Tierra Pacifica

Liberia Airport Expansion

2011-08-01T16:39:00.001-06:00

If you have arrived in Costa Rica via the Liberia airport in the last two years, you have seen the construction of over 250,000 square feet taking place. The 41 million dollar project is scheduled to be completed in late 2011.

The new facilities will increase the capacity of the airport 100% and is designed to process 1500 passengers in peak hours. It could not come at a better time as more than 225,000 people arrived through the Liberia airport last year.

Hopefully we will see an increase in the number of airline flights available through Liberia.

Greenzone update

2011-07-11T12:25:00.003-06:00

Hi All,

The rainy season is upon us and our world in Junquillal has turned beautiful shades of green! The sunsets are magnificent with clouds turning light into unexplainable colors. Of course, all the bugs are loving it too. But don’t worry I have donated enough blood for them to leave you alone should you decide to visit.

At the ‘Mi Tierra’ farm the habitat/retention ponds are filling up. Elias and Ever have been working hard creating new vegetable areas and have been successful with tomatoes and cucumbers. We have a new ‘fly and try” program. Fly on down and we’ll let you try some of these fresh organic vege’s! The farm also has a variety of fruit trees and a few of the new super food trees like the Moringa and Ojoche for sale. We can even plant them for you! Don’t forget about our friends in the trees who enjoy the Almendro de Monte tree for food and habitat. We got those too.

Our esteemed Estate Manager, Doug Stearn, and farm manager, Elias, created a new road into the farm at the end of road near lot 37. There is a place where you can park and take a short walk to one of the wildlife ponds at the farm. If you feel like taking a great hike start at the original farm road, walk thru the farm to the new road and back to where you started. It is a very scenic circuit with lots to see. The only caveat is the farm road may be under water if you try this after a heavy rain.

Tom Peifer, our TP Green zone consultant, has been busy working with Doug and our gardeners on priority erosion areas. Tom has also been working with Kim and me on our lot #61 creating contour lines for planting and utilizing erosion control techniques. I would highly recommend connecting with Tom during your next visit and see the best ways to minimize erosion, conserve water, create an edible landscape and increase the biodiversity of your little slice of paradise. We started planting bananas and bamboo a few years before construction started and now we have some fruit and privacy screens. Please feel free to visit our lot and ‘soon to be home’ when you are in the area.

Also, please feel free to contact me or Kim when you are here for a tour of the farm. We can arrange a time to meet with Elias and show you the beauty and bounty of the TP farm.

Be Well,

John

2011-05-16T10:25:00.000-06:00

Hi Folks....

Here's an update on the Construction of Casa JK.... Enjoy!

http://tierrapacifica61.blogspot.com/2011/05/may.html

Organic Farm - May

2011-05-16T10:01:00.004-06:00

Hi Folks,

Life is slowing down as we move into winter here in Guanacaste. We survived the beach rush of Semana Santa and are now looking forward to the promised rains to start cooling the blazing heat this time of year. The small amount of rain we have received thus far has created a slightly slippery component to the farm road. I am guessing I will be walking to the farm or accessing it from the back road in the near future.

Work on the Tierra Pacifica farm is still going strong. The backhoe has been busy digging new areas for wildlife ponds and water retention areas. The earth has been used to create new raised areas for food production. Elias and Eber continue to expand the fertile front road section of the farm and seem to be having success with controlling the elements in bag culture vegetable growing. It is always a pleasure to drive down and see what’s new at our Tierra Pacifica farm. I will keep you posted as new vegetables and fruit become available. If you are planning a trip or happen to be in the area I would be happy to take you to the farm.

Be Well,

John

Mi Tierra Organics E-mail List

2011-03-13T14:23:00.001-06:00

Hello to all you organic food enthusiasts!

This past Saturday we joined the wonderful people of Los Pargos and set up a table at the farmers market. We wanted to give a trial run on local organic produce with the “Mi Tierra” brand name. Tom, Elias, and Casey worked together to gather a plethora of items such as okra, Chinese green beans, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, zucchini, fresh cut basil, and a basket of limes. We sold out on the green beans before we finished setting up. And yup…..you guessed it…we sold out on all the fruits and vegetables and sold several potted plants as well. The lesson we learned is that we should have taken a bunch of Chinese green beans for ourselves before we started setting up. The other lesson of value is that there is an obvious demand for fresh local organic produce.

The good news is Elias and Ever at Tierra Pacifica, and Tom and Casey at Pueblo Verde are tirelessly working on growing more produce, finding new and interesting varieties and utilizing proven growing techniques while experimenting with succession planting to bring us the best quality produce throughout the year.

As an easy way for all to be aware of available fresh offerings is to sign up on our organic produce availability email list. If you are interested please shoot us an email at mitierraorganics@gmail.com and we’ll put you on the list!

Pick up is easy. Harvest normally will be on Mondays and Thursdays for a Tuesday or Friday pickup. We’ll send out a group email when produce is harvested. You can place an order or just visit the Mi Tierra Vivero at Pueblo Verde just outside Paraiso on the way to Santa Cruz and pick up what you need. Also, once production numbers grow we will be offering our organics at the Junquillal Super Mercado. Look for the “Mi Tierra” name and logo above the veggie/fruit bins.

For Tierra Pacifica owners I will keep you posted on all the upcoming produce via this blog and the white board at the community center where we will have a self serve fruit and vegetable station set up. Take a swim and get your produce……nice!

“Eating well is living well”

John

Farmers Market

2011-02-28T16:12:00.003-06:00

Mi Tierra is planning on being at the Los Pargos Farmers' Market this weekend with some organic zucchini plus.....

2011-02-25T13:09:00.006-06:00

The farm is really looking good and Elias and Eber, his assistant, are working hard to produce the best organic fruit and vegetables possible given the challenge of a harsh summer climate.

I just spent several hours touring the farm again with Will, Lynette,
Dylan and Elias.

For all those who are interested our farm is aptly named “Mi Tierra” ( translation: My Land or My Earth--- used for both)
and our motto is: “Remembering the past…….. Cultivating the future”.

The farm honors its Costa Rican heritage by producing mainstay crops
like yucca, cuadrados and quelite ( once utilized throughout CR as a tasty, nutritious green but now subservient to less nutritious, New Zealand spinach!) It is also pioneering new agricultural techniques and cultivating new and exciting nutritional
varieties like the Moringa tree that has tasty shoots and flowers that, when steamed,
taste a little like asparagus and delivers a nutritional whollop!

The more time I spend at the farm the more I realize the thought and
time invested in its infrastructure. For instance, using the
horizontal contour lines of the slopes to plant a variety of different
fruit trees. Mango being the closest to the low-lying areas because it
has greater water requirement than citrus type varieties. Vetiver, a
grass with an incredible root system, is interspersed among these
contours to help retain water and organic material. What is truly
impressive is the simplicity of the system. One irrigation line for
each horizontal contour planting. It works!

What’s on the menu? Zucchini in a week or so, yucca is looking good
and the watermelon is growing fast. I sampled the zucchini in a stir
fry last night and it was “delicioso”.

Stay tuned…”Eating well is Living Well”.

John

Casa J K Lot #61 building blog

2011-02-19T15:56:00.005-06:00

Please feel free to subscribe to our blog. We will be posting the progress of the building of our home on Lot #61. We welcome any questions or comments and invite you to visit us while you are in Tierra Pacifica. John and Kim

http://tierrapacifica61.blogspot.com

2011-02-13T16:38:00.002-06:00

Hi Everyone,

As most of you are aware the Tierra Pacifica farm is a beautiful working farm dedicated to producing fresh and organic produce for TP and the greater community. If you have not toured the farm recently I would highly recommend it during your next visit.

One of the many reasons Kim and I chose to buy into TP was this diverse resource. I like the idea of having fresh sustainable produce on my table.

Recently, I was invited to take a farm tour. The farm has created a unique blend of natural bird habitat via seasonal ponds as well as traditional and experimental agricultural techniques. I am impressed with the time, knowledge and capital investment put forth by all the folks that run and contribute to the farm.

One of the items discussed during the farm tour was creating a connection between our community and the farm. Not knowing the many complexities of the farm at this point I thought my contribution could be this connection…a liaison of sorts.

My plan is to work with Elias, our farm manager, regarding available seasonal fruits, vegetables, and ornamentals and post them on a white board at the TP community center at regular intervals. This will give TP owners an opportunity to regularly visit the farm and pick up what they need.

Another goal is to create a list with pictures and pricing of available ornamentals and edibles with their applications and uses as they pertain to your lot.

In addition, I will continue posting farm news and available items at the farm on this blog to give you something to look forward to during your next visit.

Lastly, I would invite all interested owners in participating with thoughts, ideas and questions.

“Living well is eating well”

John

The Organic Farm of Tierra Pacifica

2011-02-13T16:31:00.002-06:00

The silhouette of Costa Rican ants... famous?

2010-10-22T11:27:00.005-06:00

Yeap!
Thanks to it, the hungarian photographer Bence Máté, won the Veolia Environment Wildlife "Photographer of the year" 2010 Prize!
He found inspiration in them for a great shot:

“They proved to be wonderful subjects. ... I love the contrast between the simplicity of the shot itself and the complexity of the behaviour.”

Please check it out at A Marvel of Ants

...Costa Rica is full with marvellous little things like these ants!
Come and find them!
You will love it.

¡Pura Vida!

Good news: Central America tourism in full recovery...

2010-10-15T09:59:00.007-06:00

"Many potential tourists either were too scared to travel last year or didn’t have the money to go anywhere..

Even the region’s most established tourism market, Costa Rica, reported an 8 percent drop in visitors last year, following years of continuous and steady growth that appeared to be an irreversible trend.

A year later, the conditions are improving. While U.S. economists debate whether the recession is over or on the verge of a double dip, the early returns on Central America’s 2010 tourism numbers show that recovery here is clearly under way.

“Indicators show a definite recovery after the world economic crisis,” Costa Rican Tourism Minister Carlos Benavides said in a July press release.

Costa Rica registered a 9.6 percent increase in tourism arrivals in the first half of the year.
The rebound, Benavides noted, has been better than many experts predicted. Costa Rica’s tourism recovery is two to three times stronger than the forecasts from both the World Tourism Organization and Costa Rica’s National Tourism Chamber, which predicted a more modest 3 to 5 percent growth this year.

Benavides said Costa Rica expects to climb back above the 2 million annual visitor mark by the end of 2010, after slipping below that plateau last year. By 2014, Costa Rica hopes to attract 2.5 million tourists a year."

Complete article here: The Tico Times

How to achieve sustainable development...

2010-10-13T10:49:00.005-06:00

Here is an interesting article I found:

What exactly is sustainable development? While we all need to carry on living and all have certain needs and necessities, these can all be met while preserving the environment and thus making sure the future generations can in turn enjoy what this wonderful world. Sustainable development means that while we need the natural capacities of the planet we must also learn to use them without abusing them. We need to stop thinking that everything grows back again, there is such a thing as the limits of growth.

