Volunteer Program

The volunteer program was created in order to allow anyone interested in conservation to become an essential part of the project. By doing so, the volunteers are helping to make a significant difference in the conservation effort, while personally gaining an extraordinary hands-on, life-changing experience.

We have the utmost appreciation and value for our volunteers because without their efforts, this program would not be as successful as it is. The duties that they fulfill help us obtain necessary data while conserving the sea turtles. Because of their help, in the last four years we have released more than 140,000 hatchlings from our beaches.

Aside from the turtle work, the volunteers have plenty of free time to explore and enjoy all of the beauty, serenity, and wonderful treasures that define the Osa’s unique marvel of nature. Corcovado National Park, Golfo Dulce, and the many wildlife refugees and biological corridors are all places to view the many mammals, birds, reptiles, insects, and amphibians that inhabit this amazingly biodiverse place. Not to mention the volunteers will be staying at our field station right in the middle of the rainforest, the ocean being just a few short steps away!

The fee that the volunteer pays covers their food and housing. All of the meals will be prepared daily by a local Osa resident. 90% of the food will be purely Costa Rican: rice, beans, chicken, beef, salads, a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, juices, Costa Rican coffee, and many desserts. Special vegetarian meals can be prepared without a problem. The bedrooms are basic but comfortable where each volunteer will have their own bed (but must provide their own bedding) and may possibly have a roommate.

Volunteer Responsibilities

Each night, pairs of volunteers walk the beach with field assistants in two different shifts: 8pm-midnight and midnight-4am. During this time, the volunteers take data from turtle nests and eggs, assist in measuring and tagging turtles, remove and replace nests into our protective hatchery or elsewhere on the beach, and release baby hatchlings into the ocean. The next morning, one volunteer patrols the beach once again to collect information on any nests laid after the night work was completed. This is because we must know the total number of turtles that visit our beaches during each night. All of the information that we collect from the beach will be registered in the data sheets and from this, transferred into a computer program. Because following temperature fluctuations is an essential part of the study, during the afternoon scheduled volunteers are in charge of taking and recording the temperatures of all the nests on the beach and in the hatchery. Once the nests start to hatch, the volunteers focus attention on the hatchery by checking in each afternoon to weigh and measure any hatchlings found, and then to release them. One volunteer each day is also assigned to excavate any nests that hatched three days prior, by digging, counting, studying, and recording the found results of the eggs.

There are additional volunteering options such as visiting local schools to educate children about the importance of conservation in their environment and/or to teach the children your native language to open them to another culture. Or, volunteers can help arrange and conduct guided tours of our hatchery or our night patrols for students or guests staying in nearby hotels.

The Field Stations

The fact that we are developing conservation activities on different beaches throughout the Osa allows us to offer different stations for our volunteers to work from. If the volunteer chooses, they can leave their base station for a week or more to work in a different area of the Osa.

Free Time

Although there is plenty of work to do, the volunteers still have lots of free time every day. Feel free to spend this time however you choose: hike the trails near the field stations, camp out at Corcovado National Park, do some kayaking at Pejeperrito Lagoon where you will have the chance to see lots of migratory birds and crocodiles, relax on the beach, or take the local transportation into the nearest town, Puerto Jimenez for shopping, emailing, or making phone calls.

What kind of wildlife might you see?

Scientific reports discuss about 70 species of crabs, 61 freshwater fish, 46 amphibians, 71 reptiles (including 1 crocodile, 1 caymen, and three sea turtles), 375 species of birds, 124 species of terrestrial mammals, and 58 species of bats. Some of these organisms are considered endemic, which means this is their only habitat on earth.

Requirements:

Must be at least 18 years old, be in good physical shape and be able to walk more than 6km (aprox. 9.5 miles) per night, and must have the ability to tolerate the tropical climate (humidity, rain, mosquitoes). Most of all, the ideal volunteer must have the interest, passion, and determination to help bring these amazing creatures out of endangerment. Fee: US$800 / person / month If you would like to spend less than a month, please contact us.

Costs:

$800 US Dollars/month Costs include meals and housing while at the field stations. Costs do not include transportation internationally or domestically to or from the station or housing and food while in the close by town of Puerto Jimenez

What to bring:

• Passport- you need a valid passport to enter Costa Rica
• Clothing for hot weather: fast-drying is good, cotton is good, be prepared to get dirty everyday (bring extra socks)
• Headlamp with halogen or strong incandescent bulb and extra rechargeable batteries (we suggest the Rayovac 3-in-1 L.E.D. Head-lite or something similar)
• AA and AAA batteries
• Beach shoes-closed toed that can get wet- not sandals
• Hiking shoes or boots- comfortable already broken in
• Tennis shoes-old comfortable shoes for spare
• Rain gear-windbreakers do not cut it, we work in the rain and you do get wet!!! You might want rain pants also
• Swim/beach wear- we live right on the beach
• Sunblock
• Sunglasses
• Insect Repellent
• Hat for the sun
• Personal articles; toiletries(biodegradable products…?), towels, bedding, etc.
• Money for transportation, telephone calls, ice cream, beer, hotels, internet, souvenirs, or anything you forgot - most ATM cards do not work in Puerto Jimenez at the machine but if you have a credit card symbol on your card, Visa or Mastercard, you can enter the bank and take out money at the teller. In San Jose, many ATM machines have Plus or Cirrus symbols and you can successfully take money out with your ATM card
• Optional - Camera, music player (such as portable CD or iPod), books, film, extra rechargeable batteries Research with your local medical facility on what inoculations or vaccinations you need to protect yourself against tropical disease in the Osa peninsula (our staff does not take malaria medication and there have not been any cases of malaria in the Osa for a long, long time.). This will be an unforgettable experience where you will learn a lot about the tropical ecosystems of the Pacific southern zone of Costa Rica and help to protect an important sea turtle nesting beach.

Travel information:

There are a few different ways that you can get to the field station in Carate.
1- The cheap, but very long way: there is one bus from San Jose to Puerto Jimenez, at 12pm. The bus company is Lobo Blanco and is located 100 meters diagonal from the bus stop for San Carlos in San Jose (telephone: (506) 257-4121). The cost is approximately 3500 colones and the trip takes about eight hours. The bus station is not in a good area of San Jose so keep your eyes and body parts around your bags. The thieves are fast and invisible here and the police won’t help get your stuff back if it gets stolen. We suggest having the taxi wait with you until the bus arrives at the station.
2- The quick but expensive way: there are two domestic airlines that fly to Puerto Jimenez multiple times a day. The trip takes about 45 min and costs up to $97 per person.

NATURE AIR Company
Telephone Puerto Jimenez:(506) 735-5062 OR 735-5722
Telephone San Jose: (506) 220-3054
Fax:(506) 735-5043
www.natureair.net

SANSA company
Telephone Puerto Jimenez: (506) 735-5017
Telephone San Jose: (506) 221-9414
Fax: (506) 735-5495
www.flysansa.com

Once you arrive in Puerto Jimenez there is a collectivo bus that will take you to Carate. It leaves twice a day at 6am and 1:30pm. The trip takes about two hours and costs approximately 3500 colones (approx. $7.5 US). This will be the transport you take back and forth from Carate to Puerto Jimenez for email, laundry, etc. Just tell the driver that you are headed for the sea turtle conservation project in Carate and they will drop you off at the Field Station.