Golfo Dulce and Earthwatch in the OSA peninsula in Costa Rica.

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Golfo Dulce and it’s importance. The owners of Saladaro Lodge participated in an Earthwatch sponsored program recently. They shared some of their thoughts and are taking an active role in a new study which will take place next year.

Centro de Investigación de Cetáceos CEIC – Costa Rica (http://cetaceansgolfodulce.blogspot.com/) is a non profit working to help preserve Golfo Dulce. They have been studying the whales, dolphins and the supporting habitat of the Golfo Dulce since 2005 with the intent of collecting more knowledge and monitoring impacts. Some of the dolphins they have known during this time have an advanced fungus derived from chemicals used on the palm plantations. These groups help with collecting data on species, time, temperature, actions as well as identifying individual animals and comparing to previous photos. They also monitor people’s impact on the beaches surrounding it.

As a part of the program they also study poison dart frogs on the Osa peninsula and will be starting a new study of the Aguja (needlefish) at Saladero Lodge this coming July, 2014. Our location is one of the few critical areas for the aguja spawning on the west coast of Central America. The type of rocky beach and temperature is very important for the eggs to hatch. They are a primary food source for the dolphins.  

Their primary goal is to prove that the Golfo Dulce is a unique marine area that needs to be protected and to influence the government into making all of it a Protected Marine Area.

For more information click here: http://www.saladerolodge.com/

plastic needs ocean cleanup project

The Ocean Cleanup Project

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Ocean Cleanup is important for our Planet. Getting rid of the miles of trash that litter the oceans of the world should be a priority for all of us.  Apparently a 19 year old student, Boyan Slat, is trying to do just that and is making good headway.  He, along with many helpers, is halfway through a feasibility project with his incredible design to rid a large swatch of litter from the ocean.  So far it looks very promising and he thinks the study will be done by the end of the year.  His system would only take about 1 1/2 years to do the job of cleaning the oceans.

If you would like to read more about this go here: The Ocean Cleanup.  He is in need of monetary donations as well as people to help.  This is an incredible idea who’s time has come.  I can’t wait to see it up in action!

The goal of Ocean Cleanup is to remove 90% of plastic waste from the world’s oceans. We hope they are successful!

Update on the Project

Their first Ocean Cleanup was launched from San Francisco, California on September 8, 2018. The project has gone through a number of ups and downs but they are learning as they go. The next phase involves converting the plastic waste into sustainable products to help fund the project.

Our friends over at idiveblue wrote an interesting article about Plastics, the Ecological Disaster of our time. It’s worth a read for some good information.