Maybe you want to read more about this, here is the link to the complete article:
"How to achieve sustainable development"

Protecting the Sea Turtles of Junquillal

2010-09-12T12:12:00.004-06:00

Tierra Pacifica Environmental Commitments and Innovations

2010-08-23T13:37:00.003-06:00

• Beginning with 88 hectares of deforested cattle pasture and abandoned rice farmland Tierra Pacifica developed a Master Plan to achieve a residential development that also restores ecological assets, including forest cover, water resources, soil fertility, river and mangrove areas and habitat.
• Roads follow land contours to minimize erosion and help retain rainwater onsite. All roadsides and stormwater crossings on roads have permanent cement and rock drainage ways to control and capture rainwater runoff. Roads are gravel and permeable.
• Mature trees are protected and thousands of new native trees have been planted and are maintained. Plantings are drought resistant and water conserving wherever possible. Majority of irrigation is done with highly efficient drip systems.
• Soil stabilizing vetiver, forage peanut and other ground covers are planted to combat erosion, capture moisture and improve fertility.
• Lot shapes are designed to provide green zones owned in common and to protect and restore existing trees, canopy “highways” and seasonal streams. Large lots with limited building envelopes assure low density for the entire project.
• 40% of the property is protected as green zones. This is the most ecologically valuable portion of the property encompassing seasonal streams and bordering the river and mangrove. It will be maintained forever as a protected nature reserve, organic farm and recently completed wildlife ponds.
• Mi Tierra Organic Farm supplies fresh fruits and produce to the area and serves as a demonstration farm to teach other local farmers how to grow tomatoes, cucumbers, greens, pineapples, passion fruit and more.
• All power and telephone lines were installed underground to protect monkeys, birds and other wildlife and to preserve unobstructed natural views.
• The swimming pool at Club Arbol uses a saltwater system requiring less chemicals and releases fewer harmful fumes into the environment. Solar power heats water at the Club.
• Houses and community buildings use terra cotta roof tile, ceiling insulation, polarized glass on all the windows and glass doors, and large overhangs to conserve energy. Construction wood is almost exclusively from reforested trees such as teak and melina, grown and purchased locally. Decorative fascia rock and river rocks for drainage ways all supplied from local quarries. Sand, rock, and cement for concrete mixes all supplied and purchased locally.
• All septic systems are designed with no need for chemicals and to avoid any environmental contamination.
• Unlike many larger area developments local workers are employed for all jobs to support the local labor force.
• Community Outreach supports many local groups and activities including sea turtle protection, estuary and mangrove preservation, “Blue Flag” beach cleanliness, local and migratory bird habitat improvement, waste recycling, environmental education and safety, and community security programs.
• Tierra Pacifica is a key partner in the program to restore the 10,000 hectare Nandamojo watershed and the Restoring Our Watershed NGO. Road and lot layout, natural landscaping, green zone design and organic farming techniques are employed that retain rainwater runoff on the property as long as possible to help recharge the critical Nandomojo Aquifer. New storm water management techniques were employed throughout the project including check dams and road gabions, engineered swales and percolation pits, habitat and settling ponds, and berms planted on contour lines. These innovations are being promoted for use by land owners and developers throughout the region.
• The Environmental Committee of Tierra Pacifica is responsible for ensuring residents’ compliance with the environmental norms of the project and performs regular oversight of developing problems in the green zones, especially during the rainy season.

TIERRA PACIFICA INNOVACIONES Y COMPROMISOS CON EL AMBIENTE

2010-08-23T13:18:00.000-06:00

>Todo empezó con 88 hectáreas de tierra deforestada usada para potreros y arrozales.
Tierra Pacifica desarrollo un plan maestro para logra un proyecto residencial que también restaurara las bases ecológicas incluyendo la capa boscosa, fuentes acuíferas, fertilidad del suelo así como las áreas alrededor de los ríos y del manglar.

>los caminos bordean el contorno natural para así minimizar la erosión y mantener el agua en su lugar, todas las orillas de caminos y aguas pluviales que los cruzan tienen drenajes permanentes de cemento y roca a manera de controlar el curso de las aguas de lluvia. Los caminos han sido construidos de lastre lo que los hace muy permeables.

>los arboles ya maduros son preservados y protegidos mientras que miles de árboles nativos son sembrados y mantenidos. Las plantas sembradas son bastante resistentes y de esa manera conservar agua hasta donde sea posible. La mayor parte de la irrigación es hecha por un “sistema de goteo” muy eficiente.

>para la estabilización de los suelos se ha sembrado vetiver, manicillo y otras variedades de plantas que combaten la erosión, capturan la humedad y dan mayor fertilidad.

>la forma de los lotes fue diseñado de manera que se pudiera proveer zonas verdes comunes para así proteger y restaurar arboles existentes, el dosel y riachuelos de temporada, los lotes son grandes pero con limitaciones en área de construcción para asegurar una baja densidad del proyecto.

>40% de la propiedad ha sido designada como zonas verdes, esta es la porción de más valor ecológico, rodeado de riachuelos bordeando el rio, el área de manglar será mantenido por siempre como reserva natural protegida y granja orgánica. A esto tenemos que sumar la reciente restauración de lagunas para preservar la vida silvestre.

>la granja orgánica “mi tierra” provee el área con frutas y vegetales frescos así como también sirve de granja demostradora para enseñar a los agricultores locales como producir tomates, pepinos y vegetales en general así como también pinas, maracuyá y otros.

>todas las líneas telefónicas y de electricidad fueron instaladas bajo tierra con el propósito de proteger a los monos, aves y otras especies y por su puesto para no obstruir las vistas naturales.

>la piscina que se encuentra en “club árbol” usa un sistema de agua salada que requiere menos químicos y por consiguiente no permite la liberación de gases tóxicos en el medio ambiente. El agua en el “club árbol” es calentada por energía solar.

>en todas las casas y edificios de la comunidad se utiliza teja de barro en los techos, aislante de calor, vidrios polarizados en ventanas y puertas de vidrio así como amplios aleros con el propósito de conservar energía.
Las maderas usadas en la construcción en su mayoría son maderas reforestadas de teca y melina producidas y compradas localmente. Laja decorativa y piedra de rio usadas en desagües son suplidas en la zona asimismo arena y cemento se compran en la localidad.

>los sistemas sépticos se diseñaron de tal manera que no tengan necesidad de químicos que contaminen el ambiente.

>a diferencias de muchos de los desarrollos del área trabajadores de la zona son contratados para contribuir con la fuerza laboral local.

>nuestros servicios a la comunidad ayudan a muchos grupos locales en actividades tales como programa de protección a las tortugas, preservación del manglar, programa bandera azul, mejoramiento del ambiente para aves locales y migratorias, reciclaje de desechos, educación ambiental y programas de seguridad comunitaria.

>Tierra Pacifica es parte muy importante en el programa de restauración de 10.000 hectáreas del acuífero Nandamojo “restoring our watershed ONG” así como también en el diseño de caminos y lotes, paisajes naturales, áreas verdes y técnicas en granjas orgánicas que son usadas para la retención de aguas pluviales que ayuden a “recargar” el ya critico estado del acuífero Nandamojo.
Nuevas técnicas de manejo de aguas pluviales fueron implementadas en todo el proyecto incluyendo represas de inspección y gaviones en los caminos, ceniceros y filtros, lagunas de sedimentación así como el uso de filtros de sedimentación (burritos) en los contornos. Estas innovaciones han sido promovidas para ser usadas por dueños de terrenos y desarrolladores en toda la región.

>el comité ambientalista de tierra pacifica se responsabiliza de que sus residentes cumplan con las normas ambientalistas del proyecto y realiza inspecciones regulares de áreas problemáticas en zonas verdes especialmente durante la época lluviosa.

NOW: Yoga @ Club Arbol!

2010-08-05T12:56:00.006-06:00

THURSDAYS
8:30 AM - 10:00 AM

INSTRUCTOR:
Rosalía Lindo

Club Arbol, Tierra Pacifica

For more info: admin@tierrapacifica.com

Business in Costa Rica

2010-08-04T15:53:00.001-06:00

Double Rainbow

2010-06-25T17:16:00.000-06:00

The rain has it's benefits...

2010-06-17T13:45:00.003-06:00

Here is a great story from this month's Howler for those of you missed it:

http://visittamarindo.com/thehowler/index.html

You're Never Too Old for Costa Rica

Two platinum blonds sat at the bar as I arrived, so naturally I started a conversation with them. “We’re celebrating our last night in Costa Rica,” said Fabiola. “We’ve been here sixteen days, and are leaving for California tomorrow.”

“Where in California?” I asked.

“Mid-state, just north of Santa Barbara. We’re surrounded by wine country, and we both love wine. She drinks only white, but I like red wine,” said Kay, helping herself nonetheless to a swig from her friend’s glass.

“How have you enjoyed your vacation?” I inquired.

“We’ve had a great time, and traveled all over the country, both coast, north to south. We saw some wonderful things and did everything we could,” replied Kay, the younger, but we had a few problems too.
On our first day we flew from San José to Drake’s Bay down south, but Fabiola was attacked by a jagged ashtray on the plane and had to have her arm stitched up. (Why, we wondered, do they have ashtrays on a completely non-smoking airline?) Anyway, that didn’t stop us snorkeling in the beautiful clear waters down there. Then we took a ride on the treetop canopy tour. You wear a harness, to which they clip a rope, and you slide down the rope to a tree at the far end; then you rappel down the tree. It’s almost like bungee jumping.”

“That sounds like a strenuous trip,” said I, wondering at these two energetic ladies.

“Well,” said Kay, “the hardest part was climbing up to the canopy in the first place. You actually climb up the inside of a tree. Many years ago, a climbing fig wrapped itself around a large tree, totally covering it. The tree died and, over the years, rotted away inside the fig tendrils. Now, all that’s left is the hollow of the dead tree, and you climb up inside it. The guide follows behind, giving you a push up if you slow down.”

“Is this your first trip to Costa Rica?” I asked.

“Yes, we try to do a different destination each year. Last year we went to Sacandinavia-Finland, the Artic Circle, a side trip to Russia, Saint Petersburg- because we wanted a ‘clean’ vacations for a change. The years before that we had only been to third world countries, and we needed a change. But we rate Costa Rica as a ‘clean’ vacation.”

“Anyway, it’s been nice chatting with you,” said Kay, “but we have to get an early night. We have a busy day’s traveling tomorrow, and I’m looking forward to seeing my gentleman friend back home.”

I asked if they would return to Costa Rica. “Probably not, at least for a while. We like to do something different each year. There’s far too much left to see and not enough time. When you get to our age, you have to make the most of your time.”

I had been wondering about their ages, but a gentleman doesn’t ask. However, as they had broached the subject, I inquired further. “Just how old are you?”

As ladies often will, they lied about their ages. “I’m eighty-six,” said Kay proudly.

“I’m older than she is,” boasted Fabiola, “I’m ninety.”

