After being canceled due to rain, no one seemed to know when the release was to be scheduled for.  Dave T. showed up at my house beeping the horn.  I asked what’s up?  He said, “MINAE is at the beach, and they are releasing the baby turtles in ten minutes!!”  Dressed in work clothes and boots, I grabbed my camera and flew down to the beach.  I had always thought that the turtles were released at night, but once they were placed on the beach (around 8 am?), those little guys knew right where to go.  Everyone was thrilled at this little wonder of nature.  Kids were laughing, and coaching the tiny turtles toward the ocean.  Row after row of baby sea turtles marched along bravely until the next wave would pick them up and swirl them around until they would just kind of disappear into the water.  All in all I believe MINAE (with the help of the kids of Esterillos) released 2000 baby turtles, so small they would fit in the palm of your hand.  Despite any advance notice, quite a few locals turned out and were able to experience a unique joy of doing something you know is beneficial to our planet.  In a time when many Costa Rican’s have been smeared on the internet for consuming the turtle eggs (Ostional area), this was the best way to show what is really going on.  Besides, in Ostional, they do not take all the turtle eggs.  They have a specific number, and they are not just for consumption.  The focus needs to be more on the positive, and this release shows the true nature of what MINAE (the national environmental agency of Costa Rica) and the Costa Rican people are all about.

Farewell little sea turtles.  Hopefully, many will make their journey back to nest in about 35 years.

As far as the numbers of adult sea turtles goes, this author sees many turtles out in the water when surfing, and has seen the nests on the beach.  Overall it is hard to say, but sightings are very common, and as long as we continue to do our part, protecting and hiding the new nests  (camouflage, and sweep away the tracks), as well as promoting and participating in these release programs,  we should see the population of these amazing species remain intact.  The most important part is the education of the kids who will ultimately be responsible for the destiny of the sea turtles in the future.

Beginning Thursday, December 10th, 2009

EVERY Thursday: ONLY from 7:00 AM to 10:00 AM.

Where: AyA Building (where you pay your water bill).

Why: To create a healthier future for our children. To attract more tourism to our community.

To create a better community and world for us all.

PLEASE RINSE ALL food & drink containers!

Only glass needs to be separated from the other items.

· Aluminum cans (beer, soda, etc.) – RINSE and SMASH

· Plastic (Numbers 1 & 2 only…see bottom of container.

RINSE and SMASH

· Glass – RINSE and SEPARATE from other items

· Milk & Juice Boxes (tretrapak) – RINSE and SMASH

· Newspapers, Magazines, and Paper

· Cardboard

· Toilet paper rolls, paper towel rolls, & egg cartons

· Old car batteries

· Old Printer Ink cartridges

Questions: Call Brigitte at 2778-8728

Email at: fredybrigitte@gmail.com

Please Remember to Rinse Out Your Recyclables!

A partir del jueves, 10 de diciembre del 2009

¿Sabía usted que una parte importante de la basura que generamos, puede reciclarse? Eso es algo que, en buena medida, depende de cada uno de nosotros.

Al aprovechar el valor material de la basura, mejoramos la salud ambiental de nuestro entorno. Cuando colaboramos con el reciclaje, protegemos el medio ambiente y creamos un futuro sano para nuestros hijos.

Se puede llevar sus materiales reciclables todos los jueves desde las 7:00 hasta las 10:00 de la mañana (solamente) a las Oficinas de AyA, Esterillos Oeste

Los Materiales Reciclables Son:
• Latas de aluminio – Enjuagar y aplastar
• Botellas y envases plásticas (Números 1 y 2…. Ver el fondo del envase para ver el numero) – Enjuagar y aplastar
• Botellas de vidrio de todos los colores – Enjuagar y separarse de los otros materiales reciclables.
• Cartones de leche y jugos (tipo “tretrapak”) – Enjuagar y aplastar
• Periódicos, papeles, cartones, y revistas
• Baterías de carros
• Cartuchos de tinta de impresora

POR FAVOR ENJUAGAR TODOS LOS ENVASES DE ALIMENTOS Y BEBIDAS, APLASTAR EL PLASTICO, Y SEPARAR EL VIDRIO.

Para más información llamar a Brigitte al 2778-7161

Yesterday’s earthquake rocked our house a little bit. According to the US Geological Survey, there were many reports on this quake from all over the country, as far away as San Vito, as well as Alajuela, San Jose, and many more. We were about 50 kilometers from the epicenter of that 5.0 quake, whereas Quepos was less than 30 k from the epicenter, which was somewhere up in the mountainsbetween Quepos and San Jose. Anyone with any more info can sign in and post up a comment. Our house only shook for about 20 seconds with a small aftershock continuing slightly longer.