In 2019, a trio of students from McGill University planted over a hundred trees on various local farms as part of a project to promote agroforestry. This month, it was very much a pleasure to have one of these researchers, Dasha Gousseva, return to Cloudbridge and not only see how the reserve itself has grown over the past four years, but also the trees that they planted are now providing fruit and many other benefits to the farmers! This is a powerful metaphor for the many efforts of conservation and environmental education that Cloudbridge has invested in over the years, which of course will pay off with an impact that will only grow over time.
Over the years, Cloudbridge has continued to invest in the infrastructure that we offer our researchers and volunteers. These investments have allowed us to offer our program participants a comfortable and well-supported environment in which to conduct their research, at the doorstep to the beautiful and diverse Cloud Forest of the Talamanca mountains. To further expand our offerings, furnishing the research lab with more equipment as well as sharing environmental education, we are respectfully asking our alumni, friends and supporters to please support our recently launched fundraising campaign! Your support will allow our researchers to have access to comprehensive research equipment and possibly even a birdwatching tower! Please support the excellent work we are doing here at Cloudbridge, and help us provide even better facilities to our researchers and volunteers.
Researchers and Volunteers
I’m Molly and my time at cloudbridge has been incredible so far! I’ve been able to get involved with such a range of activities, including birding, night hikes, camera trapping, and plant surveys! I am currently working as an intern on a camera trapping behaviour study of Cottontails and have also been inspired by previous research to study dung beetles on the reserve! The guidance at Cloudbridge has been great and I have met some really lovely people which is making my university placement year unforgettable ?
Hi, my name is Fergus Jackson and I am an ecology student from England. I am a returning research intern at Cloudbridge, and will be here for a total of 6 months. My research is investigating hummingbird behaviour and how it is affected by human disturbance in and around the reserve. I’ve been lucky enough to see 22 species of hummingbird so far. I have also had the pleasure of checking and maintaining camera traps in the Chirripo national park. I look forward to learning more about this unique habitat and contributing to the Cloudbridge community.
Hi! My name is Noa, I am a research intern at Cloudbridge for four months, where I aim to complete my masters Climate Studies. I am doing research on the epiphyte communities in the reserve, which are the ‘air plants’ that play an important role in the water and nutrient cycling of a cloud forest. As unique ecosystems like these are currently threathened by climate change, it is important to study the effects of changing temperatures on these ferns, orchids, bromelias and mosses. I am still amazed and so grateful to be able to hike through these magnificant forests everyday and to observe and learn about all the wonders that nature offers here at Cloudbridge!
Hi I’m Berit, a research intern from Germany. I am at Cloudbridge for four months studying the bird composition at the different forest suggestions with focus on the migratory and resident birds. I enjoy every minute outside and love to hike or be active in any other way. For me it’s quite relaxing to listen to the sound of the forest, to watch all these beautiful animals and how the clouds slowly take over the mountains. So Cloudbridge is the perfect place to be and I am very excited what I will learn and see here in the next months.
Pics from around the reserve
Recommended reading
- Our science coordinator Greilin Fallas Rodríguez was highlighted in a recent interview on Conservation Careers. “Allow yourself to be surprised and you will find beauty in the simplicity – be grateful and share”
- Cloudbridge was also recently featured on Costa Rican national television, with the show «Más que noticias». We have received a great response from people reaching out to say that the saw the program!
- Staff member Max King was also interviewed in a recent episode of the Circular Odyssey podcast, in an episode titled: Biodiversity from the ground up: Restoring the cloud forest in Costa Rica.