Day 6: Turtles, take two.

Good morning!  Believe it or not we actually got a chance to sleep in this morning. Due to our late night turtle watching we were rewarded by a 9AM breakfast as opposed to the usual 7AM breakfast that left half of us feeling like we re going to fall asleep and end up face first right into our rice and beans. After taking turns setting up and taking down the dishes, we gathered up our journals and school supplies and piled into a classroom to learn more about the sea turtles. 

Stami's excitement was instantly contagious and everyone's eyes and attention were drawn to her. Through a PowerPoint presentation, pamphlets, and specimen samples she went into detailed descriptions about their habitat, eating habits, and population problems- both natural and human causes. According to Stami, out of the three turtles found in Costa Rica (the Leatherback, the Green, and the Hawksbill) all are on the verge of extinction. This being so, turtle preservation places such as Estacion las Tortugas are essential in keeping the species alive. Their efforts include turtles patrols (like the ones we assisted in) where in different groups 3 kilometers of land are patrolled from 8PM-12AM and 11PM-3AM to protect the breading turtles from poachers. Being that the turtles are at such a risk, any interference with them is a federal offense that is strongly enforced. it was explained to us that these poaches hunt down the eggs and sell them. They are often used in bars and used raw as a shot, which is considered to be a natural aphrodisiac. The eggs aren't the only thing in danger from these poachers though. Sometimes the whole turtle is stolen from the beach and used for meat or their shell is used for jewelry. 

Once class was dismissed we filled out of the classroom and had recess (free time). Some people took naps trying to recover from the long night while the rest of us laid beachside in hammocks in-between palm trees taking in the day. As the waves crashed upon the coast and the light, warm breeze blew our hammocks, we couldn't help but feel at complete peace. For those select moments, all the heat, humidity, and mosquitos seemed irrelevant and we just existed in the world around us.  Some us of took a quick walk to explore the local forest.  We picked up a few coconuts and had the opportunity to taste the coconut water and eat some of the coconut meat!









Later in the afternoon we did a service project with the volunteers of the turtle research station.  We worked to help prepare a new nursery area for the turtle eggs.

Before dinner we headed out in boats to explore the surrounding area to see what wildlife we could spot.  We were thrilled to be moving on the water as it kept the mosquitos at bay!  Our water adventure turned up a wealth of animal life.

Around 5:30 we were informed that a batch of hatchings had emerged from their nests and were to be set free into the ocean. As smiles filled our faces and we clenched onto our camera we filled into the work station to watch one of the workers put the small little turtles into a crate to transport them to the beach. As we gathered behind here like anxious children peering into a toy store window we followed her out to the beach snapping as many pictures as we could. Once we got to what she described as the perfect place to release them, she tuned the crate over and the race to the sea began. The little turtles move their arms and legs with such force and strength it was almost hard to believe they had just  been born mere hours ago.  The stronger turtles reached the wet sand first and headed towards the surf.  Other, lagging behind, continued to work 

                                                                                                     their front and back fins making progress that had to tire them out.  We cheered, encouraged them and followed slowly as they made there way through the drier sand to the more moist beach.  Eventually, they were all swept up by the rolling surf.....off they went on their journey of survival.  For some, the journey would be short for they would end up as dinner for some of their predators.  Others, would make it to the deeper seas to only lose their life to a predator.  Only one in a thousand hatchlings makes it to adulthood.  Our efforts were increasing those odds.

When dinner rolled around that night we were all surprised (and slightly overly excited) to find that they had created a dish of spaghetti and garlic bread for us! As our mouths watered with anticipation, we realized they must have over heard our conversations about missing some home favorites. Once again the kindness of these Costa Ricans blew our minds and touched our hearts. After everyone went back for seconds (and even some for thirds) we wrapped up dinner and suited up for our final turtle patrol.

We met in the dining hall at 7:45 for our final turtle patrol.  Half way through our walk, with no turtles yet spotted, we were feeling slighting discouraged. Then, like an act of fate, our guide noticed little tracks leading from one of the nest towards the ocean; and sure enough after shining the infrared upon the sand we saw little turtles making their journey towards the sea. As we tried to hold back our squeals of excitement, the guides went to work scooping one up to take back to camp for data measurements. As we briefly head away from our patrol posts and back to the facility to measure the baby we all took turns holding him/her in our hands (turtle gender is determined later in life depending on what temperature the turtle choses to live in). As we each took turns we couldn't help but feel overwhelming senses of joy. This little creature that squirmed in our hands was only there due to the efforts of these people who sacrificed their lives so that these turtles could have a chance at life too

As the evening came to an end, we returned to our bunks, crawled under our mosquito nets and reminisced about all we had the opportunity to be a part of that day. Watching observing and experiencing the awesomeness of nature forces you to reflect on your role in the world. In our busy lives full of schedules, bills, and obligations we forget how small we actually our in this world. The bigger picture became clear for us today though, and it was beautiful.

Love from all in Costa Rica,

Pura Vida!