Camino Claro Blog

We mentioned Pavones’ Anti-Tuna Farm Festival that took place a few weeks ago, you saw some pictures and heard Jacob’s positive feedback on the memorable event; so we thought it was time to give those who were interested some info on the legal side of the issue in the Golfo Dulce…

Remember, you can always check out our previous posts or Pretoma’s website for more background on the ongoing tuna farm proposals in our precious gulf.

Golfito’s municipal council vows not to issue permits for Granjas Atuneras SA

Gerardo Mendoza and Susanne Mesen, president and treasurer of the “No a las Granjas Atuneras” association (ANAGA) went to the Municipal Council’s meeting in Golfito a few weeks ago and petitioned the newly elected representatives to oppose the tuna farm project. They were successful and the council voted not to issue permits for tuna farming within the next six years and they pronounced themselves against tuna farming in all of Costa Rica. The previous Consejo Municipal had also refused to issue permits for Granjas Atuneras SA’s operation. Thank you Gerardo and Susanne!

Permits issued by SETENA may be revoked

SETENA (Secretaria Tecnica Nacional Ambiental - which is part of MINAET, The Ministry of Environment) however, did issue permits for the tuna project but then was forced by the court to look into charges that Granjas Atuneras‘ environmental impact report contained fraudulent statements such as claiming that the people around the gulf who were interviewed for the report pronounced themselves in favor of the project (not true). Granjas Atuneras also claimed that the currents only flow out of the gulf and not into it and therefore there is no risk of polluting the gulf. To the residents around the Golfo Dulce it is obvious that these statements are false. Let’s hope that SETENA will come to the same conclusion. If they do, Granjas Atuneras‘ permits will be revoked. This should be decided soon.

Pavones’ Festival: all about raising awareness

Perhaps the 2010 Anti-Tuna Farm Festival’s greatest success was acquiring 390 signatures for a petition that will be sent to Costa Rica’s new president, Laura Chinchilla, and SETENA, in which Pavones and surrounding communities state their opposition to the tuna farms and ask for revocation of the permits. The more people that sign the petition, the harder it is for SETENA to claim that the community approves of the tuna farm project.

Additionally, the local fisherman succeeded in having the Golfo Dulce declared Area for Responsible Fisheries. This means shrimpers are banned permanently as well as all fishing vessels that are bigger than a panga (small motor boat), and net fishing is outlawed.

GREAT JOB and THANK YOU to everyone in Pavones: members of the ANAGA committee, individuals and businesses who donated prizes for the Festival, and people who got out and signed the petition! You are all making a difference…now on to a few more pictures of the event:

ECC’s teacher, Lisa, with Apalonia, the vice president of ANAGA and also the voice for the Guaymi Indigenous community on the Tuna Farm issue. At the chicha barrel! (Jacob on the traditional fermented corn drink: “tastes like kombucha, feels like moonshine)

A few of the Guaymi Indegenous protesters

Carlos and Maruja, Pavones locals, enjoying the party with the rest of the pueblo

A big thank you to Lili from Mira Olas Cabinas for keeping us updated with current information. Thanks also to Jacob for his excellent photography skills!

More updates to come soon so keep tuning in.

~Haley

Another successful Anti-Tuna Farm Festival

May was a month of action for the Pavones community as a whole. Pavones hosted quite possibly its largest festival of the year in opposition to the proposed tuna farming in the Golfo Dulce. We had much support in gathering the town’s signatures on the petition; I won’t lie, getting everyone together for an awesome party puts people in a helpful mood. There was great food, delicious chicha (tastes like kombucha, feels like moonshine), rappers and clowns entertaining children for hours on end, a baile that went too late for my tastes these days, and other amazing things I can’t put into words. Gerardo took great control of the events organization and everyone worked together to volunteer their time. It was really cool to see everyone coming together to throw this big awareness festival. A fantastic mural is near completion on the once-white wall of the fishermen house – thanks everyone who worked on that (I know I saw Aurora, Alex, and Hadas there!). Although things seem to come together at the last minute here, I must say the Tuna Festival was a fantastic success.

ECC’s classes continue to go well

I know Lisa’s sure are: to paraphrase her students’ sentiments, they really like: “all of the games, singing, and food.” I can attest to their delightment in these things as I often hear the enchanting little voices singing such titillating tunes as “Clean Up! Clean Up!” and “London Bridge.” I won’t lie; I’ve even had fun playing some of the games – and eating the snacks! I never knew I liked raisins so much… Lisa has combined her two bilingual classes into one and they sure are swell. Speaking of swells, they even dedicated themselves to a pledge of environmental stewardship and conducted quite the beach clean-up – some tourists and locals even volunteered their abilities at picking up rubbish.

