Projects and Places We Support

EcoTeach carefully selects a variety of locally-owned and operated projects focused on conservation and ecology. Each year, our travelers volunteer thousands of hours saving sea turtles, planting trees and improving the habitat of endangered green macaws. In addition, we work side by side with rural schools and communities in a variety of projects designed to aid in their economic vitality. EcoTeach is committed to maintaining strong relationships with programs that enhance biodiversity and improve communities by contributing both time and money.

Upon returning from an EcoTeach trip, our travelers often want to give back to the country and our projects in a tangible way. We invite students, teachers and other travelers to consider leaving a legacy in the form of a donation to one of our projects to purchase a necessary item (i.e. boat motor, solar panels) or infrastructure improvement (i.e. well for water or sewage treatment facilities).

Sea Turtle Projects: Estación Las Tortugas and Gandoca

Perhaps you’ve seen endangered animals in zoos, but how often have you encountered one in the wild…and had a chance to save it? At Estación Las Tortugas and Gandoca, you’ll work with a team of biologists and local experts on conservation efforts of the Leatherback or Green sea turtles. This work could include conducting population studies, tagging turtles, transplanting eggs to protected areas, or releasing hatchlings into the ocean. You might also help build hatcheries or clear the beach of debris to make it easy for them to nest. At night, you will patrol the beaches looking for nesting females, and with any luck you will get to experience the magic of seeing a sea turtle lay her eggs. EcoTeach’s work on these projects has helped create a dramatic increase in the number of nesting females each year. For many of our travelers, working with the turtles is a life-changing experience!

Indigenous BriBri Community

The BriBri are one of the last remaining native populations of Costa Rica. The BriBri practice non-invasive agriculture within their protected mountainous rainforest in the southeast corner of the country – a place reached by way of a rugged mountain trail. EcoTeach travelers learn about the history, culture and way of life – how they find food, medicine, tools and building materials within the rainforest. The visit could include a simple lunch served on a banana leaf, a game of soccer with the BriBri school children or perhaps a cultural exchange with a song or performance.

The BriBri live in sustainable harmony with the splendor of their natural surroundings. EcoTeach is one of the few tour providers invited to visit the BriBri on their sacred land, and is always grateful for the experience.

Pital Farmstays & Reforestation Project

While Costa Rica claims to have protected more of its native forest than any other country in the world, deforestation still claims more than 200 square miles of pristine rain forest each year, and illegal logging takes place in many of its protected areas. The northern Caribbean plain of Costa Rica was once the biggest tract of lowland rainforest in the country; now less than 10% remains standing. The area was also once home to a healthy population of great green macaws; now there are only 25 to 35 breeding pairs left. At Pital, you’ll work with locals who are committed to protecting the remaining forests and participate in reforestation efforts.

You’ll also spend the night with a local farm family. The families welcome our travelers into their homes to experience a typical day in their lives. The visit might involve getting up before the sun to milk cows, participate in daily chores and then help prepare a traditional meal. Local children are always anxious to get a game of soccer going with their guests.

Estufa Finca Clean Burning Stove Project

EcoTeach is working with SeaChar, a Seattle-based non-profit, to provide volunteers to build small, easy-to-assemble clean burning stoves for local farm families and migrant coffee workers. The Estufa Finca (farm stove) is designed to cleanly burn a wide range of organic waste—widely available on farms—from coffee plant trimmings to corn cobs, animal waste to blackberry vines. While producing 60-75% fewer emissions than wood stoves, they also generate biochar, a fine-grained, porous charcoal that can be used as a very effective fertilizer for the farming land while also absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. These stoves save trees, prevent rampant respiratory disease, enhance farm productivity and, most importantly, save lives.

San San Sak Pond Manatee Project (Panama)

The West Indian manatee is believed to have evolved from a four-footed, plant-eating land mammal more than 60 million years ago. Its closest modern relative is the elephant. Volunteers will go paddling in kayaks to conduct daily surveys, visit the observation platform to record critical information about groups and their behavior and participate in activities to clean up the environment.. EcoTeach volunteers can help raise critical awareness about the species and reduce environmental threats. Students may also have the opportunity to participate in nightly turtle patrols, depending on the season.

Local Schools

EcoTeach directly supports two Costa Rican elementary schools, Huetares and Las Brisas. Our groups are excited to see what a school looks like in another country, and the Costa Rican children appreciate meeting American students. When we visit these schools, our travelers often bring school supplies or other necessary materials. The school typically offers a Costa Rican lunch and the children perform traditional songs and dances. Upon returning, several groups have raised money to fix buildings or donate essential materials. These schools are quite poor and without the support of EcoTeach and our groups, they would not be able to take care of most of these necessary projects (like toilets, wells and school supplies).

Jardin Piarella Butterfly Farm

This remarkable piece of property is a Costa Rican success story. Once a heart of palm field, it has been transformed into a sustainable business, with a butterfly farm and animal rehabilitation facility. Costa Rica has around 1,250 species of butterflies – a tenth of the world’s total. However, as with so many other types of species, these beautiful insects are suffering as a result of habitat destruction and overexploitation. This facility offers a special chance to see a remarkable assortment of butterflies, frogs, caterpillars and also a thriving animal rehabilitation facility. Also on site are several enclosures where the staff care for injured and abandoned animals. Since its beginning in 1993, hundreds of birds, mammals and reptiles have stayed here; many have been re-released into the wild. The goal of Jardin Piarella is to educate visitors about natural biology and conservation.