“No, she’s not,” disputed Kay, “her birthday isn’t until December. But I’ll be eighty-six in November.”

I marveled at their enthusiasm and energy, at an age when most of their peers, if alive, are vegetating in institutions, awaiting the visit of the Grim Reaper.

“Well” said Fabiola, “old age can only catch up if you stop moving”

You are never too old for Costa Rica!

Condo Photos

2010-06-08T16:16:00.009-06:00

We have completed the condominiums in Plaza Tierra Pacifica so you can get a feel for the finished product. Four of the seven units are still available, buy now and you have the opportunity to choose the final finishes and touches - let your new condo reflect your tastes and style! By taking advantage of this offer now you can select your favorite granite, cabinets, hardware, lighting, and paint colors. Individual titles will be ready in 45 days, so get down here now and be one of the first to experience the good life at Plaza Tierra Pacifica!

New Neighbors at Plaza Tierra Pacifica

2010-06-04T12:45:00.005-06:00

The newest addition at Plaza Tierra Pacifica is the Welcome Center. As the community of Tierra Pacifica home and lot owners continues to grow, so too do the number of visitors -- whether first time vacationers, veteran travelers or expats. The Welcome Center hopes to serve these visitors by sharing knowledge about the area -- both inside and outside Tierra Pacifica, offering information and scheduling services for the many tours and activities nearby, and answering questions. Jessica and Ronald are available in the Welcome Center from 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. weekdays; they are happy to help you plan and schedule activities, obtain quotes for rental vehicles, and much more. Let them take the stress out of your vacation so you can enjoy the memorable moments! Below is a list of the activities and services the Welcome Center staff can book for you:

Car Rental – We can assist with obtaining quotes from a variety of car rental agencies. Let us take the stress off by dealing directly with our contacts in each office, finding you the best rate available! We can also schedule your rental car to be delivered to your home or condo, allowing you more time to enjoy your vacation.

Horseback Riding – Horseback riding tours available on the beach or in the mountains. From 2-3 hours to full day tours, we can help you find the right guide. Horseback riding on the beach at sunset is an experience you’ll never forget – an incredible memory to take back with you!

Fishing – Experience some of the authentic Tico lifestyle as you fish offshore with a local expert. Our guide knows the local secret spots since he’s been fishing this area his entire life. Half- or full-day deep sea tours available. Let us book the fishing tour you’ll be talking about long after your vacation is over!

Ultra Lite Tour – See the beautiful shoreline, mountains and jungle from the sky above. We can book you on a Gyrocopter, Auto-gyro or Ultralite tour from Tamarindo.

Zip Line Canopy Tour – If there is only one activity that you have to do while in Costa Rica, it’s a zip line canopy tour! Experience the canopy from the perspective of the monkeys and birds, zipping by at high speed (or slow, if that’s your preference). Your guides are happy to document your ride so bring your camera along. Let us arrange the ride of your life! 3 hours.

Estuary Kayak Tour – Get to know Costa Rica up close by booking a kayak tour of the Nandomojo Mangrove. Glide through the estuary with a local expert guide, and see birds, lizards, monkeys, crocodiles and more! This is an excellent way to see the amazing diversity of wildlife in our area. 1 ½ hour tour.

Yoga – Yoga is a great way to get energized for the day! Classes are offered in Junquillal and Negra, in either the morning or the evening. All levels welcome, private instruction also available.

Tempisque River Boat Tour – Ride along the edge of Palo Verde National Park on the Tempisque river. Local guides are able to point out and describe an amazing variety of wildlife. Authentic and delicious Tico-style lunch served afterward. 4 hours.

Diving Tour – Amazing scuba diving is available a short distance from our area. We can book a tour for you from either Playas del Coco or Playa Hermosa, with safe, experienced instructors who know the area intimately. If you think Costa Rica is colorful and lush on land, wait until you see the diversity and brilliance just below the surface of the ocean!

Sunset Catamaran Tour – Watch the sun set into the ocean from a Catamaran and you’ll know the meaning of “pura vida.” The boat is stocked with snorkeling gear and kayaks, and the captains know many hidden beaches and coves along the shoreline. There is also an open bar, for those interested in enjoying a sunset cocktail. Let us assist you with the perfect romantic adventure or fun for the whole family. 4 hours.

Adventure Tour at Rincon de la Vieja – This full-day tour encompasses horseback riding, zip line canopy tour, swimming under a waterfall, hiking, kayaking and more. We can arrange transportation for you and your family or group, and lunch is included. This is a full day of non-stop adventure. 8 hours.

Snorkeling Tour – Our expert guide can take you to some of the best beaches in the area for amazing snorkeling. See the volcanic reef up close, and take in the wonder of the amazing life forms living on, under and around the reef…all at your own pace.

Surf Lessons – With the warm water and gentle waves beckoning you to try it, the perfect time and place to learn to surf is on your Costa Rica trip! We can hook you up with a local instructor who will provide a safe and encouraging lesson. All levels and ages welcome.

Mountain Bike Tour – The rural setting and dirt roads in our area offer the perfect setting for a mountain bike ride or guided tour. Our knowledgeable guide will assess your level of fitness and offer a challenging fun ride through mountain roads, teak fields, farms and beach roads. Refreshments and safety gear included, bike rental without guide also available.

Equipment Rental – We can set you up with the equipment you need to enjoy your Costa Rica vacation to the fullest. Let us do the work for you and arrange half day, full day, weekly or monthly surfboard, bicycle or snorkeling gear rental. We’ll take care of the details and you can make the memories!

Hotel Booking – We have a network of contacts available throughout the country and can book you into a hotel, bed and breakfast, or condo in any location. No matter which airport you fly in to, we can get you great rates at highly recommended hotels. Take the worry out of your trip as you explore the wonders Costa Rica has to offer by letting us secure lodging for you.

I just wanted to share...

2010-05-21T11:32:00.008-06:00

... A view I captured this morning right out the office.

Everything is so lush and green around here!

Yummy!

2010-05-07T08:30:00.002-06:00

I rushed to the office yesterday, no time for preparing any lunch...
It's noon already and I'm hungry, what do I eat?

Oh wait!
There's a Deli right next door!!!

NO PROBLEM!
I got a delicious ham & cheddar sandwich, green salad with papaya dressing... Yummy!

Hungry???
Come visit Surfside Deli at Plaza Tierra Pacifica! ;)

Mi Tierra Oranic Farm

2010-03-30T16:17:00.004-06:00

The farm organic farm located in Tierra Pacifica is now part of the Mi Tierra brand which includes a retail location at El Centro Verde. Mi Tierra will offer not only organic fruits and veggies but ornamental and edible landscape plants as well.

Tropical Fruit Salad Garden

2010-03-30T11:50:00.005-06:00

Check out this video that Will and Dylan made on our 1200 square foot tropical fruit salad garden. We can customize these for any lot to provide you with year round tropical fruit.

Costa Rica: The Next Florida?

2010-03-24T11:34:00.003-06:00

Costa Rica: The Next Florida?–The Tico Times Newspaper Costa Rica Business

By Chrissie Long
Tico Times Staff | clong@ticotimes.net

For Lou Aguilera, Costa Rica has all the makings of a retirement destination: a comfortable climate, top-notch health services, close proximity to the United States and Canada, and a stable democracy.
Living Well: Lou Aguilera, the force behind a new retirement community designed to attract an aging international population to Costa Rica, shows of the model of the Pacific Plaza project in Liberia, in the northern Pacific province of Guanacaste. Ground will be broken in May for the ambitious project, which will include a satellite hospital of the upscale CIMA Hospital in Escazú, west of San Jose.

While the country has been successful at marketing itself as an eco-friendly destination and a go-to place for medical tourism, the retiree population persists as an untapped market.

“This represents a bigger potential for Costa Rica than recreational tourism represented 25 years ago,” said Aguilera, who moved to Costa Rica in 2006 to begin work on an over-age 55 development in Guanacaste. “The graying of America is irreversible, and Costa Rica is in a position to service this population.” Read the entire story here.

Supermercado Junquillal is open for business!

2010-03-17T15:03:00.002-06:00

At long last, Supermercado Junquillal has opened! The grocery store, located in the south corner of the Plaza Tierra Pacifica, moved from its former location near the park in Junquillal, and last weekend marked the grand opening. The new grocery store is more than double in size compared to the old one, and boasts the best selection of specialty items, liquor, wine, produce and meat between here and Santa Cruz or Tamarindo.

Over the last several years, Loris, the owner, has impressed locals and tourists by stocking his store, the Mini Super Junquillal, according to their needs and wants. You could ask Loris if he carried an item, and if he didn’t there was a good chance the next time you were in his store he would have ordered and stocked whatever you asked for. While scooting around workers, delivery people and shoppers in the old store, you might come across nori for making sushi, buffalo mozzarella cheese, or even caviar. While not always easy to access, Loris made sure the things people wanted in our small community could be found in his tiny store. The new Supermercado Junquillal, with more space for displaying items as well as a basement storage room, promises to have an even better selection than his old store!

The good news for Ticos is that he is now able to stock much larger quantities of staples, such as rice and beans. For many families who traveled to Santa Cruz on the bus on Saturdays to do the week’s shopping, this now means a short trip to the supermercado. Instead of sweating in the Super Compro with music blaring outside, you can now grab a cart and stroll through wide aisles in the air conditioning – YES! That’s right – the store has A/C throughout! In addition to these luxuries, there are 2 checkout lanes, a new computerized point of sale system, and new shelves and fixtures. Gone are the days of leaning over the meat and cheese case in the old store, shouting, “No, the one in front, no in front of that one…no no, over one more, yes, the cheese!” An attached deli is in the works but not yet ready to open, and the Plaza offers beautiful outdoor patio seating, perfect for enjoying lunch or a book in the shade.

As the anchor tenant in Plaza Tierra Pacifica, the Supermercado Junquillal will bring foot and auto traffic to the plaza. With the eventual addition of a veterinarian, pharmacy and souvenir shop, Plaza Tierra Pacifica will be a thriving business center that serves the needs of Tierra Pacifica and the surrounding community for years to come.

Costa Rica Targets Retirees

2010-03-11T08:37:00.001-06:00

COSTA RICA: Headhunting First-World Seniors - IPS ipsnews.net

COSTA RICA: Headhunting First-World Seniors
By Daniel Zueras

SAN JOSÉ, Mar 8, 2010 (IPS) - The Costa Rican government has declared retirement communities, aimed at attracting U.S. pensioners, to be "of national interest." Plans to create "retirement clusters" providing complete health services for older adults are seen as a profitable prospect for this Central American country.

Old people as a business: this is the bottom line of the government and private sector's new project.

Noting the rapid development of the "health cities" in Mexico and Panama, Costa Rican officials and entrepreneurs are poised to tap into the perceived gold mine among middle and upper-middle class senior citizens of industrialised countries.

The concept is simple, and includes slashing red tape to the minimum by providing one-stop residence permits at the Migration Directorate, so that foreigners, especially the well-heeled, can come to live in the country.

