The Mangrove Reforestation

ProjectBy Rafael Gonzalez, Natali Solis Franco, Candace

Castillo, and Tristan EdenburnPalo Seco Beach Island Central Pacific, Costa Rica

Goals ● Reforestation of 2.6 kilometers of island shoreline

that have been affected by human action and natural conditions.

● Protection of existing mangrove forest along the littoral and coastal zones.

● Increase the population of the mangrove trees to make sure that they are no longer endangered.

Our Contribution to the Project - Cutting the BottlesThe first step involved in planting the mangrove trees was a seemingly

strange one - we had to cut plastic bottles with an interesting, curved knife. With this knife, we had to cut the bottle slightly above the midway point, disposing of the upper part, and keeping the lower part. Then we cut three holes in the bottom of the bottle, that each were around ¾ of an inch. This was so we could fill the bottles with dirt, plant the propagules in later. The holes are meant for the roots of the propagules to enter the ground while they are still being grown, and the removal of the top part is so the mangroves can exit through the top once they grow.

Our Contribution to the Project - Collecting the Propagules

The next day we went on a boat ride. We went on the boat to collect the propagules. The propagules are the seeds on the mangrove, We collected the propagules, we collected 4 propagules each. There are 8 different types of mangrove trees. We got to see the white, red, salt, black, and pineapple mangrove trees.

What is a Mangrove?

A mangrove is a type of tree or shrub that mainly grows in the central pacific area and they can only grow in brackish water. Brackish water is a mixture of freshwater and saltwater, the most known mangrove is the one with a tangle of roots sticking up from the water.

The Mangroves PropagulesThis is what the mangrove propagules we collected looked like. They had green points on the top where leaves would grow, a green stem for the stem of the plant, and a brown stem near the bottom for where the roots would grow.

Picking mangrove seeds that will be fostered and planted

Our Contribution to the Project - Planting the Mangrove+ Nursery

For our contribution to the nursery we had to:

1. Go to the nursery with the collected propagules.2. Clean up the nursery by raking all the leaves and mangos on the floor.3. Fill the bottles we made with dirt, and plant the propagules in.4. Place them into the nursery.5. Separate dead and alive plants that were growing in the nursery before.

To plant the other mangrove trees that have been growing in the nursery for 10 months, we had to:

1. Bring the young mangroves over to a shore where they could grow.2. Dig 2 ft deep holes with our shovels3. Break the propagules out of the bottles, put them in the holes, and refill the holes

with dirt.

Cleaning up the nursery

Costa Rica School: We went to a school to tell and teach the kids about Colorado such

as, what it’s like, the activities we have, and how different the weather is here. The children were really excited when they saw pictures of snow because this was something they have never seen before, and they couldn’t look up images of snow because their school had very little technology. Despite this lack of computers, phones, and other learning devices, the students were still joyous with what they had, and they still learned a lot. Something really interesting we saw was that they learned very specific details about poisonous snakes from a young age, because of their tropical location. These children taught us to be happy with what we have, because we are blessed with all of this advanced technology.

The Game with the Kiddos

The game we played with the kids was just like the game we play here known as helicopter where we spin around with a jump rope to see who’s either going to jump onto it or get hit by it. But for them instead of having a jump rope they had a broomstick that had a rope tied to it and a bottle tied to the end of the rope.

Alligator Farm

Once we arrived at the alligator farm, we got on a boat. We got to tour around. We got to see a lot of different species such as birds, lizards, and crocodiles.

Cocoa Bean PlantationIn Costa Rica, we went to a cocoa bean plantation that was made for

tourism only, and was not made for mass production. However, the plantation still showed us how the cocoa trees were planted, and how cocoa beans were brought from a fruit that produced around 25 cocoa beans for things such as chocolate bars, and in between, some “cocoa butter.” This butter was a white substance inside the fruit that is used for white chocolate, and lotion. Our hilarious tour guide kept making many jokes, and even allowed us to eat some hot chocolate they made at the farm at the end of the tour.

Zip-lining

We also got to go zip-lining! It was a very fun and cool experience. We went on 8 different platforms throughout the rainforest. We also got to see monkeys, birds, and amazing views of the beautiful rainforest!

Kayaking

We went kayaking around a lake and we got to take a small break and jump into the lake.

Hot Springs

We went to the Arenal Volcano hot springs and had time to relax and have fun! They had over approximately 24 pools with different temperatures!

Folklore Dance of Costa RicaOn our last day at Costa Rica, we went to a restaurant that was called El

Castillo, where we ate a delicious traditional dinner of Costa Rica including rice, beans, squash, a coconut dessert, and so much more. While we were eating, the restaurant was perched on a cliff, so we could get a beautiful view of the capital of Costa Rica. After dinner, there were six dancers, three males and three females, that went onto the stage that was built near the center of the building. They were similar in appearance, and the men were in a black tuxedo with a green tie, and a short black haircut; while the women were in a long, black and green dress. They performed around 5 dances, and they performed together with some sections that seemed like tap dancing, salsa, and partner dances. They also brought some audience members in to do a hilarious step-by-step dance.

Impact...At the end of the trip the thing that really impacted us was not only the cultural peace, but how having so little you can be so happy. Here we complain about how crappy our computers are, or how bad our internet is. They do not have that there and they are fine with that, they were making the best of what they have and they were living life to the fullest.