Rock's Place: Costa Rican Refuge

The Costa Rican jungle holds many mysteries, but many others reside in those that venture into it. The first few days I stayed in a cabin, which was about 100 yards from the ocean, I learned quickly that this experience would be unlike any other I had had in my life: I knew I better take advantage of it.
We were told the first day in the Curu Wildlife Refuge that we should not wander alone; we should, at least, be with one other person.
Never one to follow the rules, I often woke up with the sunrise, because it hit me square in the eyes each morning from my top bunk in the cabin. And each morning, I would grab my mother's camera she had loaned me for the trip and take a picture of the sunrise. After each picture, I would quietly get up, dress, get my gear, and take off to find the white faced capuchin monkeys, my study subjects.

Capuchins are timid but occasionally bold small to medium sized primates that are active mostly in the morning. I know this well because my study provided me data on what activity they did and when. But I often went beyond the scope of my "scientific" study and attempted to communicate with them; I wanted them to understand that I only wanted to understand them better. In my hubris, I wanted them to become more like pets than study subjects.
Part of the thrill of waking up was figuring out where the group might be. Most often, they were held up in a grove of mangoes resting, eating, grooming, or, even on rare occasions, playing.
My experience in the jungle is that a jungle is not that much of a jungle. Not the steamy, romanticized one most people think about. More, it was a forest with very different animals: monkeys, cougars (puma or mountain lion, if you prefer), iguanas, red-stripe squirrels, insects of all kinds (most exotic), even crocodiles. More still, the plant and tree life was distinctly unique from my Midwest beginnings: bigger in leaf structure, deeper and richer green colors, and a more enclosing feeling.
Stay tuned for more from Rock...

Hi Ya!

I was born on a small farm in the middle of Ohio during a full moon while a tornado was about to hit the shack my mother was giving birth. I was swept up into the storm and carried several hundred yards, but finally the tornado set me gently down into the fork of a tree where a horned owl watched over me until my parents found me. A doctor was called, his name was Dr. Wiggles, and he found me with a slight laceration on the occipital portion of my forming cranium. He tended to it expertly and here I am today.
Ok, none of that is true. I was born in Michigan in a hospital where I did take hold of my umbilical cord and the railing of the "weigh station" in the birthing room.
I grew up, much like Dr. Rouzie, up the hill to a wooded area that I often pioneered as a lad. However, the ecological area I think I will use for this course is the jungle I worked in while I studied primates in Costa Rica (like the one to the right).

Although it was almost fifteen years ago, my memory and pictures should serve me well.
I look forward to reading and sharing experiences your experiences and postings.
Rock

R-ECO-1

This blog is part of class. The R stands for Rock: me. The ECO stands for Ecocomposition, and the 1 stands for the first blog about this topic I've done. Holla!