| Progress, evasion,
and fear - as well as art and soup - are themes of this week's Arenal
Report. Ranchers turned reforestation leaders Roberta Ward and husband
Daniel Spreen on Jan. 16 received their first donation - $500 - in
support of their La Reserva Forest Foundation. The donation came from
the Global Renewal Foundation (www.global-renewal-foundation.org)
based in Hood River, Oregon. Roberta and Dan have formed the non-profit
to pay landowners for reforesting their pastures as they themselves
have done with their 100 acres. Their ambitious first project is to
raise $300,000 to fund reforestation of 190 hectares so as to connect
existing forest areas to provide an animal corridor.
Within a few weeks, the La
Reserva Forest Foundation will go online with a website that is
being created by Ric Wilson, Assistant Professor of Art at the University
of Missouri Columbia and some of his graduate students. Ordinarily
charging about $30,000 for such a website, Professor Wilson is donating
the work to La Reserva. Also, Roberta will soon go online with a
blog at www.typepad.com.
Recently Roberta explained
how MINAE's reforestation program can wind up at cross purposes
with other efforts. Among MINAE's three programs, one actually pays
landowners $1.35 per tree to plant one or two types of trees which
will eventually be
|
harvested for lumber.
Ignoring wildlife needs, this is not true reforestation. Some developers
have taken advantage of this program to get paid for partly fulfilling
their reforestation obligations instead of utilizing a great variety
of the 50 types of indigenous trees and bushes available at La Reserva
and other sources. The vivero at La Reserva charges $1 per plant,
but half-price for orders of 1000 trees or more.
Across the lake, Al Almeida
of Fuentes Verdes has been told to "lie low" because he
is being blamed for loss of work where projects have been suspended
for not getting SETENA's environmental permits. He points out that
the law requires that environmental impact studies be done, so the
blame should fall on the developer or builder, not on him, when
work is suspended because of missing or faulty studies. He warns
other environmentalists to beware of similar threat of reprisal.
The Hotel Tilawa will host
another art show on Valentine's Day, Wednesday, February 14. This
time artists from San Jose are expected to participate. Again there
will be the weekly "veggie blast" at the hotel bar and
restaurant, featuring pizza and soup made from vegetables harvested
from the hotel gardens as well as reduced-price drinks. Locals will
have the opportunity to use the hotel's tennis court, swimming pool,
and curvaceous hot tub.
|