Sea Turtles Forever 

 

Working to Protect the World's Sea Turtles from Extinction!

Volunteer

Do all the good you can,

By all the means you can,

In all the ways you can,

In all the places you can,

To all the people you can,

As long as ever you can.

                      John Wesley 1703

2005/2006 Patrol technicians, working to protect and serve our marine turtles.

Internship & Volunteer Program
Punta Pargos Marine Turtle Conservation Project 2009/2010
November 17th - December 28th: 6 weeks - Total $1,050 Payment in full due at time of reservation.  2 spots left.
November 30th - December 28th: 4 weeks - Total $800
Payment due in full immediatly. 2 spots left.
December 15th - December 28th: 2 weeks - Total $600. Christmas break for most college students.  Intensive marine turtle program.
$500 payment in full due at time of reservation. No refund.
2 spots left.
January 6th - March 8th: 9 weeks - Total $1,350
$350 deposit due by November 10th to secure housing and intern position. Remaining $1,000 due by December 6th. No refund on deposit. 50% refund on final payment if request made by December 15th. 2 spots left.
Contact us if past the deadline dates and you still want to participate.
February 10th - March 8th: 4 weeks - Total $800
$200 deposit due by December 30th to secure intern position and housing. Remaining $600 due by January 9th. No refund on deposit. 50% refund on final payment if request made by January 30th.  3 spots left.
Contact us if past the deadline dates and you still want to participate.
We have other volunteer positions available by the week  or month as well. If you have specific dates you need to work with let us know and we can try to work you in!  While we would love to be able to cover the costs of our volunteers we are not able to do so at this time. The very minimal intern fee makes it possible to run our program by paying for Costa Rican Patrol Leaders, gas and other field supplies. Rent is very reasonable for the area considering the wonderful accommodations we have available this season.   For volunteers who volunteer for 3 months and are interested in staying longer the intern fee can be renegotiated after their 3 month training is complete.

2009/2010 Price list by Week & Month
# of wks/mths      Intern Fee  (includes board)      
1                                        $350
2                                        $600
3                                        $750
4/ 1 month                      $800
5                                         $1,000
6                                         $1,050
7                                         $1,120
8/ 2months                     $1,200
9                                         $1,350
10                                       $1,450
11                                       $1,595
12/ 3months                    $1,620 

Positions and space are limited and will be given to people who make their deposits and final payments first. We can not hold positions on good faith, we have a full schedule and need to plan ahead, therefore we can't hold your position unitl payment is recieved. The sooner you make your deposit the better! For payments recieved after the due date there will be a 10% late fee. You can make the entire payment at the time the deposit is due (suggested) or you can follow the payment schedual. Be sure to specify the dates you will be joining us when you send your check and send the waiver with the check. Send an e-mail to confirm your dates and that you sent your money and waver. If you want to join us on a date not outlined above you will need to clear it with Rachel to make sure we can fit you in our schedule. 
Housing
We have two very nice cabins available for our interns. You will be housed with 1 or 2 other people. Each cabin has a bathroom with hot water and a furnished kitchen (you supply your own food). The cabins are on a 1 acre private lot located central to our nesting beaches and are an 8 minute walk to the beach. Bring your own towel. Some people like to sleep with a mosquito net. If you think you may want to you will need to supply your own.

Intern and Volunteer duties will include: Daily monitoring and data collection, camouflaging, relocating and reclaiming marine turtle nests. Interns will take on responsibility for data collection and also be involved in habitat restoration, school presentations and community outreach. College and University credits may be arranged.
Participants are responsible for their flights, transportation, food, rent, intern fee and personal welfare.
Must have proof & copy of current health insurance.

Prior sea turtle experience, science background, psychology, first aid, and Spanish/ English are all handy but not necessary.  Due to the inherent dangers of field research we suggest applicants are fit,
not bothered by insects, and able to work outside at night in challenging conditions.
Liability waiver must be signed and returned before any volunteer will be allowed to participate in any activity. Click to access Volunteer Waver. Fill out form and mail a copy to the adress below as well e-mail a copy to us. You must also bring your copy with you to Costa Rica so save it! Participants not following protocol or endangering themselves or other volunteers will be asked to leave without a refund of their intern fee.

