Tortuguero

I have now been at Tortuguero for a week, where Archie Carr first began studies of green turtles in 1954. The Caribbean Conservation Corporation had its beginnings a few years later and now runs the research station and sea turtle monitoring program here at John Phipps Biological Station. The nesting beach extends 18 miles along an island backed by the Tortuguero River, and from the field station one can see both the ocean and the river. The village of Tortuguero is just south of the station and then the national park extends approximately 15 miles beyond the village.

There is an incredible number of tourists that come to Tortuguero each year. In 2005, 87,000 visitors paid to enter the park, and 37,000 paid to go on turtle tours. Despite the remote location, there are more amenities in the village than I would have expected, including overpriced, dial-up internet from which I am making this post. Even at the field station, it is a cushier than life in the Peace Corps: I have running water, electricity nearly 24 hours, cold beverages, and an ocean to accompany all the sand.

The 9 research volunteers from the leatherback season left on Wednesday, and it has been quiet here since then. Another group arrives on Monday for the start of the green turtle season. It has also been quiet in terms of nesting activity. My dates were limited between times the station would be hosting large groups of paying volunteers, but it would have been better to come a few weeks later in order to obtain all the skin samples I would like. But I will just have to do with what I get and possibly have the research assistants continue taking samples for me.

I have managed to walk down to mile 15, take a tour of the river canals, and walk the beach several times at night so far. The unrelenting humidity combined with heat means that one sweats gallons each day, and unfortunately, swimming in either the river (crocodiles) or the ocean (bull sharks and crazy currents) is prohibited. But it is beautiful here, an idyllic field site, in fact. I will try to post pictures at some point, but maybe not until I find cheaper internet.