Tax exemptions on real estate and vehicles are on offer, and a promotional campaign aimed at older adults abroad will be run by the Costa Rican Institute of Tourism (ICT). The government will also boost training of human resources such as health personnel through the Costa Rican Social Security system, and seek to attract investment.

The Competitiveness Ministry has already identified eight locations for retirement clusters in Costa Rica, in areas of natural beauty with plenty of tourist attractions, and close to large hospital complexes.

Promoting Costa Rica as a retirement haven includes much more than boosting real estate sales or medical tourism. "It includes the hotel sector, travel, hospitals and research. Costa Rica will benefit from it," Competitiveness Minister Jorge Woodbridge told IPS. Patients and their relatives are likely to travel all over the country, staying at hotels and engaging tour operators and so on.

Every 10,000 retirees are expected to generate employment for 40,000 people a year, 10,000 of them in direct jobs and 30,000 indirectly. The average income of the target population (middle and upper-middle class U.S., Canadian and Spanish citizens) is 3,500 dollars a month.

The main Costa Rican medical centres are already building two major hospital complexes in the city of Liberia in Guanacaste province, the top tourist destination in the country. They will comprise a hospital and residential zone, where services will be provided for four levels of care: active retirement, independent living, assisted living and skilled nursing, in increasing order of patient need.

A small retirement community for 12 people, the country's only operational cluster so far, has opened on the slopes of the Poas volcano.

The owner, Ronald García, told IPS that "coming to Costa Rica has economic advantages" for foreign pensioners. "They pay for accommodation and medical care, and a family visit from home once a month, and it costs less than paying for medical services back home," he said. His customers pay 1,600 dollars a month, whereas in the United States they would have to pay 4,500 dollars a month for comparable services.

"We want to attract 10,000 pensioners a year," Woodbridge said. Estimated annual foreign exchange earnings per 10,000 retirees are 340 million dollars, "so in five years, the total would be 1.7 billion dollars," he calculated.

In any case, the plan will take at least five years to take off as a national strategy, Foreign Trade Minister Marco Vinicio Ruiz told IPS.

Other Latin American countries have a head start on Costa Rica. Mexico, which has been developing its policy for over 20 years, is now home to 700,000 pensioners from the United States who are living in Mexican retirement communities.

Its other rival is Panama, which has been advancing in this direction for about a decade. Panama has five retirement communities at present, with another 42 currently being licensed and built.

But the government authorities are optimistic. The climate, enormous biodiversity, security, stability, and polls describing Costa Rica as "the happiest country in the world," are factors that will work in its favour, according to Woodbridge.

Costa Rica's reputation as "the Switzerland of Central America" will also help.

Not everyone is in favour of the creation of this new market, however. "It will affect the rights of the people of Costa Rica," said Carlos Páez with the National Union of Social Security Fund Employees (UNDECA).

Páez said "if this is put into practice, doctors and nurses will go into private medicine," which could bring about a crisis in the Costa Rican public health system, presently stretched to the limit. "There is already a lack of specialists and health personnel," and the flight of these workers to private clinics and hospitals will only increase the shortage, said the UNDECA trade unionist.

"The first thing the country should do is to solve the crisis in the social security fund, before opening the market to additional demands," Páez argued.

Every day, some 6,000 people reach the age of 65 in the United States. The baby boomer generation, born between 1945 and 1964, controls 77 percent of the available financial resources of that country.

Forty-six million people in the United States have no medical insurance, a fact that Costa Rica plans to use to attract U.S. older adults to its shores. (END)

Papagayo winds

2010-03-08T11:06:00.005-06:00

Summer in Costa Rica is glorious! After the rainy season months of storms and mud, the skies clear up and the sun shines intensely...for the next several months! While it usually takes a few weeks for the ocean to clear up from all the runoff caused by the rain, when it does the clear blue Pacific beckons you. The one aspect of the hot, dry Guanacaste summer that can at times be brutal is the Papagayo wind.

If you've spent any length of time in Guanacaste during January, February or March, you know this phenomenon. The wind can howl for days on end, gusting at speeds that rival a hurricane. The ocean temperature drops and whitecaps can be seen on the waves for miles around. In short, it is weather that can keep you inside even on the sunniest of days!

In Central America in the summer, these gale-force winds from the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea funnel through narrow breaks in the Cordillera mountains and across the lakes of Nicaragua. The wind mixes the normally-warm surface waters with colder, nutrient-rich water that lies beneath the thermocline near the coast. While the winds may keep you out of the ocean for a few days, they actually create an algae bloom on which an entire food chain depends.

The weather behind the Papagayo wind is explained by NASA: "The meteorlogical mechanism that causes Papagayo winds is relatively simple. In winter, cold high-pressure weather systems move southward from North America over the Gulf of Mexico. These high-pressure systems create strong pressure gradients between the atmostphere over the Gulf of Mexico and the warmer, moister atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean. Just as a river flows from high elevations to lower elevations, the air in the high-pressure system will "flow" downhill toward lower pressure, but the Cordillera mountains block the flow of air, channeling it through Chivela Pass in Mexico, the lake district of Nicaragua, and also Gaillard Cut in Panama (which also holds the Panama Canal)."

So the next time you hear of a "snowpocalypse" in the states while visiting here, brace yourself because the Papagayo winds will be howling soon!

Asking for Directions in Costa Rica

2010-03-02T11:26:00.002-06:00

Gringo Pinto

Unfinished Projects

2010-02-25T13:38:00.004-06:00

The concept of a gated community is nothing new in Costa Rica. Starting in the early 90's, developers throughout Guanacaste and elsewhere have sought to bring attention to their developments by building large, imposing entrances as the first step. Unfortunately, too often in our area the first step is also the last step. Drive around any area that experienced a boom in investment and growth, and you will find countless examples of abandoned projects with crumbling, overgrown entrances. These projects still have the same amazing ocean, mountain or jungle views that made them a natural choice for development in the first place, but for many different reasons nothing happened beyond erecting an entrance.

It may be that the developers decided the project was beyond their scope; or maybe the capital required for the project simply didn't materialize. Whatever the reason or reasons may be, many areas today are peppered with these neglected and unfinished projects. It is for this reason that Tierra Pacifica stands out as a premier example not only of a completed development, but of a development "done right." From the infrastructure to the landscaping Tierra Pacifica is alone among countless developments in varying stages of completion (or abandon) in the Junquillal-Paraiso area. In addtition to the completion of the Tierra Pacifica project, several years later the infrastructure and landscaping are maintained to a degree unmatched by other gated communities in our area. While there are many other projects currently under construction, based on the number of unfinished/abandoned projects, whether they will be finished as planned remains to be seen.

Howler Monkeys Join Us For Breakfast

2010-02-23T21:03:00.002-06:00

We woke up this morning to find these guys having breakfast. If you look close you can see the newborn, not more than three or four days old, hanging on to mama. Video to follow soon...

Turtle Hatching Playa Blanca

2010-02-23T20:25:00.003-06:00

Check out this video of Chelania Mydas from our friends at Sea Turtles Forever.

Baby Sloth

2010-02-06T12:28:00.004-06:00

Suzette and I first met Judy and Luis Arroyo in 1993 shortly after they had created their foundation, the Buttercup Center, dedicated to the rescue and rehabilitation of sloths.

This is a must do if visiting the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica.

Living Healthy to 100

2009-09-12T13:10:00.002-06:00

I recently found this article about centenarians living on the Nicoya Peninsula, one of the worlds few Blue Zones. There are three other regions that have been identified as Blue Zones - Okinawa, Sardinia and Loma Linda, California, where people live longer than anywhere in the world. Check out this great article and video below about Panchita Castillo. For me it's not about living to be old, but living and staying young. Panchita is great inspiration.

Living Healthy to 100

By Dan Buettner, AARP Magazine

It was sunrise in the village of Hojancha when Tommy Castillo and I mounted a pair of bikes and whizzed downhill from his pink wooden house into the steamy Costa Rica morning.

Our route took us by the town clinic, past a mechanic where the rhythm of local cowboy music blared into the street from tinny speakers. With truants’ delight, we swooped down another hill past the village school, and from there, the houses thinned out. On one side of the road, buildings gave way to a wall of jungle. The road dipped to where the pavement bridged a creek and continued up a steep incline. Tommy, wearing a white-toothed grin and a Yankees baseball cap, stood up hard on his pedals and pulled ahead of me. I was breathing heavily. Sweat trickled down my back.

Off the main road, our wheels traced parallel ruts past a horse barn and a vegetable garden. The track ended in a clearing with a raised chicken coop, a tin-roofed wooden house, and a woodshed stacked high with split logs. Out front, a woman wearing a bright pink dress, hoop earrings, and carnival beads vigorously swept the jungle floor, sending up a dust cloud. Behind her, a few long golden pencils of light angled through the trees.

“Hola, Mamá!” shouted Tommy as he dismounted his bike. Tommy’s mother—Francesca “Panchita” Castillo—dropped her broom in surprise and gleefully greeted her son with an embrace, then turned to me. “OyEEE, God blesses me!” she exclaimed in Spanish. “I have foreign visitors!” Then she hugged me.

She took us both by the hand and led us to her porch, where she jumped up on a bench and dangled her legs in the air. It was only 7:30 a.m., but Panchita was ready for her midmorning break. She’d been up since 4:00 and had already knelt next to her bed to say her morning prayers; fetched two eggs from the chicken coop; ground corn by hand; brewed coffee from well water drawn from the limestone bedrock beneath her house; made herself a breakfast of beans, eggs, and tortillas; split wood; and, using a machete almost as tall as her five-foot frame, cleared the encroaching bush around her house. She asked if she could prepare breakfast for us. “No,” said Tommy, who was sweating lightly under his baseball cap. “I’m not hungry.”

“Oh, you know better,” Panchita scolded. “Let me make you some eggs.” And she jumped off the bench.

“No, no, Mamá,” Tommy said, shifting uncomfortably on his bench. “I’m fine.”

Panchita pulled herself back up and now began to stroke Tommy’s knee. “How is your leg, my son?” A few days earlier he had injured it working around the house.

“Mamá, I’m fine, please!” he said, grimacing. As the scene unfolded, I sat by and smiled to see an exchange between a loving mother and a son who didn’t want to be embarrassed in front of a new friend. Under the circumstances, I could see Tommy’s point. He was, after all, an 80-year-old man and a great-grandfather. His mother, Panchita, had recently celebrated her 100th birthday. Hojancha, where they live, has one of the healthiest, longest-lived populations on the planet—a place where sons can take their time growing up.

Read the full story here

Check out video of Panchita here

Another Happy Story

2009-07-04T15:02:00.001-06:00

AFP: Costa Rica tops happiness, 'green living' poll

SAN JOSE (AFP) — Costa Rica is the happiest place on earth, and one of the most environmentally friendly, according to a new survey by a British non-governmental group.

The New Economics Foundation looked at 143 countries that are home to 99 percent of the world's population and devised an equation that weighed life expectancy and people's happiness against their environmental impact.

