (905) 831-8809 Fax: 905-831-4203 Email: • Charitable Number 890096183 RR001