Crazy Enough to Change the World – Fitting tribute from Cocos Island
“Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes… the ones who see things differently — they’re not fond of rules… You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things… […]
Cocos Island: Photo Essay: The Tedious Process of Sorting Hooks and Gacillas: Part 4
Thanks to the help of Sea Save’s Jay Ireland, I finally have the ability to upload photos. So I am back to creating a photo log of our Cocos Island efforts: A blog reader kindly donated two pairs of wire cutters after reading about the process of sorting out hooks and gacillas, expediting the process […]
Cocos Island: The Role of a Volunteer – “The really important piece.”
Guillermo Hernandez When I first showed up on the island, I was the “problem volunteer”. It wasn’t that I didn’t get along with the rest of the Wafer Crew, I wasn’t blasting music late into the night, and I’m not a slob. It was simply that my status as young, non-Spanish speaking, unskilled worker gave […]
Cosos Island: The Merits of Coffee and Pinto – Fueling the day.
I wake up every morning at 6 am to the beep of my watch alarm. Looking out my northeast-facing window up at the sky, I’m usually tempted to fall back to sleep, because nothing says more sleep like a rainy day. Which is the norm here. There are rare mornings (like this one) when I […]
Cocos Island – Impact of Introduced Rats on Endemic Birds
A current Cocos Island study examines the impact of introduced animals on endemic species. Nancy Orias Hidalgo is researching the relationship between Cocos Island rats and cats and endemic birds. Preliminary results obtained by capturing and sacrificing island rats and then examining stomach contents reveal evidence of both feathers and eggs. Details and additional […]
Cocos Island: Paradise – Borders Redefined
I’ve been re-assigned to patrol duty for the next couple of days. Maybe more, but things tend to operate on a day-to-day basis around here (for me anyways, with my limited Spanish) so I’m not entirely sure what the duration of my assignment is. There was no patrol today, though, because the diesel supply […]
Cocos Island Repeat Offenders
Cocos Island is not only a Costa Rica National Park, she is also a World Heritage Site. Inclusion in this prestigious UNESCO list signifies that Cocos is of vital importance and holds irreplaceable value to the international community. Fins hanging from a fishing boat – (c) Georgienne Bradley Cocos Island 1992 Above water the island […]
Cocos Island: Diving and Dancing
I dove for a second time yesterday at a place called Alcyone, off the eastern edge of the island. We motored out into the swell, about half a mile off shore, where a line of buoys bobbed in the waves. Double checked our equipment, secured the boat to the safety line off of the […]
Cocos Island: There’s Not Just One Piece in the Puzzle
It’s Sunday – day off for volunteers. The rain’s pounding down. It’s rained hard since 11:30 this morning, the most rain I’ve seen during my stay here. The stone path up to the main building is inundated with a murky, brown stream of water, and the small brook that runs through the middle of the […]
Cocos Island: Hooks and Gastillas: Part Three
Yesterday was more of the same – hooks, gastillas, and rain. Sitting under the corrugated roof of the open-air shop down by the river with Guillermo Hernandez, another volunteer. He’s teaching me the words to “El Dia Que Me Quieras”. El dia que me quieras, la rosa que engalana.Water streams off the eaves, drips […]