By that formula, Costa Rica is the happiest, greenest country in the world, just ahead of the Dominican Republic.

Latin American countries did well in the survey, occupying nine of the top 10 spots.

Australia scored third place, but other major Western nations did poorly, with Britain coming in at 74th place and the United States at 114th.

The New Economics Foundation's measurements found Costa Ricans have a life expectancy of 78.5 years, and 85 percent of the country's residents say they are happy and satisfied with their lives.

Those figures, taken along with the fact that Costa Rica has a small "ecological footprint," combined to push the small nation to the top of the list.

A 2006 New Economics Foundation study designated Vanuatu the world's happiest nation, with Costa Rica at second place.

Sociologist Andrea Fonseca said Costa Rica gives its citizens the "tools" to be happy, but cautioned that happiness cannot be calculated just by looking at life expectancy and environmental practices.

She added that the country's rise to the top of the Happy Planet Index "has a lot to do with social imagination."

Costa Rica has a peaceful reputation because it does not have an army, and is also known for its protected ecological zones and national slogan "pure life," she said.

Copyright © 2009 AFP. All rights reserved. More »
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Happiness is...Living Green in Costa Rica

2009-07-02T11:00:00.000-06:00

Happiness is...living green in Costa Rica | Entertainment | Reuters

By Barbara Lewis

LONDON (Reuters Life!) - Costa Rica is very nearly paradise, not just for holiday-makers lounging on its beaches, but for its citizens who are extremely satisfied with their lot and also have a tiny carbon footprint.

The combination has earned the central American country first place in a new Happy Planet Index (HPI) published on Monday.

While leaders of the developed world attending G8 talks in Italy worry away at economic indicators like Gross Domestic Product (GDP), deflation and their implications for economic recovery, the second edition of the HPI lauds alternative standards that provide a new twist on the old adage that wealth does not buy happiness.

Costa Rica stands out for the highest levels of reported life satisfaction, a long life expectancy of 78.5 years and because 99 percent of its energy comes from renewable sources.

Latin American nations generally fare well, bagging nine out of 10 of the top spots and Sub-Saharan Africa performs very badly, with Zimbabwe taking bottom place. It scores 16.6 out of 100, compared with Costa Rica's HPI total of 76.1, according to an advance copy of the report.

Somewhere in between are the world's wealthiest economies.

The United States is placed 114th out of the 143 nations surveyed, with an HPI result of 30.7 and was found to be "greener and happier" 10 years ago than today -- as were China and India, ranked respectively 20th and 35th, with scores of 57.1 and 53.

Read the full story here

WWF - Turtle Conservation in Junquillal

2009-06-09T11:08:00.003-06:00

Junquillal beach on Costa Rica’s Pacific coastline is one of the country’s most important nesting beaches for leatherback turtles. But because the beach is not a protected area, illegal egg harvesting is a major problem.

To reduce the number of poached leatherback nests, WWF is developing alternative income sources for the local community, such as from ecotourism and the production and marketing of handicrafts. Community members are also involved in monitoring the beaches, and the construction and operation of a marine turtle hatchery, where eggs are brought in and protected until the hatchlings are released.

Background
Junquillal beach, located in Guanacaste province, Costa Rica, was recently discovered by biologist Gabriel Francia, to be among the most important nesting sites of Pacific leatherbacks (Dermochelys coriacea) in the country. Francia, who is now project leader, found there were up to 50 nests per year between 2004 and 2006.

However, the only relationship local residents had with the turtles was the illegal collection of eggs for sale or consumption. Rampant nest poaching meant that no leatherback hatchling reached the sea, despite regular nesting efforts year after year. Junquillal has no protected area status.

In 2005, WWF initiated a conservation project in Junquillal Beach, to improve the survival outlook for leatherbacks and other marine turtle species.

The bottom-line approach is the establishment of a relationship between sea turtle conservation and improved quality of life for coastal communities. In order to engage the community, heads of families and teachers were invited to an environmental education workshop that stimulated their curiosity and critical thinking about natural resources of the schoolyards and beaches.

The positive response to this activity led to the establishment of the environmental education programme, which has involved schools from Junquillal and other nearby beaches. The work continues to employ local, provincial or national resources to the greatest extent possible, stimulates conservation by the community, respects the community work pace, and displays creativity in adapting to emerging needs. WWF is facilitating the implementation of a Community Livelihoods Improvement Plan in Junquillal.

Click here to read the entire article

New York Times Article on Costa Rica

2009-05-05T10:50:00.005-06:00

Op-Ed Columnist - (No) Drill, Baby, Drill - NYTimes.com

By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
Published: April 11, 2009

(No) Drill, Baby, Drill

Sailing down Costa Rica’s Tempisque River on an eco-tour, I watched a crocodile devour a brown bass with one gulp. It took only a few seconds. The croc’s head emerged from the muddy waters near the bank with the footlong fish writhing in its jaws. He crunched it a couple of times with razor-sharp teeth and then, with just the slightest flip of his snout, swallowed the fish whole. Never saw that before.

These days, visitors can still see amazing biodiversity all over Costa Rica — more than 25 percent of the country is protected area — thanks to a unique system it set up to preserve its cornucopia of plants and animals. Many countries could learn a lot from this system.

More than any nation I’ve ever visited, Costa Rica is insisting that economic growth and environmentalism work together. It has created a holistic strategy to think about growth, one that demands that everything gets counted. So if a chemical factory sells tons of fertilizer but pollutes a river — or a farm sells bananas but destroys a carbon-absorbing and species-preserving forest — this is not honest growth. You have to pay for using nature. It is called “payment for environmental services” — nobody gets to treat climate, water, coral, fish and forests as free anymore.

read the entire story here

Wall Street Ledgend Henry Kaufman to Invest in Costa Rica

2009-04-15T05:30:00.003-06:00

Costa Rica newspaper: A.M. Costa Rica: Your English language daily news source

Wall Street legend Kaufman eyes investment market here
Special to A.M. Costa Rica

The latest entrant to the Costa Rican real estate market is Wall Street's Henry Kaufman, famous since 1957 when he took over the largest bond specialist unit of the New York Stock Exchange.

He follows such famous names as Mel Gibson, Steve Case of America Online, Madonna, Danny Devito, one of the famous princes of Saudi Arabia, the Chinese premier who is investing $300 million, Amazon, Proctor & Gamble and Intel, which invested $900 million in its manufacturing operations.

Kaufman is known among the insiders in the financial community as a genius at contrarian investing. During the 1970s downturn in New York City he was the buyer of last resort for Con Edison bonds, which resulted in huge gains. Kaufman was buying Con Edison Bonds at 30 percent of face value when the city was told no help was coming from the federal government to keep the lights on in New York.

Of course the bonds never defaulted, and the returns were in mega millions to Kaufman.

Associates say that Kaufman believes that Costa Rica will become a huge market for retirees who want a lifestyle in this country where the weather in the major market of the Central Valley is always springtime, similar to Southern California.

He also is said to believe the cost of living and medical care,
which is up to world standards in the private hospitals, is a fraction of the costs in the U. S. and Europe and that the 55-and-older senior retirement communities, assisted living and even nursing care will propel the growth of Costa Rica to double digit gross national product during the next 20 years.

Kaufman wants in while the crisis has opened opportunities that have never existed in the last 10 years of one of the hottest real estate markets in the world, associates say.

Kaufman was the largest shareholder of Apple Bank of New York along with many other holdings. He was the financial controller of all of the $320 million Maurice Kanbar received for selling Skyy Vodka and created $190 million in additional profits from this account. One of the investments was buying 32 percent of downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma, at distress prices starting in 2005. Tulsa is one of the few cities that has weathered the U.S. real estate crisis and actually has increased in value. He also was the funding source of capital for Heine Herzog (Mutual Shares which merged with Franklin Templeton), the largest over-the-counter marketmaker in the U. S..

Kaufman bought buildings in Soho at $30 square foot in the distress times of the 70s and became a legend in value investing when the market climbed to $200 a square foot,

He also purchased the East West Natural Food Macrobiotic restaurant where luminaries like Gloria Swanson, Jane Fonda, John Lennon and Yoko Ono often came to dine.

Costa Rica is his latest interest, major news is expected. Angela Jimenez, a well-known appraiser with Orbit Costa Rica, said she is now in discussions with Alberto Rampoldi of the Avalon development about one of Kaufman's latest ideas.

Climate Change and Peak Oil: Two Global Challenges That Will Assure More Gardening and Local Farming

2008-12-16T11:04:00.004-06:00

By Will Raap

Over thirty years ago as part of my graduate work I traveled to England to research the UK “garden city” movement where new cities were developed after WWII creating village centers surrounded by protected green belts. Gardening areas and small farms were planned into these new cities. British planners knew that gardens and local farms provided much of the wartime food and research in the UK showed gardens were about 3 times more productive per acre than commercial farms. Gardens and local farms have always been a key part of British food security.

