Climate Action Costa Rica Project #7060

Rio Sol Bio Corridor, Maleku Reserve, Costa Rica

by La Reserva Forest Foundation

Rio Sol Bio Corridor, Maleku Reserve, Costa Rica

Project Report | Jul 21, 2014
Onward and Upward

By Roberta Ward Smiley | CEO and Founder

An anteater came to see what's the fuss about

Thank you, muchas gracias, mercí and afepakian…those are the only first words appropriate for this final progress report for the “Rio Sol Bio Corridor, Maleku Reserve, Costa Rica”. It’s been the most gratifying project for LRFF to date and will remain in our memories as our first really massive planting. It was very challenging making it a “seat of the pants” accomplishment in a huge way.

Not least the other projects that this project led to. Just last week we finished planting a three-project combo that used to be on Global Giving, a total of 10,000 trees of more than 150 species and ALL of them now in the ground.

The Rio Sol Bio Corridor was partially sponsored by Sole Technology, the makers of etnies© shoes. In March 2011 the CEO and founder, Pierre Andres Senizergues, came to Costa Rica to inaugurate the project with his team of champion surfers and skateboarders. When he returned to the U.S. he took a limousine home from the airport and the young man who drove him heard all about his AMAZING trip to Costa Rica and how he was helping to plant 35,000 trees with LRFF and the Maleku indigenous people. The driver was a young man named Matt Strack he had a new premier transportation company, Strack Premier Transportation, and using a green approach by including some hybrids in his fleet.

Two years later Matt called me…he was in Costa Rica for a visit and wanted to come see if he could do something similar to what etnies© had done now that his business had grown. He calculated the projected GHG emissions of the business for 2013 and discovered he’d be responsible for approximately 366 tons of emissions. To “offset” those emissions planting trees he’d need to plant almost 10,000. I got to thinking…we had three projects on GlobalGiving earning a few donations to date and by combining the there would be a total of 10,000 trees.

Matt agreed to completely fund the project (10,000 trees) via monthly installments. He planned to pay for the trees planting by asking his clients to voluntarily pay an extra $1.50/ride. He figured he could probably raise around $1000/month, depending on how much his clientele supported the initiative. They loved it and were happy to support it. Strack Transportation hasn’t missed a monthly installment and now all three projects are now planted and in maintenance mode.

I say onward and upward because whilst planting the last 6000 trees in Las Delicias de Upala last week (see photos in this report), @ the For The Monkeys project a neighbor and the local police approached because they have other projects they want us to develop and implement in the surrounding communities and with the local school kids. Onward, upward…

LET’S KEEP PLANTING!

The nursery team in full swing, sans shoes :)

Boating to plant trees, quiet and peaceful

The school kids and me, a massive selfie

Ladies planting! 1500 trees in one day

Links:

Lots of News You Can Use

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Apr 22, 2014
Growing, Growing, Growing!

By Roberta Ward Smiley | CEO and Founder

Bienvenido next to an Ylang Ylang, planted in 2011

I was going through the pics I have stored on my iPhone recently and was astounded at the stages of growth for this project. Have a look for yourself in this report.

Thank you for being generous in supporting this project. It’s been a work in progress for more than 2 1/2 years and together we have planted over 35,000 native trees in a continuous corridor along the Rio Sol. The river travels, snakelike, through all three Maleku villages or Palenques and the trees are planted along the banks from 10 to 15 meters wide.

It all began when Sole Technology, the makers of etnies Shoes and other great sports gear, contacted us in 2010 to inform us that the board of directors and CEO of the company had voted unanimously to donate $17,500 to buy the 35,000 trees that would be planted with the Maleku indigenous tribe. Pierre Andres Senizergues, founder and CEO of etnies, is an ex-world champion skateboarder and we have remained friends ever since the first tree was planted. Frequently, when I post updates about LRFF or about the Rio Sol project, he will write to say “keep up the good work”.

Last month I sent the photos you see here to Pierre after he wrote one of these notes asking if I had any photos of “our” projects development. He was astounded by the before and after photos of the Viento Fresco property and happy to see his old friend Bienvenido, President of the Maleku Tribal Council. In fact he was so impressed he told his art director who contacted me last week asking me to send the photos to him so they can include them in their latest catalog. The donations from etnies was promoted by the company as a campaign called “Buy a Shoe, Plant a Tree”. The idea is to let the customers see how great the trees they planted are doing.

Pierre’s life story is an amazing account of a poor guy finding his passion, skateboarding, dedicating his whole life to it, traveling across the sea to California, becoming the world champion skateboarder and, after retiring, founding Sole Technology. Even his company is solar powered, check out the link to read about Pierre Andrea and his responsible company.

Thank you all for accompanying us on this great journey, there is still more to come. But until then…

Let’s Get Planting!!

Bienvenido and yours truly

Viento Fresco, 2011 planting time, see the house?

2013 - Same view @ Viento Fresco 2 yrs. later

Panorama of Viento Fresco 2013

Rio Sol Bio Corridor, January 2014, 2 1/2 yrs

Links:

Pierre Andres Senizergues page @ Sole Technology site

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Jan 23, 2014
MORE Before and After Inspiration

By Roberta Ward Smiley | CEO and founder

Jimmy at a Kapok (Ceiba) tree planted June 2011,

Last week Jimmy Acosta Elizondo, LRFF’s field director, performed the inspection of the Rio Sol Biological Corridor project. Amazing progress has taken place again. Daniel and I went over on Thursday, January 16^th, to do the inventory on the nursery that will be supplying the trees for our next planting coming up on the 31^st of January. We also walked along the Rio Sol Corridor within Nicida’s property on the way to another piece she’s interested in restoring to forest this year.

As you probably remember the biological corridor project was planted the second half of 2011. Every time we walk any part of the corridor we’re amazed at how quickly the trees grow in the Guatuso area (we use no fertilizers or other growth inducing supplements). It must be the soil, sun, heat and rain because on this side of the mountain, west of Guatuso, the trees develop about ½ as fast.

Check out the photos and see for yourselves. We still need a small amount of funding to cover the inspections for the next 3 years and the administration costs, but thanks to you we’re almost there!

Plant it and they will come…and that’s what we’re seeing at the Maleku indigenous tribe reserve. The wildlife, flora and other fauna are returning and along with it more and more people want to restore parts of their land back to native forest.

On the way home Thursday afternoon, up over the beautiful mountain, I said to Daniel, “What a great life we have, eh. To be able to plant all those trees, watch them grow into a forest in two years time and be nurtured by those people we call our friends and family, the Maleku. We sure are blessed!

LET’S KEEP PLANTING!!

Daniel Spreen, President of LRFF/CR, be proud Dan!

Another area planted in 2011

Nicida, owner of a large area with Daniel

Look at this chestnut (Castana) tree planted 2011

Jimmy's favorite grove in the corridor, a forest

Links:

Walking the Rio Sol Biological Corridor January 2014

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