List of items and etiquette required for fieldwork:
· Red filtered headlight (hand need to be free). Back up headlamp highly suggested. Petzel’s are good.
· Batteries
· Light weight, dark, long-sleeved shirt and pants.
· Closed toed shoes/sandals. Keen’s are good.
· Note pads and pencil/pen to take data.
· No drugs or alcohol will be tolerated on site or on patrols.
· No flashes from cameras on the beach.
· No bug spray.
· Good attitudes a Must!!!
· Walkie talkie if you have one to bring and/or want one of your own. Not required but recommended for communications -- STANDARD HORIZON -- FLOATING HX850S

Please send payments to:

 STF Intern Program- P.O. Box 845 Seaside, OR. 97138

Please understand "payments due by" means we have recieved them not the last day you can send them.

Payments due after October 30th must be made with PayPal. 

Payments due after October 30th: Click the donate button to make your payment. Enter the appropriate amount for the amount of time you plan to stay. You can pay the total all at once as long as it is by the deposit due date. Thank you! We look forward to having you in the field!

Please contact us if you are interested or have any questions about these positions.
Send resume to info@seaturtlesforever.com or to
Sea Turtles Forever - Intern Program -
P.O. Box 845 Seaside, OR. 97138

 

To purchase the "Research and Management Techiques for the Conservation of Sea Turtles" manual go to the following website and click on order form for manual or print out the manual from this site.

http://www.iucn-mtsg.org/publications/Tech_Manual/0000%20Table%20of%20Contents.htm

This manual is required for everyone! Please purchase several weeks before coming to Costa Rica and read thoroughly. Understanding the material will help prepare you for fieldwork and will continue to be a valuable asset while working with the project and beyond.  A basic understanding of the material will be expected. It's a good read anyway for anyone interested in sea turtle conservation!

Travel Information
Flight Information
We prefer to use Continental. They usually have the least expensive airfare. They have different times of arrival into C.R. but the most common flight arrives at 8:30pm. You can sign up as a one-pass member at no charge and get better luggage prices. Expect to have to re-claim your luggage and re-check it once you go through customs in the US.
Unless you want to see the countries very dangerous drivers and highways we suggest you fly into Liberia. The airport code is LIR.
From Liberia it is only about 2-3 hours direct shot to the project whereas San Jose is 6+ hours of dangerous grueling driving. To leave C.R. expect to pay about $26 for their exit tax.
Transportation/Taxi Information
Taxi's are available to pick you up at the airport. There is usually a whole slew of them waiting for a fair. If you take a taxi and are coming in November you will probably want to pick one with 4x4. If it has been raining hard there may be a few river crossings and muddy/unpaved roads. After November any kind should do. Expect to pay between $75-$145 for a ride from the airport to Playa Negra. You will want to find a driver who knows where Playa Negra is. Tell the driver Playa Negra for the town and then Todo Bien for the place you will be staying. It is one of the easiest places to find in Playa Negra. The actual town is called Los Pargos but because of the beaches popularity, which is called Playa Negra, most taxi drivers and even other Costa Ricans don't know where Los Pargos is but do know of Playa Negra. Be sure you get your quote for the fair before you load any bags. And watch your bags!!!! Theft is very very common in C.R. Never, ever let your bags out of your site, it is good to have a buddy system just for this.
You can make arrangements if you would like to have a rental car, which is very handy, with Dollar rental car. Feel free to make the arrangements with whom ever you like but if you tell Dollar (in Liberia) specifically Roger, that you are working with Sea Turtles Forever out in Playa Negra, Los Pargos he will give you the best deal possible. A small car doesn't usually work, but at a minimum their smallest 4x4 usually does the job. Getting a rental car makes it much easier to go grocery shopping and to the bank, which are about 45 mins out of town, and just getting around to see things. Do not leave anything valuable in the car, it will most likely get stolen! If you do get a rental car it makes the patrol more capable of covering our nesting areas and is a big help! Of course we don't expect this though. It is just an added bonus. If you want to get around town, which is small or to the beach you can buy a bike for about $130 new in Santa Cruz, which is also where the bank and grocery stores are.
Money situation
There is no bank in Los Pargos. The closest bank machine is about 45 mins away. Wait times in bank lines averages 45 mins. You will need a passport present to cash travelers checks. I think for most other banking as well.
If you will be staying for more than a week or two then you will want to have a back up money plan. I suggest, from 10 years of experience, you have a bank/debit card to take money out as you need it every week or so, about $500 in cash and about $800 in travelers checks for emergencies. You will want to let your bank know you will be using it in C.R. otherwise they may think it is stolen and shut it off.  You can use American $ in Costa Rica but if you exchange it anywhere other than a bank you will not get as good of an exchange rate, which fluctuates daily. It is hard for small stores to cash anything less than a $20 so bring mostly $20's just to make things easier. Don't use the money exchange places in the airport unless you don't mind loosing about 25% off the top.
We have seen many people loose their debit & credit cards with no back up money and that really is hard on them. Dealing with calling the bank from C.R. can be a huge challenge in itself as the phones in Los Pargos work only about 75% of the time. Not to mention if it is stolen the thieves are quick with their cell phones and can have your card maxed out 10 mins after it is stolen. It is also good to not to have all your money in one spot just in case it does get stolen. A money belt is a good idea for going shopping or spending the day away from Los Pargos.
Passport information
Yes you need a passport. Make a copy of your passport and once you get to C.R. it is a good idea to keep it put away some place safe. When you travel around take the copy with you. US passports are worth about $5,000K in C.R. You need to really be on top of your passport. It is common for whom ever the passport is given to, to forget to give it back or for the police to confiscate it for no reason.
If you have anyother questions feel free to ask.