I spent much of the past 3 decades promoting more food gardening and sustainable local farming in the US and Central America because of what I learned in the UK. Sometimes I felt this effort was irrelevant as food prices from our industrial system declined continually, outcompeting local food production until it nearly stopped. But recently we have become aware that industrial food has less nutrition, less flavor and can leave us vulnerable to food safety and security issues.
And now risks associated with our petroleum-based economy have become real overall and specifically for agriculture. Everything is connected in our global economy and any disruption in oil supply and prices ripples far and wide. This is especially true for food and agriculture. More than ever, cheap oil equates to cheap food…but the reverse is true for expensive oil.
Oil has allowed the development of modern society and economics. We are able to do about 100 times more work than we could do without it. An average 12 gallon tank of gas contains energy equivalent to about 4 years of human labor. Apart from uranium, oil has the greatest energy density of any other substance known.
Oil has allowed the human population to quadruple in 150 years as fewer farmers are needed to feed over 6.5 billion people. The average bite of food travels 1500 miles from farm to dinner plate. And every 1 calorie of energy from our food required about 10 calories of fossil fuel energy in farm machinery, fertilizer, pesticides, refrigeration, transportation and packaging. This level of energy dependency is the quintessential example of an energy economy that must be transformed as oil prices increase.
We have created a society and economy that depends on cheap petroleum to thrive. But the oil is running out and the environmental consequences of burning fossil fuels for cheap energy are catching up to us. We now are faced with responding simultaneously to two of the greatest challenges in human history: Climate Change and Peak Oil. And from my perspective, the good news is individually, and together, Climate Change and Peak Oil mark the shift back to more local food production.
Climate Change is a “Long Emergency”
From the cover of Time magazine, April 3, 2006: "The debate is over. Global warming is upon us-with a vengeance." Over the past century humanity has taken vast amounts of fossil fuels like oil, coal and natural gas from underground carbon reserves and by burning these fuels released immense amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere. CO2 and other “greenhouse gases” have upset the thermostat of the planet, triggering global climate change.
Climate change is an urgent and complex problem with a relatively simple cause but long term, likely severe consequences. Excess CO2 in the earth's atmosphere is raising temperatures around the globe causing dangerous new weather patterns, loss of plant and animal species, rising oceans and dislocated populations, declining forests and growing deserts.
Atmospheric CO2 levels are approaching 400 parts per million (ppm) and leading experts are now saying we need to reduce this to 350ppm to avoid environmental and economic catastrophe (see www.350.org). Because 85 per cent of world energy comes from burning fossil fuels, it is very difficult to reduce CO2 emissions quickly without economic disruption. And the food system is one of the major contributors of CO2 emissions. Food production, processing and distribution are estimated to be the source of over 20% of CO2 emissions in the US and about 15% globally.
There are only two things we can do to reverse global warming and avoid the consequences of climate change. First, we must reduce the amount of greenhouse gases – especially CO2 – that we are directly and indirectly responsible for emitting. Second, we must find ways to remove the excess carbon that has already been released into the atmosphere by increasing the earth's natural carbon "sinks" — the forests, wetlands, grasslands and healthy farmlands that help regulate climate by storing CO2. (See www.earthcarbonoffsets.com)
Both of these solutions are necessary. We need to immediately slow the global increase in carbon emissions through gains in energy efficiency and the development of carbon-free renewable energy sources. This will slow the growth of atmospheric CO2 levels. But we also need to reduce the levels of CO2 that are already in the atmosphere to buy time for clean technologies to be phased in. Without reductions in accumulated concentrations we may rob ourselves of the time to reduce our ongoing emissions of CO2.
Can we retool our fossil fuel-intensive economy quickly enough to reduce emissions? Can we stop trashing existing healthy carbon sinks like tropical forests and wetlands and restore the earth’s natural carbon sinks fast enough? The feedback loops that will answer these questions are measured in decades, and the trends are not positive. But the impact and feedback loops related to Peak Oil are measured in the price of energy and felt in a matter of months.
Peak Oil to the rescue?
World discovery of oil peaked in 1964 and has been declining ever since. Despite considerable improvements in technology there is no prospect of any significant new large oil discoveries. We are currently consuming more than 4 barrels of oil for every one discovered.
Peak Oil overall means we have pumped half of all oil reserves. Many estimate we hit peak oil this year, plus or minus a few years. So, we have currently pumped and used about one trillion barrels of the estimated two trillion barrels of oil the earth produced millions of years ago.
There is still about a trillion barrels of oil left below ground. The problem is we are running out of cheap oil. The quality and accessibility of half of the remaining oil reserves is declining. Remaining oil is often found in areas like deep oceans and the Arctic, presenting technical extraction challenges and much higher costs. Extraction costs are increasing as demand is increasing meaning prices will increase as well.
Will Peak Oil solve the Climate Change problem because our use of oil and other fossil fuels will slow as prices most assuredly increase? CO2 emissions will likely slow as fossil fuel prices rise. But, there will still be a growing demand for oil, coal and natural gas, especially from China, India and other fast-developing economies. Fossil fuels still offer unparallel energy density value compared to other fuels. And remember, it is now believed by many experts that to solve climate change CO2 levels in the atmosphere must be reduced from current levels, not just slowed.
Our Future Food Economy
OK, so Climate Change is real and a growing problem with potentially dire consequences, but in the long term. And our petroleum-dependent industrial food system is a major source of greenhouse gases so there will be pressure to transform it with CO2 emission reduction incentives and penalties. I believe it is clear that Climate Change mitigation strategies will lead us back to more locally-produced food, both to reduce CO2 emissions AND also because local farming and gardening most often employ sustainable practices that build the soil by adding organic material (i.e. by creating a ecological “sink” to store carbon from the atmosphere).
Peak Oil is a real problem today. Our economy experienced the economic consequences this year as oil prices exploded to nearly $150 per barrel, immediately increasing food costs. We also experienced the social consequences as food riots broke out throughout the developing world earlier this year due to biodiesel competition for grain crops leading to supply shortfalls and price inflation.
Just as British urban planners created policies to support local food growing in gardens and small farms after WWII I believe we are seeing global conditions, led by Climate Change and Peak Oil, to encourage the same policy shift in the US.
In fact, for most of this decade there has been a quiet revolution developing in our food system. We are still getting most of our food from distant industrial farms. But more and more food is being grown in and around cities, towns and neighborhoods where we live. People want fresh and healthy food without chemicals and grown by people they know. They want some sense of control over food safety and security. This revolution is taking place in home gardens, community gardens, new organic farms, membership farms, abandoned farms brought back to life, and new residential developments designed to feed as well as house residents. I’m working on a range of these initiatives in Vermont and Costa Rica, and the ground swell of interest is building.
How can we foster this local food movement near our homes? First, grow a garden or help a friend to grow one. Second, buy locally grown and prepared food whenever possible. Third, support policies that help your local economy support the transition to more local food and energy independence. One good model I just discovered for comprehensive food and energy transition planning comes, appropriately enough, from a town in England and is explained on this web site: www.transitiontowns.org/totnes. And please help advance another great idea I just learned about as I write this article November 3, 2008, on the evening before the Presidential election. Let’s petition President Obama to show the way by adding a food garden to the grounds of the White House…please visit http://www.kitchengardeners.org.

Cuba's Second Revolution

2008-12-15T09:14:00.006-06:00

S/R 38: Cuba’s Second Revolution (Will Raap)

by Will Raap

For several years I have been hearing about another revolution in Cuba. This time it involved farming and the food system. For much of the 1990s, small organic farms were providing increasing amounts of Cuba’s food. They were responding to the economic emergency of 1989–90 when the Soviet bloc began collapsing and Cuba lost its main source of foreign exchange and half of the food its 11 million citizens relied on.

During the early 1990s imports of agricultural machinery, fertilizer, pesticides and other needed inputs for Cuba’s industrialized agricultural system (producing mostly sugar for export) stopped abruptly. Cuban agriculture had to change or the people would starve. And change needed to happen fast.

Fertilizers, pesticides, equipment and other farm inputs needed to come from local sources and harvests had to feed Cubans, not sweeten desserts in East Germany. It was like corporate farms in California or Iowa suddenly having to switch from chemically dependent monocultures feeding Manhattan to compost-fed, diversified crops feeding Fresno or Dubuque. Then, in 1999, I read an article in The New Internationalist about a surprising additional innovation in this latest Cuban revolution: Organiponico.

Cuban agriculture had to change or the people would starve.

Read the full article here

Getting out of Dodge to the Tropics?

2008-10-27T08:56:00.005-06:00

Here is a great article written by my friend Tom Peifer. Tom is an agroecologist and he runs a non-profit called El Centro Verde and he has developed methods and educational programs around managing farms and forests while making the best use of soil, energy, water and other resources.

Culture Change - Home

Getting out of Dodge to the Tropics?
Written by Tom Peifer

In times of change, learners will inherit the earth. - Erich Fromm

The category 5 hurricane sweeping through the global economy has spun off any number of gusts, eddies and small tornadoes which have touched down in Guanacaste, Costa Rica, and muddied the sparkling future in the local development scene.

Sipping a margarita at sunset or taking in the view from a mountaintop, it’s easy to forget that the cash flow that made the road, rented the car and built the house at some point passed through any number of financial institutions which are now mired in mutual distrust or choking on mountains of financial toxic waste.
Read more...

Questions to Ask Before You Purchase Property

2008-10-09T14:04:00.005-06:00

How To Choose A New Residential Development In A Foreign Country

You're considering an investment property or a second house in a Central American residential development—in Costa Rica, Panama, Nicaragua or elsewhere. The shiny brochure is impressive, the website looked great, the pictures blew you away, the marketing representative of the development says all the right things and you're dead set on getting that beachfront lot with the great view.

Just a second. It's time to interrogate. It's time to assess whether the development really is right for you, and whether the development will develop as planned. You want to buy into a dynamic community—not an empty shell that will turn out to be little more than its marketing. The following are ten sets of important questions to ask of a developer to ensure that you're getting what you're paying for and that the development is on solid ground. A dishonest developer will shy away, while a good developer will respect your attention to these details, so don't be afraid to ask every last one of these even if it seems overly cautious. It can mean the difference between achieving your dream and being cheated out of your investment.

Property Title

Land ownership and title issues are common problems when buying foreign property. Ask these questions to ensure that you won't be thrown off the land after you have made the deal. If possible, follow up and make sure that the deeloper has answered truthfully and get the importat points in writing. Ask the developer:

* Do you or the landowner have full title to the property in question?
* What kind of title is it? (fee-simple, concession, indigenous?)
* Is title insurance available?
* Have you obtained it?
* If you have, what are the policy exclusions?
* Does a buyer receive title insurance for the particular piece of the project he or she is buying, or is the policy
* written for the entire property only?
* If title insurance isn’t available, how long has the developer owned the property?
* Who did he buy it from and how long did they own it?
* Do you guarantee title in the contract?

Master Plan

If the land is part of a larger community, make sure that it is well-planned. You could be left to fend for yourself for utilities or stuck with neighbors whose style and habits could make your dream home a nightmare to livein. Ask the developer:

* Has the property been properly subdivided and have the plans for development been approved by all relevant authorities?
* Have the appropriate environmental impact reports been submitted and approved?
* Has the lot plan been submitted and approved?
* Will there be a home owner’s association?
* Has it been registered?
* Are the terms and restrictions of homeownership in the development available?
* Will these terms, restrictions and association by-laws be incorporated into all lot titles?
* Are there any remaining government departments that need to approve the project?
* What infrastructure is already in place?
* What is the infrastructure plan and timeline?
* For additional infrastructure and services needed or promised, are those promises available in writing, by contract, to prospective buyers?
* Does your company have the capital to keep the project moving forward on its own, or are you relying on sales revenue to be able to make progress on the infrastructure?

Water

Water is essential to life, but that doesn't mean that a safe source of it will be provided by a developer. Ask the developer:

* What is the source of potable water?
* Is it being supplied by the developer, or is it up to buyers to provide their own?
* Is there enough water for the entire project?
* If there's a well involved? How high is the water table?
* How quickly does the water table replenish itself?
* If buyers have to source their own water supply, i.e. drill a well or install a rain collection system, is a feasibility study available?
* Has the water been tested?
* Is it free of contaminants?

Sewage

Here's another part of life that you may assume to be a given in any development, but you can't assume anything when creating your dream home in a foreign land...or even domestically. Ask the developer:

* How will waste disposal be handled?
* Septic of sewage?
* Is it up to buyers to install a septic system?
* Is the piece of property large enough to allow buyers to build what you’re intending to build?
* Compliance with local sewage disposal requirements?

Electricity

Rights to connect to the grids can be tricky in South America. Some are public, and some are private. Ask the developer:

* Where is the nearest electricity?
* Is there electricity already run to the project?
* If not, when will the power lines be installed?
* Will they be overground or underground?
* Who will run the lines: the developer or the government?
* Who will be responsible for their maintenance?

