Gina Errico

This week marks the beginning of the end of my field work in Costa Rica. With only half a week’s worth of field work left here, I have spent some time cleaning up my sites and meeting with local farmers and foresters. I also took a day to go to the beach one last time before I leave Costa Rica.

In the field we finished taking measurements at two of our forests (the ones we had set up first). We also collected soil samples from each forest, that we will run tests on to learn more about any fungi present in the soil and the nitrogen/carbon make-up. Now that all of my soil samples have been collected, they are awaiting in the freezer for their trip to San Jose so they can be mailed to Oklahoma. We had a slight hiccup getting the permits for shipping, so here’s to hoping that all of the paperwork goes through and we can get them on their way soon!

This week has also been particularly exciting for me, as I was able to start meeting with coffee farmers and foresters from my field sites and nearby areas, to learn more about their experiences and any challenges they are facing. I plan to transcribe these meetings and put together a website (and eventually a display to be showcased at local coffee shops) in order to highlight the lives of the people who are working to produce coffee and conserve forests in Costa Rica.

As part of this work, I spent some time this week meeting with foresters, learning about their passion for protecting the forests and their need for more help in doing so. I also met with the owner of Coffea Diversa, who taught me about the origin of coffee agriculture and how he is working to sustainably produce a diversity of coffee. He is also educating others about the production of coffee through tours and workshops. Stay tuned for updates on the project!

On Friday, my friend Vanessa and I went back to Uvita to spend some time relaxing on the beach before she headed out for a conference and I finished up my field work. We hung out by the water, saw some macaws, drank some fresh coconut water, and then headed back to have dinner back at Casa Italiana in San Vito.

The rest of the weekend was spent talking with coffee farmers, including the owner of Coffea Diversa, and learning their stories. I also spent some time wandering around the forest area at Las Cruces, since I have been here for almost two months and had yet to do that. Today, I am working on a theoretical model that I will be presenting at the Ecological Society of America conference in August and prepping for my last week of field work.

Best,
Gina

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