Ana Cecilia and her son Jose Villalobos
Project Summary:
Chocüaco’s corridor connects two forests via a 2 hectare tree corridor, increasing mobility & habitat for wildlife. It raises awareness & provides income to locals for labor, good and services.
Funding Amount:
$8,756.00
Donation Options:
| $10 will pay for 20 of the native tree seedilgins that will be planted in this old pastureland |
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| $15 will pay for 30 meters of the fencing needed to protect the corridor from cattle |
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| $25 will pay for one local worker for one day to prepare the land for tree planting day |
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| $50 will pay the wages of two local workers for planting 750 trees on planting day |
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| $100 will cover the expenses of the 8 maintenance cleanings of the seedlings during the first 2 years |
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| $200 will cover all of the local labor employed for the planting of the trees |
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| $300 will pay for one year of the landowner’s payment’s for environmental services (PES’s) |
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Frogs Slipper Orchid
What is the problem:
Development in the Lake Arenal area is one of the biggest threats to the connectivity of the existing forests. The properties adjacent to the Chocüaco Corridor, previously farms owned and operated by local Tico families, have been purchases and developed by foreign speculators. When this happens, there is no hope of creating biological corridors within the urbanization because each retiree living in the gated community has their own idea of what beauty is and that seldom includes wilderness.
How will the project solve the problem:
This 2 hectare biological corridor will connect 2 existing forests, create a natural, green buffer on the border with the housing developments & resolve the dilemma of animals trapped in both forests by increasing food supply & aiding the gene pool.
na and Jose figuring out where the corridor will go with the cowboy looking on
Potential Long-Term Impact:
Increase habitat by joining 2 forests, add water to the Rio Tronadora & Lake Arenal, create a native border to protect from urbanization, raise local awareness, absorb 30+ metric tons of carbon yearly, & add 2 hectares of native tropical forest to the Earth.
This photo shows one of the forests that the corridor will connect to. It will reach 50 meters out from the forest
Quote:
“From here we see how these developers carve up the land with roads & housing sites. Then foreigners build enormous houses. I would love to quit the cattle business, reforest & conserve all of our farm.” -Ana Cecilia Villabolos, Jose Luis (Chocüaco) Villalobos widow
This photo shows the lower part of the corridor area, 50 meters out from the fence and down to the Rio Tronadora
The areas outlined in red show the two large housing developments adjacent to the corridor and Rio Tronadora. No trees in these areas
Personnel:
Roberta Ward Smiley
President and Founder
As project leader Roberta oversees all phases of LRFF’s forestry projects. Administrator of the projects. She co-founded LRFF in 2005 and, together with Dan, has built the organization into an international forestry force. She has 25 years experience in native tropical forest restoration and preservation and is Coordinator of the Local Council of Biological Corridors Lake Arenal-Volcano Tenorio
Daniel Spreen Wilson
Project Manager and LRFF Treasurer
Daniel has 25 years experience in native, tropical restoration and preservation. He manages the seedling nursery at La Reserva, identifying Mother trees for seed collection, identification of tree species and ensures that the nursery contains a wide variety of tree species (70+ native species). Daniel is in charge of the work crew who the hole digging, planting and tree maintenance.
Portland State University – Accounting Major
Active member of the Local Council of Biological Corridors Lake Arenal-Volcano Tenorio