My classes are still going strong. Leon, my private home school student, and I become a more proficient studying machine as the days progress. He’s doing a good job at keeping concentrated on our work, even when I know at times images of waves are rolling through his head. Adult computer classes have finally collated into one Thursday evening class. Everyone has been making leaps and bounds in computer comprehension and that includes the kids’ computer/photography class. Of course, this month was exciting for us as the students have been creating a documentary focused on “No a Las Granjas Atuneras” (Anti-Tuna Farm). Gerardo’s Adult English class is still great fun. Lately, students have been working on putting together a travel guide in English, combining both English practice and computer literacy.

Other community happenings

Las Gemelas public school is chugging along like the little engine that can, and has. We’ve really come along way in our community garden there! Just today the students of Las Gemelas got their hands dirty planting a variety of different flora. En lieu of Dia de los Arboles several trees were planted, along with herbs, vegetables and even ornamental flowers.

Escuela Camino Claro’s benefit dinner up at El Castillo Restaurant was quite the fiesta. There was an appetizing spread of pizza, pasta, burgers, and make-your-own-salad with a dozen ingredients! We had a great turn out and a great time. It was so fun to be in such a swanky little place nestled up in the hills of the jungle. Everyone’s support and energy made all of us at ECC feel that proverbial warm and fuzzy feeling.

This month we have had several different volunteers from the tourist community volunteer at the public school’s library and during ECC’s English classes, which was a great surprise and help. I feel like this might be a great untapped resource as a lot of people feel like giving back to the community they are visiting. There may be more tourist volunteers to come. Of course we would like to thank everyone for coming and helping us to be a positive community.

~Jacob

Seasons greetings from Escuela Camino Claro!

Dear Friends and Family,
I hope this letter finds you happy, healthy, and excited for the madness of the holiday season and the approaching New Year! ECC’s little elves (i.e. Raphel and Haley) have been hard at work in our winter workshops (i.e. our Northwest homes) as we prepare for next school year in Pavones, Costa Rica. Before jumping into 2010, let me take a moment to recap some of what happened last year in ECC’s second official year as a non-profit community education center.

2009 was characterized by two main successes. First, Pavones’ growing acceptance of ECC into the small community and, second, ECC’s expansion in all areas of service: more classes, more students, and more variety. Because of last year’s growth, I can say with great pride that ECC has accomplished one of the main goals set out by the board and has advocated further educational options for the Pavones area by offering an education center that does not pursue its own agenda but responds to the requests, needs, and opinions of the community.

A few highlights from 2009

•    Increased monthly enrollment. The average number of student enrollment was 24, almost doubling our 2008 enrollment. In our peak month this year, we had 45 total students attending classes at ECC! Our Pre-K/Kindergarten class (ages 2-5) was the largest and had the most consistent enrollment.
•    Increased number of native Costa Rican students. On average, Costa Ricans comprised 70% of enrollment this year, thus demonstrating ECC’s growing acceptance into the native community.
•    Going green. March 2009 earned us our first “sponsorship” from the umbrella corporation The EDGE Charitable Foundation. It was the turning point for our decision to operate in an environmentally sustainable manner as well as to incorporate environmental education into our classes.
•    Community involvement. ECC played a role in several worthwhile community events and projects, such as helping to organize Pavones’ first recycle system and participating in the Anti-Tuna Farm Campaign celebration. Also, last June ECC celebrated its 2nd annual Global Services Outreach Program, a community service and cultural integration excursion for high school students. Thank you to the six Kalapuya High School students and adult chaperones from Eugene, Oregon who did some amazing work in the community!

What’s in the stars for 2010?

Next year we are looking forward to integrating other passionate, creative teachers and volunteers to help teach ECC’s classes, including ESL, home school, and computer/Internet literacy classes. We are also eager to expand our involvement in the community, particularly by increasing environmental awareness, starting with our students and reaching into the greater Pavones area. We hope to see a more organized and sustainable recycle system next year.

Thanks to fundraising efforts and support from generous individuals throughout the past few years, ECC was able pursue our mission by providing scholarships to all students in need and to families with multiple children enrolled. We are dedicated to providing the same services to the Pavones area by working with members of the community who share our vision and goals of broadening our community education center.

In order to meet the high demand for classes, offer classes at an affordable (or free!) rate, AND provide scholarships to students in need…

WE NEED YOUR HELP…SPONSOR A STUDENT!

Despite how hugely successful our Pura Vida Fundraiser has been in the past, the decision to not have one this winter means that ECC will rely 100% on the support and contributions from individuals. Fortunately, ECC has a much broader support base that has now grown beyond our local Eugene, Oregon fundraiser: we feel confident we can depend on people like YOU to help ECC continue to flourish. This year ECC is offering a program that allows our supporters to sponsor a student for a month or a year (see previous post). The more donations we receive, the more students ECC can enroll with an adjusted tuition. With your help, we are confident ECC will continue to survive and flourish in 2010! All donations are tax exempt.

On behalf of the students and teachers of Escuela Camino Claro, as well as the Pavones community at large, we thank you from the bottom of our heart for your kindness and support thus far.

