Welcome to the Reserva Pacuare, and thank you in advance for your help. We hope you
are aware of the importance of the project and how much we rely on your help to keep the
project going.
We have to remind you that the reserve is a place of work and the best way to enjoy you
stay is getting involved with the tasks assigned to you. Your input is necessary for the
development of the project, but of course there will also be time for rest and fun. We hope
that your stay is beneficial both for you and us and we hope that you learn from us, and us
from you. if you have any particular skills that you think we could use, please mention
them to us and if you have any suggestions we very much hope you share them and help
us to improve. At the beginning of your stay you will be given some information about the
reserve but if there is anything you would like to know more about we will try to provide the
information. There is a library with a number of books about the local wildlife, just ask. We
very much hope you enjoy your stay at the Reserva Pacuare and collaborate with us as
much as possible.
History of the Reserva Pacuare
In 1989, John Denham founded EWT and purchased 800 hectares of land that now makes
up 80% of the Pacuare Reserve. The 6km beach always known to be a very important
nesting site for the leatherback turtle, Dermochelys coriacea, and also for the green turtle,
Chelonia mydas and hawksbill, Eretmochelys imbricate. At that time approximately 98% of
nests were being lost to poachers.
Initially the beach was protected against poaching by EWT members and volunteers from
different countries and later by experienced biologists. Data has been collected since
1991, and since 1994 with the help of specialists in leatherback populations. In 2003 the
period of protection was extended from March- July (leatherback season) until the end of
September to allow protection of the green and Carey turtles.
In 2008 new land was acquired on the opposite bank of the canal as a buffer zone to allow
protection of the canal system on both sides and stop the advance of the banana
plantations. This are is currently being replanted with native species to allow forest
regeneration.
Enivronmental education is a very high priority for the reserve at the moment, and we often
have school groups both from the local area and from overseas visiting to learn about what
we do.
Food and Menu
All the food is brought in from the local town of Bataán, apart from the fruits and
vegetables that we grow at the reserve. The menu includes little meat (chicken) as we
don’t have electricity to store perishable foods. The menu therefore is based on pulses,
and a fairly high quantity of rice and black beans, the typical food of Costa Rica. We eat a
lot of vegetables, lentils, chickpeas and plenty of fresh tropical fruit such as bananas,
mangos, pineapple, melon, papaya and watermelon. Paradoxically, fish is hard to get. The
menu is designed to be balanced, with the right quantities of carbohydrates, proteins, and
sufficient vitamins and minerals.
Basic Rules
As there are a lot of people living together at the reserve there are certain rules that must
be strictly followed by everyone.
Water- access to water at the reserve is via wells, and the water must be pumped with
petrol. For this reason we ask everyone to use as little water as possible and limit
themselves to one shower per day
Sand- please remove your shoes before entering the buildings to keep sand out. Buckets
of water at the doors and by the showers are to wash any sand from your feet.
Please comply with the reserve schedule
Electricity- is extremely limited , we have solar panels which are used exclusively to
charge the reserve phones, radios and computers. If you urgently need something
charged just ask a member of staff and if there is enough electricity we will charge
something for you. As there are no electric lights in the rooms we use candles. Please be
especially careful with them as the cabins are made from wood. Never leave burning
candles unattended.
Drugs are completely forbidden
White light is never used on or in the direction of the beach
Because of the crocodiles it is forbidden to swim in the lagoon or canals. When swimming
in the sea exercise extreme caution as there are strong currents and uneven sea floor. It is
recommended that you never go out further than waist deep.
Please do not throw paper or anything else down the toilets.
Rubbish is separated into organic(for the compost), recyclable and non-recyclable. Please
respect the different bins. Please take batteries back to your country to recycle them if
possible.
Volunteer Tasks at the reserve
Most of your work will take place at the designated times (morning and afternoon), and we
hope you will make yourself available. On some occasions however we may ask you to
participate in the night patrols for security reasons, to prevent a field assistant from having
to patrol alone. Of course if you would like to take part in the night patrols you are welcome
to do so whenever you wish to.
The timetable is as follows:
4:30-6:00
Morning census of nests
9:00-9:30
Breakfast
9:30-10:30
Free time
10:30-12:30
Morning work (2 hours)
12:30-13:00
Free time
13:00-14:00
Lunch
14:00-15:00
Free time
15:00-17:30
Afternoon work (2.5 hours)
17:30-18:00
Free time
18:00-19:00
Dinner
19:00-20:00
Free time
20:00-4:00
Night patrols
As you can see there are only 4 ½ hours of work during the day. The idea is that you will
work hard for only a few hours so that the work is more efficient and more is achieved.
