This was a sad morning. We had to say goodbye to Montserrat, Margherita, Alvero, Fabio, Blanca and Nellie.. We all grew attached to the people there. They became like family to us. The night beofre we gave all of these folks an ASU shirt and taught them the hand sign for the fork! In the morning all of them came to work with their ASU shirts on. That meant a lot of us. Some folks got up with the birds, Dr Mo!, and went bird watching. Many of us sat on the large patio overlooking the Cloud Forst valley and watched the sun rise. It was an incredible view. Breakfast was at 7am. Again, Blanca fixed a wonderful farewell breakfast for us. We went outside and took a bunch of group pictures. Then we began our goodbye hugs and then in two shifts we made the drive down the hill to the school. Those who rode down the hill with Dr Mo did a bit more bird watching on the way down. Goodbye cloud forest birds. Rodolfo, our driver, met us at the school with the bus. Oh, how good it felt to have airconditioning again! We drove down from the cloud forest and through Coronado. We stopped and had lunch at this really cool little place, Remembrances. It was like a museum. The ceiling was lined with coffee sack. All around the building were old photographs and antiques from days past. After stopping at a super market for snacks and drinks, we were on the road again heading for Estacion Las Tortugas to see the turtles! Around 4:15, Rodolfo dropped us off at a boat dock where the boat would pick us up and take us to the Turtle Station. Once our bags were loaded, then we all piled in the boat sporting life jackets and then took the15 minute boat ride to the station. It is very pretty with all the natural greenery. And the wildlife, how amazing. The howler monkeys greeted us with their barking. Hard to believe such a big noise comes from such a small monkey!
After arriving at the station, we all were assigned a cabin and set our stuff down. Okay, this was our welcome to the 'all natural' accommodations. The flying and crawling bugs in each room out numbered the people in our group! This was a very rustic place sure to challenge many of us. Each room was equipped with bunk beds and a mosquito net. This was definitely a sign that we needed bug spray. As quick as we were settled into our rooms we ran for the Caribbean Sea. We have people in our group who have not see the ocean or a big body of water like the Caribbean. Close to the beach, fastened to the trees, were hammocks giving the occupants a great view and a taste of the warm breeze. We relaxed a bit in the hammocks, took showers and
then at 5:30 we got the pleasure of seeing our first Leatherback hatching's. We got the opportunity to witness the volunteers release the little hatching's into the sea. Carrying the hatching's in a crate we headed to the shore. The excited bunch chatted, giggled and watched in anticipation. The crates were set down and the hatching's released from captivity. As soon as they hit the sand their tiny fins began to move in a swimming motion propelling them in all directions. Being about 25 yards from the shoreline, these little critters worked their tiny fins moving them in a straight line, in circles or no where at all. We cheered words of encouragement, held our breathers and sighed with relief as they were swept away by the waves. What an experience!! I have never felt so proud to see those little guys make it to the water! The statistics for turtle survival is 1 in every 1000 will survive to adulthood. What a feat... what a life cycle, what a tenacious species.
Dinner was at 7. Barbecued chicken and mashed potatoes! No rice and beans?!?!?!?!!? It was a nice break from the rice and beans we have had for the last several days. After dinner we had down time to write in our journals, swing in the hammocks and read out books. Many of us took a nap because we were given the later turtle patrol shift from 10pm - 2am or later. We were split into two groups to work the two sections of beach. The center is located by station 4. The beach is divided into 25 stations. Group 1 would patrol stations 1 - 15 and group two would walk to station 15 and patrol stations 16 - 25. Each group patrolled their section of the beach walking from one station to the next watching for turtles to come up to the shore. These huge turtles are endangered because poachers come and steal the eggs after they are laid and then sell them. Sometimes the poachers kill the turtles in the process. One this first night of turtle patrol we experienced it all. We were able to see hatching's emerging from their sand nests. These little guys come out of their eggs and work
to reach the beach surface where they will start their trek to the sea. Also each group saw a turtle and witnessed the laying of eggs. Those Leatherbacks are HUGE! Members of the patrol got the opportunity to work with the Patrol Leader. The leader would check to see when the turtle was ready to lay her eggs and then call over the team to assist in holding the flipper back while another team member assisted in the measuring of the turtle. So, a turtle would be spotted emerging from the sea. It makes it way up the beach to an area it chooses. Then it smooths out the sand by kicking up sand with its flippers. Once satisfied it begins using its back flippers to carve out a hole in the sand. The hole can be an easy three feet deep. Once she is satisfied with the hole's depth, she angles one flipper down to protect the dropping eggs. Now she begins to drop them. The Patrol Leader quickly places a plastic bag in the hole to catch the eggs as they drop. One of us holds the back fin so we can watch the eggs dropping. The eggs are about the size of a tennis ball. Other eggs are sterile and the size of a ping pong ball. These smaller, sterile eggs are a decoy. They are to keep the other eggs warm and to fake out egg snatchers such as raccoons, coatis, crabs, armadillos, etc. Once the laying of eggs is completed, about fifteen minute to lay anywhere between 80 to 120 eggs, she begins to fill the hole up with sand. Now the Patrol Leader works to see if she is tagged. If so we leave her alone, if not the leader quickly places a tag on each back fin to record the event and future progress. If a turtle is tagged she is also named. On this first night our group got to name one of the turtles. This particular turtle was named, Sparky after our schools mascot. The eggs were then transported closer to the Centers hatchery where the eggs were reburied. Again, we assisted. After our shifts, which ended at about 3, we all went back to our rooms and showered. Time to sleep before repeating all of this for the next 2 nights! Oh what a night!
