“Would they fell trees but leave men standing? Trees are a damn sight more usefull than people, and everything in the world knows that except people.
Trees do generate oxygen; men just breathe it up, stink it up, and generally misuse it. Trees provide shelter and protection to countless species, men threaten the existence of those species. Trees hold the soil in place, men are constantly displacing it. When in sufficient number, trees regulate atmospheric temperatures, men endanger the planet by knocking those regulations askew. You can’t rest in the shade of a human, not even a roly-poly one; and isn’t it refreshing that trees can undergo periodic change without having a nervous breakdown over it? Best of all, perhaps, what maple or cypress ever tried to sell you something you didn’t want?“
This is a little post about the Cloudbridge Nature Reserve project in San Gerardo in the Talamancas of Costa Rica.
I visited this little gem of the cloud forest and immediately got in love with it. It’s a bit faggy and embarrassing to admit, but walking in the forest, the emotions take over, you want to smile and cry in the same time. It’s powerful, it’s full with energy. Everything is alive, and what dies on the floor, will be alive again. I met Linda and Tom who live there and guard, care and walk the forest each day. They plant new trees and with the whole project team they protect, reforest and preserve. More about the project is on their website, so if someone is up for volunteering go ahead. http://www.cloudbridge.org/
I visited this little gem of the cloud forest and immediately got in love with it. It’s a bit faggy and embarrassing to admit, but walking in the forest, the emotions take over, you want to smile and cry in the same time. It’s powerful, it’s full with energy. Everything is alive, and what dies on the floor, will be alive again. I met Linda and Tom who live there and guard, care and walk the forest each day. They plant new trees and with the whole project team they protect, reforest and preserve. More about the project is on their website, so if someone is up for volunteering go ahead. http://www.cloudbridge.org/
Here are a few pics from the place.
They set-up their little house in the beginning of the forest. Linda has also an art gallery. She paints trees, uses natural textures and material, and tries to bring over how trees should look like. It's possible to imagine yourself in a magical forest while looking at her paintings.
They mark and plant the trees which will restore the forest as it once was.
The forest is magnificent and powerful. And everything is lush and green.
As it is a cloud forest sometimes there are clouds in the forest. :)
These little fellows come to you. You just have to speak to them. :)
Tread lightly.. :)
Hi Marko, Thank you for that beautiful post about the Cloudbridge Nature Reserve. We enjoyed your enthusiasm for the environment and we hope you will return one day when you have more time to spend here. We would love to have you as a volunteer.
ReplyDeleteLinda Moskalyk
www.prairieartist.com
Do you guys know "Los Angeles Cloud Forest Private Biological Reserve"?
ReplyDeleteOne of the unique aspects of Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Hotel that makes staying here such a unique experience is found at the end of our full name “…and Nature Reserve.”
Thanks to the a shared vision with President Rodrigo Carazo and First Lady, Dona Estrella Zeledon de Carazo, Villa Blanca now operates in harmony with nature, surrounded by 2,000 acres of one of the most unique and precious ecosystems in the world — the cloud forest.
Known locally as “El Silencio de Los Angeles,” we are the stewards of The Los Angeles Cloud Forest Private Biological Reserve, located in the central highlands of the Canton of San Ramon de Alajuela. Given that only 1% of the world’s remaining woodlands are cloud forests, we take seriously the responsibility to protect this one, a duty that is core to the Greentique Hotels commitment to sustainable hospitality.
Villa Blanca has several kilometers of user-friendly interpretive trails, with unique day and night excursions into the cloud forest led by highly knowledgeable nature interpreters so you can better experience the teeming biodiversity within this spectacular habitat.
And the cloud forest experience gets better. You can see first hand the on-going research conducted at Villa Blanca’s Research Station. Several years of biodiversity investigation by INBio, begun by the Institute of Biodiversity, have led to discoveries and insights on the lives and roles of butterflies, moths, and some other truly exotic plant and animal species in the area.
What’s equally amazing is that this immersive cloud forest experience is only about 60 km from San Jose’s International Airport. We’re just above San Ramon, the “City of the Poets,” which means a visit to this remarkable cloud forest sanctuary is more convenient that you might think.
Villa Blanca has become known as a more intimate and far less crowed alternative to Monteverde, with an inventory of flora and fauna similar to what you’ll find in the National Park. Understandably, Monteverde represents a considerable investment —six or seven hours in a van and a chunk of money, which for many people, means a big bite out of their holiday itinerary and so they miss the cloud forest experience entirely. And that’s a shame.
Villa Blanca has helped make San Ramon and the Los Angeles Cloud Forest a brilliant new destination on the Costa Rican tourist map, ideal for nature lovers, honeymooners, and families. The collective feedback from our guests assures us that we’re exceeding guest expectations, showing them a Costa Rica they didn’t know existed, and adding value to their vacation, even with just a day visit.
A Villa Blanca stay includes beautifully appointed accommodations, sumptuous regional cuisine, a relaxing spa, and lots of other great amenities. As part of Greentique Hotels, a unique family of nature-based boutique hotels and resorts in Costa Rica, I believe we’re able to help nature-loving people “travel well and travel right” in Costa Rica.
http://www.villablanca-costarica.com/the-los-angeles-cloud-forest-private-biological-reserve-at-villa-blanca/