Normally, after breakfast at 10am the coordinator meets with the field assistants to discuss
the previous night’s patrols and prepare the day ahead. At 10.30 tasks will be written up on
the board in Administración and assigned to the volunteers. These tasks will be continued
after lunch. In general the morning tasks are based around the station (cleaning the patrol
equipment, maintenance of the station) and the afternoon tasks are on the beach
(triangulating or excavating nests, clearing debris etc.)
You can use your free time however you like, you can explore the forest, read up about the
local wildlife, play volleyball, table tennis, rest in the hammocks…
The night patrols are not compulsory for volunteers, particularly when there are student
groups visiting, but when the assistants are having to patrol alone we may ask if you can
accompany them. For security reasons patrols have to be made up of at least 2 people, so
this is a way in which you can be very useful to us. Of course, if this is the case we will ask
you in enough time to prepare yourself, and conversely, that if you wish to rest on any
particular night you let the coordinator know in advance (i.e. before lunchtime).
If we see that you are really getting involved with the project you may be able to do certain
tasks, such as the morning census, alone. This can be a great help to us as it allows the
field assistants to rest, and is also a good way for you to get involved and learn more
about the turtles. If this is the case you will always be given sufficient training.
Since you will be undertaking the work that we want to teach our school groups about, we
would always be grateful to have you around to help with their visits, and to interact with
them in friendly and positive ways.
Tasks
Morning tasks (before breakfast)
Morning census approx. 4am – 7am
Morning tasks (before lunch)
Normally working at the station with cleaning and maintenance, such as:
Cleaning and preparation of patrol equipment.
Preparation of posters.
Repairs within the station or of equipment
Tasks in reforestation areas.
Collaboration with the field assistants’ personal projects.
Collaboration with the recycling project and waste storage.
Collaboration with the garden project and composting.
Assisting the reserve staff.
The morning tasks tend to take place in the station because it's too hot to work on the
beach, however, in certain circumstances, such as high workload, or on cooler days, work
may take place on the beach in the morning too. This could be a further mid-morning
census of the beach to review hatched nests and collect hatchlings for release at the end
of the day, etc.
Other typical afternoon tasks on the beach may include:
Repair measuring and marking equipment (poles, signs, etc.) on the beach.
Triangulating nests that are due to hatch
Excavating nests
Clearing the beach of debris and rubbish
Reforestation
Watering, maintenance and care of the vegetable garden
Night patrols
The night patrols involve walking from either the south or north station at the far ends of
the reserve for approximately 3km along the beach towards the centre of the beach and
back to the station, at least once. They last at least 4 hours and, depending on the amount
of activity, start at 8, 10 and 12pm. You should wear lightweight, dark clothes, with long
sleeves, and covered shoes. If you use insect repellent you cannot be close to the turtle so
it is preferable to cover up with long sleeves. Lightweight clothes dry quicker if it rains, and
are not as hot to walk in. They should be dark coloured so we are not too visible on the
beach. The field assistant will carry the patrol equipment, and volunteers only need a torch
in case of emergencies (the assistant will use the only red light during the patrol) and a
bottle of water.
The work that volunteers or students can do during the patrol:
• Accompanying the monitoring work with at least one research assistant, helping to
measure the turtle or depth of the nest, cleaning and disinfecting the patrol instruments;
holding the relocation bag for collecting eggs, holding the tape at the nest or at one of the
triangulation posts to help triangulate, measuring the turtle’s track; helping to dig the
relocation nest; checking the turtle’s tags (provided that the light is handled by the
research assistant); counting the eggs (without touching them) if authorized by the
assistant, camouflaging the nest and track…
What we expect from you:
That you participate and get involved in the project’s work; that you are willing to help at
any time, including sometimes outside the designated times; that you are self-sufficient
and able to work unsupervised by staff or coordinators; that you follow the rules and
respect nature. Also, that you learn, and then spread the important message of
conservation.
What we offer:
The experience of working directly with scientific research and data collection in the field,
the opportunity to get close to critically endangered sea turtles and help to protect their
populations; the chance to see a huge number of rare and endangered birds, mammals
and reptiles in the wild. We give you board and lodging with three meals a day for $30 per
night, as well as coffee and tea 24 hours a day.
At the end of your stay you will receive a questionnaire in which we ask you for any
suggestions for ways that we can improve.
Thank you very much in advance for your support and remember that your contribution
and motivation are fundamental to the development of the project!