This was a sad morning. We had to say goodbye to Montserrat, Margherita, Alvero, Fabio, Blanca and Nellie.. We all grew attached to the people there. They became like family to us. The night beofre we gave all of these folks an ASU shirt and taught them the hand sign for the fork! In the morning all of them came to work with their ASU shirts on. That meant a lot of us. Some folks got up with the birds, Dr Mo!, and went bird watching. Many of us sat on the large patio overlooking the Cloud Forst valley and watched the sun rise. It was an incredible view. Breakfast was at 7am. Again, Blanca fixed a wonderful farewell breakfast for us. We went outside and took a bunch of group pictures. Then we began our goodbye hugs and then in two shifts we made the drive down the hill to the school. Those who rode down the hill with Dr Mo did a bit more bird watching on the way down. Goodbye cloud forest birds. Rodolfo, our driver, met us at the school with the bus. Oh, how good it felt to have airconditioning again! We drove down from the cloud forest and through Coronado. We stopped and had lunch at this really cool little place, Remembrances. It was like a museum. The ceiling was lined with coffee sack. All around the building were old photographs and antiques from days past. After stopping at a super market for snacks and drinks, we were on the road again heading for Estacion Las Tortugas to see the turtles! Around 4:15, Rodolfo dropped us off at a boat dock where the boat would pick us up and take us to the Turtle Station. Once our bags were loaded, then we all piled in the boat sporting life jackets and then took the15 minute boat ride to the station. It is very pretty with all the natural greenery. And the wildlife, how amazing. The howler monkeys greeted us with their barking. Hard to believe such a big noise comes from such a small monkey!
After arriving at the station, we all were assigned a cabin and set our stuff down. Okay, this was our welcome to the 'all natural' accommodations. The flying and crawling bugs in each room out numbered the people in our group! This was a very rustic place sure to challenge many of us. Each room was equipped with bunk beds and a mosquito net. This was definitely a sign that we needed bug spray. As quick as we were settled into our rooms we ran for the Caribbean Sea. We have people in our group who have not see the ocean or a big body of water like the Caribbean. Close to the beach, fastened to the trees, were hammocks giving the occupants a great view and a taste of the warm breeze. We relaxed a bit in the hammocks, took showers and 
then at 5:30 we got the pleasure of seeing our first Leatherback hatching's. We got the opportunity to witness the volunteers release the little hatching's into the sea. Carrying the hatching's in a crate we headed to the shore. The excited bunch chatted, giggled and watched in anticipation. The crates were set down and the hatching's released from captivity. As soon as they hit the sand their tiny fins began to move in a swimming motion propelling them in all directions. Being about 25 yards from the shoreline, these little critters worked their tiny fins moving them in a straight line, in circles or no where at all. We cheered words of encouragement, held our breathers and sighed with relief as they were swept away by the waves. What an experience!! I have never felt so proud to see those little guys make it to the water! The statistics for turtle survival is 1 in every 1000 will survive to adulthood. What a feat... what a life cycle, what a tenacious species.
Dinner was at 7. Barbecued chicken and mashed potatoes! No rice and beans?!?!?!?!!? It was a nice break from the rice and beans we have had for the last several days. After dinner we had down time to write in our journals, swing in the hammocks and read out books. Many of us took a nap because we were given the later turtle patrol shift from 10pm - 2am or later. We were split into two groups to work the two sections of beach. The center is located by station 4. The beach is divided into 25 stations. Group 1 would patrol stations 1 - 15 and group two would walk to station 15 and patrol stations 16 - 25. Each group patrolled their section of the beach walking from one station to the next watching for turtles to come up to the shore. These huge turtles are endangered because poachers come and steal the eggs after they are laid and then sell them. Sometimes the poachers kill the turtles in the process. One this first night of turtle patrol we experienced it all. We were able to see hatching's emerging from their sand nests. These little guys come out of their eggs and work 
to reach the beach surface where they will start their trek to the sea. Also each group saw a turtle and witnessed the laying of eggs. Those Leatherbacks are HUGE! Members of the patrol got the opportunity to work with the Patrol Leader. The leader would check to see when the turtle was ready to lay her eggs and then call over the team to assist in holding the flipper back while another team member assisted in the measuring of the turtle. So, a turtle would be spotted emerging from the sea. It makes it way up the beach to an area it chooses. Then it smooths out the sand by kicking up sand with its flippers. Once satisfied it begins using its back flippers to carve out a hole in the sand. The hole can be an easy three feet deep. Once she is satisfied with the hole's depth, she angles one flipper down to protect the dropping eggs. Now she begins to drop them. The Patrol Leader quickly places a plastic bag in the hole to catch the eggs as they drop. One of us holds the back fin so we can watch the eggs dropping. The eggs are about the size of a tennis ball. Other eggs are sterile and the size of a ping pong ball. These smaller, sterile eggs are a decoy. They are to keep the other eggs warm and to fake out egg snatchers such as raccoons, coatis, crabs, armadillos, etc. Once the laying of eggs is completed, about fifteen minute to lay anywhere between 80 to 120 eggs, she begins to fill the hole up with sand. Now the Patrol Leader works to see if she is tagged. If so we leave her alone, if not the leader quickly places a tag on each back fin to record the event and future progress. If a turtle is tagged she is also named. On this first night our group got to name one of the turtles. This particular turtle was named, Sparky after our schools mascot. The eggs were then transported closer to the Centers hatchery where the eggs were reburied. Again, we assisted. After our shifts, which ended at about 3, we all went back to our rooms and showered. Time to sleep before repeating all of this for the next 2 nights! Oh what a night!
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