Kids Saving the Rainforest

The KSTR Organic Farm

Kids Saving the Rainforest recently partnered with Blue Banyan Inn, an environmentally friendly bed and breakfast located right outside of Manuel Antonio.

The Blue Banyan is part of a 75-acre ecologically sustainable community, encompassing KSTR’s new Wildlife Sanctuary and International Volunteer Center, tilapia farms, nurseries, and botanical gardens. As a KSTR volunteer, I spent part of my time volunteering at the Blue Banyan Inn, helping them move towards their goal of becoming fully self-sustainable. My primary job, along with Rodrigo and Tio, two of the workers on staff, was to harvest a food source for the animals housed at the sanctuary

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Guest Writer

The Duke and Duchess of Londres

In 1984, I was assigned to work in the dusty, smelly, broken down Pacific banana port of Quepos, which seemed to me then to be the veritable armpit of Costa Rica — it was far from being the shiny tourist paradise it is today. That year, it was my good fortune to be recruited to organize the first oil palm production cooperative in Costa Rica, thus ending the United Fruit Company/Chiquita Banana monopoly and making plantation workers into land owners.

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Jim ParisiMusic Review

The Kids Come First

Musicians throughout the world have a good reputation for giving back to the community, especially to the next generation, the children, and Central America is no exception. Costa Rica’s three-time Grammy Award winners Editus are a good example. They have recorded twelve albums in their seventeen years together as a group and in an effort to give back to the community, they founded their Acadamie de las Artes in San Jose, Costa Rica in November 2004. It is a modern conservatory that integrates diverse elements of artistic development, not only for music but for dance, literature, theater, painting and photography as well. The music classes they offer are incredibly staffed and diverse, with three drum and percussion instructors, six teachers specializing in voice, lyrics and songwriting, four electric guitarists, six acoustic guitar instructors, two violinists, a cellist, five pianists, one saxophone teacher and a bass guitar instructor. Not surprisingly, some of the current teachers are former students, a sure sign of the Acadamie’s success. The academy also offers a sound lab to teach engineering, mixing, mastering, even DJ sampling. And there is a chorale group who performs a minimum of twice a year with selections as varied as Gospel and spiritual, Rock and Pop, Costa Rican and Latin American songs, in an effort to create a completely diverse chorus.

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Holis Wellness Center

Connection with Nature

Costa Rica changed everything for me. I was a suburban London girl whose closest experience to wilderness had been the placid, ambling hills of the English countryside. They are quite charming but at 23 I wasn’t looking for charming, I was looking for great adventures in far-flung lands, challenges and discoveries.

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Tey ArceTiti Conservation Alliance

A must for 2011

Last Nov 19, more than 120 persons toasted for the titis while enjoying an incredible evening at Gaia Hotel & Reserve. Beyond a local sustainability investment, it was a special gathering for professional and personal networking between like-minded, community-oriented businesses and individuals. Everyone was invited, and even guests staying in various local hotels had a great community bonding time. May Manuel Antonio continue hosting more events like this one. Thanks to Titi Conservation Alliance for going beyond a cocktail party and reminding us that we are part of the solution, and that is possible to contribute for a good cause that will last in the destination that we all love.

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Fishing ReportLuna Tours

Fishing Report January 2011

Happy New Year, and bienvenidos to Quepos and Manuel Antonio.December began the prime fishing season for our fishing fleet and we’re all geared up and ready to take you fishing. The Sailfish bite is good and should begin to get better each week, with Mahi Mahi fishing still very hot, some being in the 40 to 50 pound range. The Marlin bite is fantastic, the Ojaran III with Captain Junior and mate Alex have released (9) Marlin in the last 4 days. Yellow Fin Tuna are being boated some 80 pounders. Rooster fish are also being boated on our inshore trips, with two to five fish being released. Fishing in Quepos is always good year round.

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Jim Parisi

The Sky Is Burning!

The alarms sounded some decades past about diminishing rainforests and the worlwide implications, but dry rainforests were overlooked. In his new documentary “Se Quema El Cielo”, Luciano Capelli waves the banner for all to see. The film focuses on the plight of the Guanacaste tropical dry forest, documenting the struggle to preserve over three hundred thousand species of life. One method is to recreate the natural habitat in the area, from the Pacific coastline to the chain of volcanoes Rincon de la Vieja and Orosi, covering lowlands and highlands. Much of this area was pastureland for centuries. One major problem rose when the cattle were removed around 1977 leaving non-indigenous grasses that were planted as feed to squeeze out local plant life. This is how a downhill chain begins because once the native plants disappear, so does the wildlife that depends on them. Without natural enemies, the grasses took over, dried out and became kindling for natural fires due to lightning, controlled fires, mismanaged campfires and even fires set as arson. Historic winds also play a major role.

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Colleen SmithKids Saving the Rainforest

KSTR and ICE Partner to Save the Monkeys

You see them every day parading across monkey bridges and electrical lines, but the recent electrocution of six titi monkeys in Pocares reminds us that there is still a need for a better balance between our modern world and the surrounding eco-community. While we need electrical lines to power our needs, the trouble for wildlife starts when the wires—either two primary or a primary and secondary—make contact with a grounded object, such as a tree or land, or with each other. When this occurs, the wires become electrified, creating a dangerous situation for monkeys accustomed to using them as a means of passage.

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Cooking Corner

Cornmeal Pizza with the Works

In the gourmet pizza world, the key to creating a great pizza is limiting yourself to 2 or 3 delicious key ingredients. In my pizza world, the key to a great pizza is small amounts of lots of ingredients so every bite is unique little explosion of different flavour combinations. In addition, this crunchy, flavourful cornmeal crust is strong enough to hold it all without dumping it in your lap.

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Pat CheekQué Pasa en Quepos

¿Qué Pasa en Quepos? – December 2010

Bienvenidos- Feliz Navidad – Welcome to Quepos & Manuel Antonio!………we hope you are having a wonderful vacation………there is much to do, see and great food to eat so you should be well taken care of. At the time of this writing we have just experienced one of the worst weeks of rain in history….there was much damage to roads, flooded homes, landslides that caused a tremendous loss of life and just about everything that is our life here in Paradise was affected………but at this very moment the roads are being repaired, people in shelters are being helped and we are working hard to have everything ready for you – our visitors to enjoy……As you travel around our area drop in on our advertisers for great food & drink ..or take an awesome tour…and please mention that you found them in Quepolandia…………we would like to thank Manuel Cabalceta for our great cover shot! The Oropel – also known as an Eyelash Viper is a beautiful color but very poisonous!

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