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- A Busy Year at the Karen Mogensen Reserve
A Busy Year at the Karen Mogensen Reserve
Thanks to your donations, we were able to add a 35 hectare farm to our protected area!
Patricia Slump-Mulder
November 14, 2024
Our new farm, known as “La Bruja”
Dear Friends and Nature Lovers,
It is with great pleasure that we can announce that, thanks to all of you who donated and a generous recent donation from the past month, we have been able to add a new 35 hectare (86.5 acre) farm to the Karen Mogensen Reserve! This new farm (the red area in the map below) will connect two forested areas, which through our reforestation efforts will create a new biological corridor, bringing back connectivity for wildlife to travel safely. It will also provide protection and preservation for some very important springs that border this land. These forested areas (shown in green) are farms we purchased in 2022 and 2023, which have been in the process of regenerating ever since.
As of now, this farm is roughly half pasture and half regenerating secondary forest. By planting pioneer and endangered tree species, we will re-wild and reforest this whole area, bringing back a valuable, biodiverse forest and speeding up the process of regeneration.
Help us reforest this land and continue to protect the Karen Mogensen Reserve!
All U.S. donations are tax-deductible through Amigos of Costa Rica. Contact us about tax-deductible donations from the Netherlands and Canada.
In February, we celebrated 30 years of collaboration between the Italian association Foreste per Sempre and ASEPALECO. Their work has allowed us to continue protecting the forests and studying the biodiversity in the Karen Mogensen Reserve using our joint Bio-Meteorological Research Station, established in 2014. The Italian ambassador to Costa Rica joined us, and stressed the importance of his nation supporting these conservation initiatives in countries rich in biodiversity like ours.
|  A Long-Billed Hermit |
 A Tayra spying on us in the Karen Mogensen Reserve. | A new research article will be published soon in the journal Zookeys, with the title "Mammal diversity and tourism influence in an under-investigated region of Costa Rica". We present the most recent data on the diversity of mammals of the Karen Mogensen Reserve, which includes 60 mammal species. Our monitoring and research has provided great results! |
Notably, 11 species of bats were identified in September alone. We were able to successfully observe a female spear-nosed bat, Phyllostomus hastatus, second in Costa Rica by size only to Vampyrum spectrum, registered in the Karen Mogensen Reserve in 2022! These bioindicator species require healthy habitats to grow, serving as a testament of our work so far. |  Our biologist, Carlos, measuring the impressive 91 mm forearm of the spear-nosed bat found in the reserve. |
 Our 2023 Educational Camp. Read more about last year’s educational camp here! | We are preparing to host our third annual of the educational camp soon, with 80 students and 16 teachers from public schools in Paquera, Lepanto and Cóbano. Our mission is to teach about the importance of water and wildlife conservation, and these camps play an important role in bringing greater environmental awareness to the local community! |
In partnership with the Municipality of Lepanto, we have launched a new campaign to promote better recycling practices among the local schools and communities, such as separating recoverable materials and compost, and responsible consumption. Our efforts aim to reduce trash ending up in the environment, reduce plastic use, increase recycling rates, and foster a culture of sustainability in our region.
 Our brave forest firefighter brigade | Unfortunately, during the 2023-2024 fire season, about 20 separate wildfires began in and around the Protected Zone of the Nicoya Peninsula, damaging an estimated 5000 hectares (12355 acres) of forest and the watersheds within. We are continuing to work with the Forest Fire Brigade to fight fires and prevent them through environmental education, but we need your help to continue our work! |
If you have been looking to make a meaningful impact, this is your opportunity!
Protect the forests and waters of
the Nicoya Peninsula by
 |
Patricia Slump-Mulder |
