EcoTeach travelers now have a unique opportunity to get “in the water” and study turtles as part of a new “catch, study and release” conservation project located in Golfo Dulce, the bay separating the Osa Penisula from the mainland of Costa Rica.  Participants will accompany project staff  in research boats and assist in the safe capture of hawksbill and Pacific green sea turtles.

Project staff will cast nets into the water and wait for turtles to enter them.  Once the turtle is in the net, volunteers will help get the turtle safely and gently into the boat so they can measure, tag and collect data.  Once the studies are complete, the turtle is released back into the water.  Circumstances permitting, participants may be allowed to get back in the water with the turtles.  Participants can be assured they are contributing to a vital conservation effort with the turtle’s well being as the primary focus.

EcoTeach has partnered with WIDECAST, an international non-profit organization dedicated to sea turtle conservation in the Caribbean region.  WIDECAST encompasses the largest coalition of sea turtle scientists and conservationists in the world and is credited with ensuring that sea turtle projects are professionally managed and protected.  Little is known about the sea turtle population in this area and WIDECAST’s goal is to collect data about population structure, genetic origin, in-water habitat use and health status of the turtle population.  With the help of volunteers, researchers have already collected data on 150 turtles in this region.

Travelers will stay in Playa Blanca, located in the southern Pacific province of Puntarenas, and spend two days and three nights working at the project.  In addition to assisting on research boats, volunteers will work at the on-site turtle hospital, clean beaches and have time for hiking and exploring the area for macaws, monkeys, dolphins and humpback whales.

If you would like to participate in EcoTeach’s “Turtles in Water” project or would like more information about other community service projects in Costa Rica, please visit our web site at www.ecoteach.com.

Travel to the Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica with EcoTeach and patrol the beaches at night in search of nesting sea turtles at our sea turtle conservation station, Estacion Las Tortugas.  Have a chance to come eye to eye with a Leatherback turtle as she digs her nest and lays 80-100 eggs.   You may also conduct population studies, tag turtles, transplant eggs to a protected area or release hatchlings into the ocean.

During the day, explore the local canals for wildlife, hike in the surrounding rain forest or engage in an impromptu game of volleyball or soccer.  You might also participate in volunteer activities such as building a hatchery or cleaning the beach of debris to make it easier for sea turtles to nest or return to the ocean.

Don’t miss the opportunity to help this endangered species that dates back 250 million years.  EcoTeach has nine travel dates available from March – July, 2012 with prices starting at $999 land.  So grab your friends, colleagues or family members and be a part of what our travelers call “a mystical and life changing” experience.

This trip is open to travelers age 10 and over.  (Travelers age 10-17 must be accompanied by an adult.)

Click here to view details and travel dates available for EcoTeach’s 2012 sea turtle volunteer vacations.

In May, EcoTeach guides traveled to Nicaragua as part of EcoTeach’s annual guide training.  They visited an orphanage, toured the old colonial town of Granada, boated in Lake Nicaragua, dined out in the city, visited a museum and even went volcano boarding.   The tour, provided by a local Nicaraguan guiding company, had the cultural exchange and hands-on experiences anticipated by the guides.

What they didn’t anticipate was the disorganization, poor communication and unplanned meals – all strategically planned by EcoTeach Operations Manager, Pika Viquez.   Viquez incorporated “planned chaos” into the trip to see how the guides would react.   He orchestrated changes in the day’s itinerary without telling them, asked the local guiding company to show up late for activities and “forgot” to coordinate meals with the restaurants.

Viquez’s goal was to recreate many of the feelings and experiences that any traveler encounters when visiting a new place. “Our guides are used to being in control and knowing exactly what to expect. We wanted to take away their security and see how they would respond to the unexpected. We shared stories each evening and everyone agreed it was an amazing experience. They laughed hysterically when they found out that we planned a few problems along the way,” said Viquez.

During the expedition, EcoTeach guides also participated in “real life experiences,” a practice developed by Viquez, to encourage each guide to create his or her own connection with Nicaragua and the Nicaraguan people.  They chatted with local people on a ferry ride, tried their hand at horse corralling at a local farm and worked with artisans at a ceramic studio.   “Real life experiences are an integral part of any EcoTeach expedition and we wanted our guides to have the experience of being a traveler instead of a guide,” said Viquez.

EcoTeach guide training is an annual event attended by EcoTeach guides, staff and partners. Viquez has been running guide training for the past three years and focuses the training on continuing education, site visits, safety and fun and adventure.

EcoTeach trip leaders share how student travel enriches their students’ lives.

Five minutes of listening to the news tells us that the world is now a global community. As such, the curriculum at our school, St. Paul’s School for Girls in Maryland, reflects a multi-cultural curriculum. Traveling with EcoTeach to Costa Rica provided the perfect hands-on activity to enhance the more traditional classroom experience.

During the middle-school years, our students study life science and earth science. In the classroom, the students have studied the biology of ecosystems, the development of evolution, and the notion of endangered species.

We often speak of an animal as being endangered, however, it has little meaning until one meets up with an endangered turtle personally. Our students were able to learn about the sea turtles from instructors who were knowledgeable and passionate about saving the turtles. Collecting and safeguarding the eggs of leatherback sea turtles provided an experience that will activate a lifelong commitment to preservation. What better way to make plate tectonics come alive than to see a mountain range on a convergent boundary and to climb an active volcano.

Visiting and learning about a variety of cultures is critical as our world becomes smaller. Visiting the BriBri indigenous community enabled the girls to respect the wisdom and lifestyle choices of people who have rejected the fast-paced, modern life with which they are so familiar. This knowledge will last the girls a lifetime.

During the EcoTeach adventure, each girl was challenged to grow and learn. Each developed a new sense of self and bonded with others in the group. They returned from Costa Rica enriched by their experiences.

Contributed by Lauren Davis & Margaret Green, Trip Leaders, St. Paul’s School for Girls 2011 Costa Rica expedition

Join other educators for EcoTeach’s 2nd annual educator trip to Costa Rica, June 29 – July 6, 2011, at an amazing discounted rate. You’ll spend two nights working with sea turtles at one of our sea turtle projects located on the Caribbean Coast, participate in a field project with researchers from the University of Costa Rica at Veragua Rainforest Research & Adventure Park, hike through Arenal Volcano National Park, visit an organic farm filled with surprises and fly through the air on a canopy zipline tour.

Whether you’re considering leading a group of students to Costa Rica, are looking for amazing experiences to bring back to your classroom or just want a summer vacation filled with adventure, this is the trip for you.

Educators are welcome to bring a spouse, partner, or friend at the discounted rate. The trip cost includes: accommodations, meals, activities and entrance fees, local guide, and private transportation – basically everything!

For more information, visit our webpage at www.ecoteach.com/2011/educators/ or contact Stephanie Hall at 800-626-8992 x10 or via email at stephanie@ecoteach.com.