Past Volunteers:

This list is does not include everyone who has ever volunteered. There are many more not listed. We try to include people who have volunteered with in the past year. Thank you very much for everyone's help!

 
Peter Bunch, Lee Mathers (Austrailia), Randall, Isabel & Gesel Arauz (Costa Rica), Miguel  Gomez (Spain), Charmilea Jose (CR),Tanya Christen (South Africa), Marie ?(Sweden), Monica Hutchinson (USA), Lindsey Jensen (USA), Gus (Jessie) Gustafson (USA), Jeremy ?(USA), Dr. Michael Bunch (USA), Elliot Rosano (Costa Rica), Joseph Beeshore (Costa Rica), Jeronimo de Alamara Martinez(Peru), Nedda Byblow (Can), Tyler Carpenter (CAN), Vennessa Bolen (USA), Todd Lippold (USA), Sarah Lippold (USA), Kevin Garnica (USA), Hayley Espelund (USA), Dave Bartholet (USA), Penny Bartholet (USA), Steve and Cindy Rosanno (CR), Jake Rosanno (USA), Sarah (Jakes Gal) (USA), Micheal Manzulli (USA), Estabon (CR), Albert  Martinez (CR), Omar Aguilar (CR), James Beshore (CR), Chris Elkins (Can), Zula ( Switzerland), Briska (Switzerland), Brian Mcabe (USA), Kimihiko Nakamura (Japan), Gabriela Folger (Venezuela), Heidi Rietberg (Argentina), Alejandro (Argentina), Alfonso Petrazzi(Spain), Magali Beshore (CR), Pete Smith (USA),Tyler Laird (USA), Craig Lee (USA), Tim Meier (USA), Emma (USA), Mistral Dodson (AUS), Dave Ilis (USA), Jennifer Romig (USA), Jeff (USA), Kristen Shauck (USA),Jason Milkes (USA),Tim Shauk (Mexico), Chris Quackenbush (USA), Don Wilson (USA), Curt Rodgers (USA), Billy ?(USA), David Leddbetter (USA), Ely Hudson (USA), Jenifer Hudson (USA), Jeus Hoernicke Hamelin ( Ger.), John Weben ( Ger.), Angelika Bussjaeger (Ger.) Marc, Rachel & Oceanna Ward (USA), William Aguilar(CR), Patricio and Tasia(France), Luis Matarita Rodriguez(CR), Olenign Rodriguez(CR), Olalee Rodriguez(CR), Arnoldo Vasque(CR), Fransisco Brenes(CR), Adrianna Woods( Columbia), Frank Kalana(CR), Fiona Kaana(CR), Thomas Hernandez(CR), Andy Bystrom (USA), Robert Haye(USA), Mark Stevens (South Africa), Anna Bell Quiros (CR), Shelly Long (Can), Jason Kremkau (USA), Jennifer Petrizzi (USA), Jorgette Strumme(USA), George,Nancy,Mike,Ruth,Gunner, and Cody Maddock (USA), Nadav Blackman ( Isreal), Jacob Vanosdol (USA).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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2005-Outward Bound, Sea Turtles Forever and
Volunteers from the community joining forces
to help clean the beach of Marine Plastic Debris.

Dr. Micheal Bunch and Marc Ward having a talk under the "monkey tree"  during the 2008/ 2009 season.

 

Jesse Gustafson can walk for days on end
without a rest. He was our #1 volunteer of
the 2007-2008 season. The turtles thank-you Gus!

                Da Core 2006/2007 Patrol Leaders.



SFT release form