September is Costa Rica’s patriotic month, as on September 15th, 1821, Central American countries including Costa Rica were granted their sovereign independence from Spain. This year is the countries bicentennial, and though the festivities were of course quite muted given the current public health situation, it was still fondly celebrated in the hearts of those who are lucky enough to be of this peaceful country. Amongst the many achievements of this small country, Costa Rica paralympian Sherman Güity recently achieved a gold medal in the 200 meter dash. Closer to home, Chirripo local Eliécer Garita recently won first place in the UTCON trail-running race at the Peñon de Comasagua, in El Salvador. Congratulations, Sherman and Eliécer!
New Safety Measures
New Safety Measures at Cloudbridge Nature Reserve include a sturdy safety railing at Catarata Pacífica. We are very happy with this new protection for the general public at this beautiful lookout. The other safety measure that we are very happy to announce is the new Covid-19 safety policies developed for researchers and volunteers who will be sharing the dorms, classroom and common areas of the “Cloudbridge Bubble.” This allows our participants to feel more secure about travelling during these difficult times. If you are interested in knowing more about our volunteering or research programs, please visit our website : )
We are happy to continue with the camera trap project collaboration with Dr. Mike Mooring and the Chirripo park authorities. This month it was Río, Daan and Mayi who went over Mt. Urán to Chirripó and down the main trail to San Gerardo.
Researchers and volunteers
My name is Luuck Reessink, I study tropical forestry at the Van Hall Larenstein University in the Netherlands. I’m very grateful that I got the chance to do my internship at the Cloudbridge reserve. So far I have been enjoying my time here, and I hope to learn a lot during the five months that I will be here.
Hello, my name is Daan Lichtenberg. I have always been very interested in the systems of earth, apex predators, and much more. My fascination for nature has brought me to Cloudbridge to carry out research. I’m glad I got the opportunity to be at Cloudbridge for five months and share this experience with a knowledgeable and kind team!
Pictures from around the reserve
The Castle Tree
Located at km 71 of the 135 km journey between San José and San Isidro, Las Vueltas Lodge is a family-run nature reserve / working farm, where visitors can enjoy delicious home-sourced meals or adventure on beautiful trails. Please check out their website for more information. http://lasvueltaslodge.com/
Suggested reading
- Some Cloudbridge researchers have finished their reports in the last few months, and we are happy to have them published on our website:
- Kees Evers recently evaluated Liana abundancy in forests of different ages.
- Benjamin Petch compared the carbon storage between forests of different ages.
- Harold van Riesen studied the bird diversity at Cloudbridge.
- Georgia Smith used camera trap data to estimate the diversity of birds and mammals.