Mastatal -- CR Expedition Week Two

MASTATAL (Puriscal)

We motored across the mountains down out of the coffee valleys and into Puriscal canton, where we settled in for a week-long stay at Finca Siempre Verde, a sustainable farming and learning center in the rural village of Mastatal. Nestled at the edge of La Cangreja National Park, Mastatal has around 100 residents, and is home to many small farms as well as spectacular forests, rivers, and abundant wildlife. Here students had a chance to check out sustainable building projects (including outdoor showers and composting toilets) as well as local efforts to increase biodiversity through sustainable agroforestry and agricultural production.

View of La Cangreja rising above Mastatal
Fiery-billed aracari (Pteroglossus frantzii)















In addition to bird watching outings each morning, students took part in some hands-on exercises working with different taxonomic groups, including ubiquitous epiphytes and insects. Over a period of several days, we collected data on spider diversity and forest structure/diversity as part of pilot data being used for a proposal to the National Science Foundation to conduct more extensive fieldwork on functional diversity. In addition to learning about field methodologies for assessing biodiversity, we had further practice using statistical methods to answer questions relating arthropod species traits to forest condition. Students also had a chance to visit with a local medicine man from nearby Zapaton, an indigenous community 10k up the road from Mastatal. Finally, we spent an afternoon learning about all things chocolate from local cacao farmers at La Iguana Chocolate, which of course culminated in the processing and tasting of various sweet chocolate confections!
Working on epiphyte classification
Measuring forest characteristics
Sorting through arthropods captured in pitfall traps

Measuring spider body sizes
Calculating t-statistic for spider traits, comparing
natural forest with melina plantation
Sunday afternoon pick-up game (futbol) in Mastatal


















Hiking down to the Rio Negro

Chatting with Gerardo from Zapaton

At La Iguana Chocolate


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