Experience

Developers who have great ideas are not always capable of seeing them through to completion, especially if they lack experience. Ask the developer:

* For how long have you been a real estate developer?
* For how long have you been a residential real estate developer?
* How many projects has your company worked with in the past?

What Is "Plan B"?

The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry. Investors need an exit strategy and developers need "Plan B". Ask the developer:

* What happens if the project fails?
* What if sales never come in as you expect?
* What if you're forced to abandon his project?
* Will buyers still have the full use of the property?

Financing

When you put your savings on the line, you need to know the risks and have means of protecting it. This is especially crucial when dealing with foreign real estate. Ask the developer:

* What are the details of financing and installment payments?
* If the developer is financing, will the buyer receive property title with a mortgage or does the property not transfer until the final payment has been made?
* And for both projects will a deposit be held in escrow?
* Are deposits and other monies held separately or together?
* What is the first installment you require and when must the property be fully paid in the case of these two specific projects?

Closing

If everything goes according to plan, great! But then what happens? Ask the developer:

* Will we be allowed to handle the closing?
* What is the developer's law firm?
* What is its reputation?
* Is it recommended by the relevant embassy (U.S., Canada, European, etc.)?
* Who else will be involved in the transfer of legal documents?

References

* Does the developer have satisfied customer letters that can be reviewed?
* Can you put us in touch with past buyers—ideally at least five English-speaking buyers—especially foreigners, especially any from the US, Canada, UK, Ireland or Australia?
* Has anyone started building on their lots?

By the time all of those questions are answered, you should have a clear idea of whether the development will blossom or wither. Take special note of any development you might consider that doesn't answer these questions directly and promptly. The best of them will have most of the answers ready at hand with supporting independent documentation.

Costa Rica Tourism Up 12.5%

2008-10-08T11:05:00.003-06:00

Costa Rica Daily News–The Tico Times, Costa Rica tourism still a bull market

Costa Rica tourism still a bull market

During the first six months of the year, 1.03 million foreign tourists visited Costa Rica, an increase of 12.5 percent (89,178 tourists) over the same period last year, according to estimates by the National Chamber of Tourism (CANATUR).

In addition, 86 percent of tourism operators said the first half of 2008 was as good or as better for them than the same period in 2007.

Estimates on the number of visits to the country were generated using arrival data from the country's two main international airports, Juan Santamaría west of San José and Daniel Oduber, in Liberia, the northwestern capital of Guanacaste province. Juan Santamaría reported an increase in traffic of 13.1 percent to 673,701 passengers. Traffic to Daniel Oduber grew by slightly less, 9.7 percent to 129,623 passengers. An estimate of arrivals through cruise ships was then added to this number.

“The estimates and projections reveal very positive data for Costa Rican tourism, despite difficult economic conditions abroad and at home,” explained Gonzálo Vargas, president of CANATUR. “We can assert based on the first semester that Costa Rica continues to be regarded by foreigners as an ideal place where to enjoy their vacations.”

CANATUR also conducted a survey of 50 of its members located throughout the country. Of these, 46 percent described the first semester of this year as very similar to the same period last year. Some 40 percent of those surveyed said the first six months of this year represented an improvement over the same period last year. The remaining 14 percent considered the first half of this year to be worse than the same period last year.

Migaratory Birds

2008-09-15T05:41:00.003-06:00

Dear A. M. Costa Rica

The article [Friday] hit on different topics about migratory birds visiting here and further south for the winter in North America.

There is an added discussion on this migration by many ornithologists. Are they really migrating from the North America or are they migrating to North America? If we look at the total time spent in one area, the migratory birds actually spend much less time in North America and more time in Central and South America. They actually only go north to raise a family and as soon as the family is ready to head south they do just that.

So the question, one may ask is, why would they fly all the way to the U.S. just to have their babies instead of just having their young down here. There are several good reasons to go north.

First there are many less predators to deal with when raising their young in a nest in North America.

Secondly, the birds arrive in Spring. Spring time is a time when insect populations explode. Thus there is an abundance of food to feed baby birds.

A third point is the days are longer in the north and there is more time to spend feeding those babies. So as soon as these babies are able to fly a long distance the family is ready for their journey south to live most of their life, only returning to North America to have another family.

Henry Kantrowitz
Punta Leona

EDITOR'S NOTE: Mr. Kantrowitz is a recognized expert on birds.

Why Smart Money is Moving Offshore

2008-08-22T10:32:00.003-06:00

As the mortgage crisis continues to gain momentum infecting the entire economy in the US many people will be looking for an alternative place to invest as well as an alternative place to live. Costa Rica is in a position to capitalize on the seventy million baby boomers looking to retire or buy a vacation home to enjoy part of the year.

The Rich Report May 2008
WHY SMART MONEY IS MOVING OFFSHORE
by Howard Rich

The Rich Report
Lunch with Harry

My good friend Harry is not the altruistic type. So, when he asked me to meet him for lunch to discuss my first Rich Report, I knew who was paying. I suggested Hanratty’s, a modest uptown establishment. He countered with The Tavern on the Green. Hence, I soon found myself staring out across the grand expanse of Central Park and, of course, picking up the check.

Harry wanted to know why I was so certain that the time has come to invest offshore. Since he manages his own very successful multi-million dollar portfolio, I knew he wasn’t just making small talk. So, over the next hour and a half, or so, I laid it all out for him.

Let me give you the truncated version, because if you’re reading this column, you, like Harry, are a serious investor. And if you’re a serious investor, you probably have some of the same questions Harry had. Then, I’ll finish up with the same “Rich Rewards Best Investment of the Month” I gave him. Fair enough?

Over the past few decades, I have noticed that serious investors share two important traits. First, they reduce their risks by diversifying their portfolios. Now, please understand: it’s not just that they don’t put all their eggs in one basket. Any savvy investor knows not to do that. Serious investors go a step further: they don’t limit their portfolios to eggs at all, or anything even remotely related. They invest across the board: in Blue Chips and start-ups, at home and abroad.

Secondly, serious investors increase their rewards by anticipating trends. They get first call by getting ahead of the curve. Years ago, a sportswriter asked hockey great Wayne Gretzky why he scored so many more goals than his opponents. He replied, “They skate to where the puck has been; I skate to where it’s going.” Enough said.

So, how does all of this apply to my earlier advice about investing in offshore real estate? In the words of “The Happy Warrior” (that would be Al Smith, for you young Turks), “Let’s look at the record.”

I’m convinced that failing to diversify your portfolio beyond U.S. shores today is tantamount to financial suicide. The question is no longer whether we will have a recession; the fact is, it really began last January, or perhaps even earlier when it became clear that the sub-prime debacle had gained momentum. And even the top three presidential candidates have finally realized that it’s already here.

The skyrocketing price of oil is fanning the flames of rising inflation. Agricultural commodities are off the charts, with the price of copper approaching a staggering $4.00 a pound. And the housing market continues to tank, with spiraling foreclosures and plummeting prices threatening to trigger a massive meltdown. Bear-Stearns has already collapsed, and the other investment banks are wobbling precariously. As USA Today recently opined, “If the US economy were a car, all of its warning lights would be flashing red.”

Amazon.com to Open Customer Service Center in Costa Rica

2008-08-13T17:00:00.003-06:00

A.M. Costa Rica: Fourth newspage

Amazon.com to open customer service center in Heredia
Special to A.M. Costa Rica

Amazon, the online marketer, said Tuesday that it plans to open a customer service center in Heredia. The new facility, which is scheduled to open in November, is expected to create more than 300 new jobs during its first two years of operation, with an additional 400 seasonal jobs to be added during the fourth quarter holiday season. The office will be operated by Amazon Support Services Costa Rica S.R.L.

The Costa Rican facility will provide primarily phone support with some e-mail support for customers of Amazon.com, the company said.

“As our business continues to grow, it’s important that we have customer service representatives available when it’s convenient for our customers,” said Brent Jaye, director of Amazon’s North America Customer Service. “Costa Rica has developed a great infrastructure that meets our needs, and is home to a number of existing customer service centers which means we’ll be able to draw on an experienced talent pool. As a result, we believe our new facility in Costa Rica will enable us to continue to serve our customers quickly and efficiently.”

Amazon.com, Inc. is a Fortune 500 company based in Seattle, Washington. Amazon.com has more than 40 different product categories, ranging from books, music, movies, video games, electronics, toys and baby, beauty, health and personal care, jewelry and watches, shoes, apparel and accessories, and gourmet food.

For the second quarter 2008, Amazon.com had global net sales of $4.06 billion, compared with $2.89 billion in second quarter 2007, an increase of 41%. The company ships to more than 200 countries worldwide and has tens of millions customers.

We're Back!

2008-07-17T06:16:00.009-06:00

It has been almost five months since my last post and so much has happened both in my personal life and at Tierra Pacifica. As many of you know my wife was in the hospital for two months after the birth of our precious daughter Eva. She survived three extremely rare conditions and is recovering well. More about that in an upcoming blog post about the health care system in Costa Rica. I want to thank all of you for your kind words, your thoughts and especially your prayers.

Pineapples in Paradise

2008-02-25T08:11:00.007-06:00

One of the great things about living in Costa Rica is the fruit you can grow. Sure Southern California was great, we had orange, lime and lemon trees in the back yard and we grew grapes every summer. But I still had to pay $5.00 or more for pineapples. Here pineapples grow so easy, we have thrown the tops of pineapples out in the yard only to have them root themselves. Pineapples do not need any water through our six months of dry season. I like my pineapple smoothie every morning - sometimes I throw in fresh coconut milk, a mango, papaya and a banana from our yard.

Sea Turtle Protection Making Strides in Junquillal

2008-02-25T07:44:00.005-06:00

One of the great attractions of the Playa Junquillal area that gets completely overlooked by many visitors and part-time residents is sea turtle nesting and the protection of the eggs.
Most people come to Costa Rica's northwest Pacific Coast in search of sun, surf, sportfishing and the like. But the magnificent beaches and water that provide those entertainments for humans also attract five species of endangered sea turtles to lay their eggs.
Harvesting turtle eggs from beach nests is a centuries-old tradition throughout Central and South America. Although the practice now is illegal in Costa Rica, poaching continues because of a lack of law enforcement resources.
Two organizations have worked hard in Playa Junquillal and nearby communities for the past few years to nearly eliminate turtle egg poaching here.
The Pacific Leatherback Conservation Project began operating in Playa Junquillal in 2005 and has protected hundreds of nests, enabling more than 16,000 baby turtles to hatch and return to the sea. Led by Argentine biologist Gabriel Francia, teams of local PLCP volunteers and visiting students conduct nightly patrols along the 5.6 kilometers of greater Playa Junquillal. This includes the central Junquillal beach as well as three nearby stretches - Playa Honda, Playa Estero and Playa Blanco (just north of Hotel Iquanazul).

