Safe Educational Trails for Kids and Teachers

Dear friends:

I want to thank you for supporting the construction of trails within the Golfito Field Station. Thanks to your help and that of 8 volunteers from the University of Costa Rica who came for several days with picks and showels in their hands. We worked in two trails that cover all different types of environments from recovering pasture, to secondary forest to primary (virgin) forest. We also had the assistance of two paid workers who were there for the entire week. In five days we were able to set up a little over a kilometre of trails.

These trails are soo easy to walk on that we believe both kids, teachers and researchers will be able to safely acces different sectors of the field station. We still have to build a few bridges just because the cross deep crevices or swampy sections. We also purchased 12 cubic metres of gravel to pour on the trails, but we have to wait for the rainy season so that we can see where it is actually need it. We also hope to make secondary trails from these first trails, in the future. The new trails will move onto the hilly sections of the forest.

In the mean time, please check the pictures we are attaching for you to see some of the work and progress we made the week of the 2st through the 25th of january.

Thanks for your support,

It will be summer in Costa Rica during the months of January and February, 2019 (even though we are in the northern hemisphere). But is is the hottest and driest time of the year. This is why we have blocked the week of the 21^st of January 2019 for us to proceed and build the trails and bridges. So far, we have about 8 volunteers, not including myself, and some funds that we have received so far.

We are asking you to help us with some funding to purchase cement and gravel to both, build bridges and to lay down on the trails. Let me clarify that only the bridges are built on concrete. The gravel is laid on the trails so that we reduce the risk of erosion. At the same time it is easier to walk, and for kids it is safer, as it is not slippery especially on hilly terrain. Actually, the entire property is very hilly. Your support will also help us hire a worker who will lead mainly the constructions of the bridges and some steps.

We will send you pictures of the construction activity, and of course show you how your support has materialized. We greatly appreciate your support so far and hope that you can give us another push. Our plan is to finish this project by the end of January, 2019.

Oscar

The dry season in this part of the world runs from January through April. We are going to get the help of several volunteers to get all the trails done sometime during this coming dry season. We just require gravel, some sand and cement to build short bridges and to lay in some parts of the new trails. This gravel help reduce erosion and makes easier for people to walk around.  The bridges reduce sedimentation and interference with creek flora and fauna. But most importantly, it makes it possible for pre-schoolers and smaller children to walk in a primary forest.

Most everthing is planned and ready. We hope you can give us some assistance throught GlobalGiving so that we can purchase the construction grade gravel, the sand, and the cement. I am sure we can finish the trails and bridges in a couple of weeks once we have the materials with the help of the volunteers.

Thank you,

Hello Friends:

    We are at the beginning of the rainy season here in Costa Rica. This means that we won't have many more opportunites to take kids into the rain forest anymore.  We hope to raise addditional funding by the end of this season so that we could finally build bridges and the trails in the Km23, Golfito Station, this coming dry season. Your support is always welcome and hope you let your friends and colleages know about this little but important project for environmental conservation.

    We are saving our energy for this coming dry season and plan to build then. Thanks for your support.

Yours, Oscar

Dear friends / Estimados amigos:

  We are about to start a new push to get additional funding for this project. We believe that having good, passable and safe trails is very important as part of a positive experience for young kids in any environmental awareness project. This funding campaign attempts to provide this possibility to kids. Our primary and secondary forest does not have trails that are good enough for younger kids.

  So, far we have received some funding enought to acquire some materials to build the foundation for a couple of short bridges. Yet, we require to build about 4 more, pay for one worker to help us with leveling the trails and to purchase the appropriate type of gravel. We are about to invite new donors for the project, but we would like for you to consider telling others that might be interested in supporting this kind of project.

   We greatly appreciate your support so far.

Yours, Oscar