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City/State: Punta Banco |
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Country: COSTA RICA
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| PRETOMA Programa Restauracion de Tortugas Marinas |
Apdo. 1203-1100
San Jose
COSTA RICA
N/A
Phone: 506-241-5227
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Program description: |
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Volunteers come from all of the world to assist Project Coordinators with sea turtle conservation activities and will walk the 4km beach on a nightly basis looking for nesting sea turtles. When found, turtles are measured, tagged, and checked for general health conditions. Nests are then taken, monitored, and protected in a local hatchery. Hatchery duties include monitoring for hatching baby turtles and releasing them into the ocean, as well as post hatching nest excavations to determine success rates.
The project is in Punta Banco on the south-west Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Most project work is done at night when turtles are nesting on the beach. Shifts typically start between 7 and 8pm and last roughly 2-4 hours and continue throughout the night. Volunteers usually only have one shift per night unless they request more. Because of the schedule, volunteers usually don’t rise in the morning until 9am, at the earliest, unless they’ve had an early shift the night before, or they get the “dawn patrol” (which many come to consider the choice shift for the sunrises over the mountains).
During the day volunteers can hike, swim, surf, help record data from the night before, help set shift schedules, take care of personal needs such as laundry, letters, cleaning, catch a nap in a hammock between two palms on the beach, check the hatcheries, and get to know the locals. Breakfast is served at about 9am, lunch at around noon and dinner at about 5:30 or 6pm. Volunteers stay in the Station house or overflow cabins.
All are welcome. Volunteers learn techniques on site and thus needn't be biologists or turtle experts. Volunteers should have an interest in protecting endangered sea turtles, living and working with other volunteers from around the world, and getting to know the people, the surroundings and culture in a small coastal rainforest village in Costa Rica.
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General program information: |
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Program open to: Everyone
Travel to site: Independent Travel
Is opportunity more independant or group orientated: Independant
Living arrangements on the program: Varies, Group living, Home stays (living with local families), Independent Living
How long does the program last?: 3-6 months
What are the dates of this program: July 15th, 2007 - December 20th, 2007
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Benefits and advantages of the program: |
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Most volunteers get involved in elements of project management during the day such as hatchery maintenance, data recording and shift scheduling which are all part of the resume building experience. Our aim is for every volunteer to have a memorable, educational, cultural and enjoyable time working with other volunteers, locals and PRETOMA to help protect and restore endangered sea turtles and their habitat.
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Cost or price of this program: |
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Varies with accomodation and length of stay, please visit website for more information.
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Qualifications required: |
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Most important is to have a good attitude. Volunteers should be in fairly good shape for nightly walks and be comfortable in a rustic environment.
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