Current Release: September 11th, 2007 | Vol. XXIV Iss. 10

Photo courtesy of Nate Swann

Offspring on spring break

By Dan Andrews

Ten members of Virginia Wesleyan community spent their spring break in Gandoca, Costa Rica helping to protect the endangered Leatherback sea turtle.

Leatherback turtles are black, with brownish spots and are named for their leathery skin. They can weigh anywhere between 700 to 2,000 pounds and measure four to eight feet in length.

The group was working with an organization called ANAI that is based out of Costa Rica, and have been working since 1985 to stop poachers from harming the sea turtles. With the efforts of ANAI and the local townspeople, poaching has been cut to a rate of nearly one percent.

The group of VWC students and faculty arrived in Costa Rica on Mar. 19. They stayed the night in San Jose and the next day they took a six-hour van ride to Gandoca.

"Our driver was an interesting guy named Roberto," said Jenna Zitz, a senior at VWC. "He broke his glasses packing the luggage and drove to Gandoca without them."

His broken spectacles caused some problems on the way to Gandoca. On two separate occasions, the driver ran over a pothole and blew out a tire. Luckily the locals were kind enough to help and they eventually made it to their destination.

Tuesday was the first day of work for the group. Breakfast was at nine o=clock every morning and hatchery shifts began at two in the afternoon. Hatchery shifts are when the beach is prepared for the turtles to lay their eggs.

The group was divided into different sections of the beach.

"We got rid of logs on the beach and also roots from the rainforest," said Shannon Kamanuwai, a junior and group leader. AThe roots and debris can damage the eggs.@

They would also soften the sand by taking shovelfuls and sifting it, making it ideal for the turtle eggs.

Even after preparing the beach, the work was not yet done. Leatherback turtles wait until it is dark to come out and lay their eggs, so the group was given night shifts to collect the eggs and deposit them in the safe hatching locations they prepared in the afternoon. The night shifts were from 8 p.m. to 12 a.m. and 12 a.m. to 4 a.m.

A female leatherback turtle will come onto the beach and find a suitable place to lay her eggs. If the section of beach is a cleaned section, the turtle eggs will not be disturbed and they can remain in the turtles nest.

If the turtle lays her eggs in an un-cleaned area of beach the process is different.

"When the turtle begins to lay her eggs, a team of five or six people will run out and the leader delegates what each person=s job is," Kamanuwai said.

One member held a bag behind the turtle to catch the eggs being laid. Other members will check for tracking devices that they place on the turtle to keep track of where she has laid her eggs and when.

When the group was working at night they had to wear long sleeve dark clothing, use flashlights with red filters and they where not allowed to use bug spray.

"Turtles are sensitive to smell and light already, but pregnant turtles are more sensitive," said Kamanuwai. AIf the mother see=s our flashlights, or if she smells strong scents on the beach then she won=t come ashore and lay the eggs.@

The dark clothing was worn as camouflage from the turtles as well as possible poachers trying to see where the eggs are being located.

When the group was not working they where taking time to explore Gandoca. The group went to Volio Falls located in the rainforest.

"We had to climb all the way up a river to get to the waterfall," said Nathaniel Swann, a sophomore at VWC. AThere was a lagoon at the bottom, it was cool to swim under the waterfall.@

The group also got to see some of the wildlife in Costa Rica besides the turtles, including red poisonous frogs, howler monkeys and scorpions. But some members of the group got up close and personal with the insects.

"Some people got bit by spiders and mosquitoes," said Kamanuwai. AWe couldn=t use bug spray so a few people had bites.@

Spring break is normally a time to rest, relax and get ready for the final months of school, but instead of taking time off for themselves, this group of Virginia Wesleyan students and faculty worked 1,900 miles away to help an endangered species survive.