The patrollers locate the tracks left in the sand by pregnant sea turtles as they make their way onto the beach to dig their nests and lay their eggs. Sometimes the PLCP volunteers wait until the mother turtles return to the ocean and then rake away the tracks that would identify the location of the nests. But most of the time they move the eggs - usually between 80 and 120 per nest - to a protected area where poachers cannot get at them. This is because sea turtles return to almost the exact nesting location year after year, so the poachers often know where to find them.
The PLC effort is focused on the three varieties of sea turtles that nest in the Playa Junquillal area: the mammoth Leatherback and the smaller Olive Ridley turtle and the Eastern Pacific Black turtle.
Coupled with the effort to protect nests and collect research data is a community awareness program. This involves educational presentations at local schools, recruitment of local students and adults as volunteers, and sponsorship of events to promote turtle protection.
The biggest such event - the annual Turtle Festival at Playa Junquillal each February - has grown into a broader community get-together that encourages cooperation among locals, foreign residents, part-time residents and tourists on a variety of issues. Some visitors who have experienced the Turtle Festival, volunteered for the nest patrols or witnessed the mass release of hatchlings into the sea make a point of returning to Playa Junquillal for these events.
The success of the PLCP in Playa Junaquillal has Francia considering expansion southward.
"It is also our ambition to make this message reach other communities such as Venado, Lagarto and Marbella, where threats still exist for the sea turtle nesting grounds," Francia stated in a recent newsletter published by the organization.
The other local effort to protect sea turtles is based in Punta Pargos, just north of Playa Junquillal. The Punta Pargos Sea Turtle Protection Project was established by Marc and Rachel Ward in 2003. The Oregon couple had witnessed turtle nest poaching first-hand as visitors to the Nicoya Penninsula of Costa Rica, and in 2001 they founded Sea Turtles Forever, an Oregon based non-profit conservation organization. The non-profit now runs the Pargos project in Costa Rica and the Pacific North West Leatherback Awareness Program in Oregon.
The Pargos project uses volunteers and visitors to patrol the beaches and protect turtle nests from north of Playa Blanco to Avellanas. It also engages in extensive community outreach through local schools and other organizations.
Marc Ward estimates that nests protected by the Pargos project have produced bout 8,000 baby sea turtles in the last three years. In addition to Leatherback, Olive Ridley and Eastern Pacific Black turtles, the Pargos project has protected eggs of Hawksbill and Eastern Pacific Green turtles found on those beaches. For more information got to: http://seaturtlesforever.com/

Organic Farm Update

2008-02-18T19:17:00.009-06:00

We are in our 14th month of experimenting with the organic farm and have successfully grown watermelons, tomatoes, basil, lemon grass, yuca, eggplant, pineapple, papaya and several varieties of bananas. This year we are experimenting with a tropical variety of lettuce, several varieties of tomatoes, cantaloupe, chili dulces, chili picantes, jalapenos, oregano, rosemary, onions and garlic. We have also planted several varieties of fruit trees including limes, starfruit, guanabana, guayaba and papaya. In the low areas of the farm we are utilizing a system of chinampas that was used successfully by the Aztecs. You can find more info about chinampas here:

http://www.western.edu/faculty/pcrossley/chinampasofmexico/index.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinampa

Help Us Stop the Poachers

2007-11-23T12:50:00.002-06:00

Two groups desperately need your help. The local group of the World Wildlife Fund and the Buala Boys of Sea Turtles Forever. These two groups patrol the beaches every night battling poachers to save the turtles. The group from the WWF patrols the beach from the estuary in Playa Junquillal to Playa Blanca. The group from STF patrols the beaches from Playa Blanca to Avellanas. These groups operate on a very small budget of less than $20,000 per year. Please go to their website and make a donation to support them:
Sea Turtles Forever

Below is an article that appeared in AM Costa Rica last week. Two years ago there was virtually no poaching of eggs at Playa Blanca. This year at least half of the nests we have found there in the mornings have been robbed of all or most eggs.

Here is a photo of Noah moving seven eggs that were left by poachers. Each nest normally contains 80-120 eggs.

By Bryan Kay
Special to A.M. Costa Rica

Turtle egg poaching at Playa Junquillal in Guanacaste has taken a sharp rise — just a couple of months after conservationists said the practice had been almost wiped out.

The World Wildlife Fund, which has been working with local people to combat the problem, announced in September how the fund's efforts had wiped out the illegal activity.

But Gabriel Francia, the man behind the awareness project, said there has been a recent spike in poaching in the area to about 25 percent.

He blamed the increase on a population surge, saying the likely culprits were people who are living in the area for short periods of time, such as those working in the booming Guanacaste construction trade.

They don’t have children in the schools, and they don’t have any long-term relationship with the area, he added.

Francia earlier had said in a press release about the first arrivals of the leatherback species for the nesting season how poaching had dropped from 100 percent to nearly zero.

The World Wildlife Fund has been working with the Junquillal, Paraiso and Pargos communities for two years in a project known as the Pacific Leatherback Conservation Project.

One of the key planks of the project involves working with children in the local schools. Francia said the hope is that youngsters will take the message about the dangers of turtle egg poaching home to their parents.

Valerie Guthrie, another of the project organizers, said they can’t completely rule out locals as responsible since eating turtle eggs is “super cultural” in Junquillal. But she said moves were now being made to work in conjunction with the construction companies to disseminate the same message.

Local hotel owner Rainer Frommlet said the project had been successful, but estimates that around 50 percent of local people continue to flout the law.

“The ratio of those who respect the turtles to those who don’t is probably still 50-50,” he said. “But before it was probably 70-30 against.”

A.M. Costa Rica/Bryan Kay

Menor and Jaime Jen await the end of egg laying by an olive ridley turtle so they can hide them elsewhere.

Reformed poachers Jaime and Menor Jen, two of the local volunteers, blame much of the residual poaching on alcoholics who steal the eggs and sell them.

“The problem with alcoholics is they take them so they can get a drink,” said Jaime Jen. “They sell them for 2,000 or 3,000 colons for 100.” That's from about $4 to nearly $6.

During a recent night patrol of the beaches at Junquillal, the two men told a reporter how they had been unaware of the damage they were causing to marine turtle populations until the project began.

Pacific leatherbacks — one of three species the Junquillal project works with, along with the olive
ridley and the black — are an endangered species. Biologists say that numbers have dropped by around 90 percent in the last two decades. Egg poaching has been identified as part of the problem, but accidental catches by fishermen, climate change and coastal development have also been cited as factors.

Meanwhile, as the Jen brothers spoke of their fondness for the creatures, an olive ridley emerged from the sea to lay eggs.

The pair waited patiently as the turtle laid 106 eggs in a nest it had burrowed in the sand. Then the two men collected the eggs and put them in another spot where poachers will be less likely to find them.

They carry out the patrols every night, but claim they have no intention of returning to their old ways.

“We learned about the problems in the sea and the numbers. Plus, they are beautiful,” added Jaime Jen.

Construction Begins on Commercial Center

2007-11-23T12:46:00.000-06:00

Tierra Pacifica broke ground on its new commercial center on November 14, less than 48 hours after receiving the necessary permits.
La Plaza de Tierra Pacifica is expected to be completed in November 2008 and is located adjacent to the front gate on the public road to Playa Junquillal. The prime location of the 17,398-square-foot commercial site will provide future business tenants with excellent exposure to vehicle and pedestrian traffic.
La Plaza will include a 6,562 square-foot two-story restaurant and bar with a rooftop garden terrace, as well as eleven retail shops and professional office spaces ranging from 315 to 630 square feet. The owner of the Surf Cafe restaurant-bar is in the process of finalizing an agreement with Tierra Pacifica over operation of that business, which will offer a cosmopolitan menu with a full selection of wines and spirits, bar area including pool tables, and a sunset grill on the terrace providing magnificent ocean and mountain views.
Some of the 11 other commercial spaces are expected to be occupied by retail businesses such as a clothing store, souvenir shop, a day spa, a bakery, a bookstore, an ice cream parlor, a retail electronics store, an art gallery, and a furniture store. Professional offices likely will include architectural and interior design services, attorneys, clerical services, accountants and general contractors. Prices for commercial spaces start at $60,000.
La Plaza de Tierra Pacifica will feature a Spanish pueblo design motif with railed balconies, varied window moldings, tile roof, wrought iron light fixtures and a grand central entryway that opens into an expansive botanical courtyard.

Costa Rica and US Trade Debt for Nature

2007-10-30T10:05:00.000-06:00

Ancient trees in the Amistad region of Costa Rica

Alejandra Vargas
24 October 2007
Source: SciDev.Net

[SAN JOSE] Costa Rica and the United States have signed an agreement to swap US$26 million of Cost Rican debt for funds to protect more than 1,000 acres of tropical forest.

The move will protect biodiversity in the region and help thousands of indigenous people maintain sustainable livelihoods.

The two countries made the agreement this month (October), with Costa Rica agreeing to spend the swapped amount on forest conservation over the next 16 years.

The US will contribute US$12.6 million, with environment protection organisations The Nature Conservancy and Conservation International each providing US$1.26 million.

The agreement is in line with the US Tropical Forest Conservation Act, under which the eligible countries can use their debt payments to finance tropical forest conservation.

"This is the first swap in Costa Rica under the Forest Conservation Act. This is also the largest swap we have ever made," David Henifin, attaché of the US embassy in Costa Rica, told SciDev.Net.

Six areas have been designated for protection, based on a scientific analysis to determine gaps in forest protection, says Zdenka Piskulich, director of The Nature Conservancy in Costa Rica.

The swap will target forest protection in some of Costa Rica's best known biodiversity hotspots, such as Tortuguero, a system of natural waterways near the Caribbean Sea.

The area surrounding the Rincon de la Vieja volcano, home to over 300 species of birds, and the Osa Peninsula, home to 2.5 per cent of the world's animal and plant species, will also benefit, along with ecosystems in the Amistad region, which contains 90 per cent of Costa Rica's known plant species.

Piskulich said in a press release that the funding will also allow indigenous communities, many of whom live in the Amistad region, "to pursue sustainable and economically viable livelihoods, thus improving their lives and sustaining the diverse biological resources on which they depend".

Costa Rica's environment and energy minister, Roberto Dobles, says that they hoped the investment would improve indigenous people's quality of life, allowing them to benefit from tourism.

The money will be part of a national trust under the administration of the Costa Rica-USA Foundation.

Courtesy of our friends at Science and Development Network. http://www.scidev.net/

Welcome to Tierra Pacifica

2007-10-29T09:51:00.001-06:00

Tierra Pacifica is a unique development nestled in the foothills and overlooking the Pacific Ocean in the Guanacaste region of Costa Rica. While discussing our overall goals for this very special 220-acre parcel, the first question we asked was “How can we develop this beautiful piece of land while adding value to the local community, maintaining the natural integrity of the land, and also maximizing the quality of life for the new owners?” Our second question was, “How do we establish and maintain a community where the ideals we live by are shared with those we will live with?” This required slowing down for just a moment and reflecting on how we can truly live in harmony with our environment. We believe Tierra Pacifica, a development that balances a high standard of living with innovative environment-enhancing design, is the answer to these questions.