May your holiday be filled with much happiness, joy, and PURA VIDA!
Sincerely,

Haley Whitley, Co-Founder
Raphel Weber, Co-Founder

As you might remember from one of our posts back in May, the pending installation of the tuna farms in the Golfo Dulce continues to be a great threat to our home in many ways. Thus, the battle continues…

The Corrupt Tuna Project

Last June, MINAET (The Costa Rican Ministry of Environment) approved and granted most of the necessary permits for Granjas Atuneras, S.A. to install the destructive tuna farms in the Golfo Dulce. However, MINAET acted prematurely and suspiciously, as it was soon discovered that the permits were illegally issued. Business was conducted in violation of the Supreme Court’s decision to put the project on hold until ocean currents have been thoroughly studied and it has been established that fecal matter from the fish would indeed not enter the Golfo Dulce.

This study was recently completed and apparently it was altered in order to show the preferred results; that the ocean currents will not bring waste into the Gulf. This is, of course, ridiculous because it is common knowledge that our ocean currents go both ways and the prevailing winds are onshore, coming from the south and pushing the surface water into the gulf.

So, with the study results against us and the Ministry of Environment obviously working for bribes, Pavones’ community members have come together to form an official Anti-Tuna Farm Association, established at the beginning of this month.

Pavones Community Fights Corruption

The Anti-Tuna Farm Association represents the voice of all community members; locals, foreigners, and most importantly, the Guaymi Indigenous population. The Guaymi make up 60% of the voters in our district and they see the project as an invasion of their territory. The establishment of such a heterogeneous Association will allow us to more powerfully oppose Granjas Atuneras, S.A.

A few weeks ago I spoke with Vela Miles, one of the “movers and shakers” here in Pavones. She deserves many thanks for her hard work and dedication to the tuna project battle, but being a head member of the Anti-Tuna Farm Association is just one way she is invaluable to this community. Vela stated that now that the Association has legal status they are in the process of “asking the municipality of Golfito to approve the popular vote (plebiscito) in the district of Pavones. This allows Pavones to vote and voice their position. That is our constitutional right.” The municipality cannot install the tuna farms until Pavones votes on it.

As of now, the Association will continue to send letters to the municipality and work to educate this region on the negative affects of the Tuna Farms. The only thing preventing the installation of the Tuna Farms are the permits from the municipality. Although everything else has been approved, Pavones is still putting up a hard fight against the Granjas Atuneras.

ECC Student Speaks Out

All members- and all ages!- of the community will be affected by the impending tuna farms if it goes through. Below, 9-year-old ECC student, Leilani, voices her opinion about the impending tuna project: check out an excerpt of her very well-written (did I mention she is an ECC student?:) letter to Costa Rican President Oscar Arias.

“The other day I went surfing here in Pavones. It was such a beautiful day. The water was clear and pretty. I saw a manta ray jumping, a pelican diving in for his breakfast, and a sea turtle floating by. When I went under the water, I could hear the whales singing. Have you ever heard whales? They sing the most beautiful songs! As I came up from under the water, I had a terrible thought… Will there come a day when this Gulf that I love so much be so contaminated from the tuna farms that the manta rays will no longer jump? Will there be a day that the pelicans no longer come here to fish for their breakfast? Will there be a day that the turtles no longer want to lay their eggs on our beaches? Will there be a day when the whales no longer want to come and sing their sweet songs?
I hope with all my heart that this day will never come! This is why I am writing you today. I am asking you to please, please help us to stop the tuna farms from coming here!!! Please use all your power as president to stop this project from contaminating our beautiful Golfo Dulce.

Thank you for you time,
Leilani McGonagle
PS. I heard you recently were sick with Swine Flu. I hope you are feeling better!”

It’s never too late to make a donation to this important cause- EVERYTHING COUNTS. Thanks for your support,

Sincerely,
Raphel & Haley

Anti-Tuna Farm Campaign Continues

Costa Rica’s first national rally held in Pavones on May 23^rd & 24^th

 

What an amazing event Pavones had the privilege of hosting a few weeks ago. The ¡No a las Granjas Atuneras! spirit was heavy in the air as hundreds of people joined Pavones residents in raising awareness and funds to halt the construction of tuna farms in the Golfo Dulce. It was a phenomenal success and, with a few more comparable fiestas, as well as increased signatures on Pretoma’s petition, newspaper articles, and press time, this exploitative project may actually be immobilized.

 

Pavones says NO

 

 

 

But first, a bit of political background…

Costa Rica’s Ministry of Environment (MINAET) has recently given the approval to Granjas Atuneras S.A. of Golfito to install tuna farms in the mouth of the Golfo Dulce. The tropical fjord is a pristine natural resource that is being threatened by this project. Fishing and tourism, the two economic strengths in the Golfo Dulce zone, will be gravely affected as well, just because some money-hungry individuals want to get rich harvesting and exporting tuna. Additionally, the project only has an 8-year life span (earning Granjas Atuneras 20 million a year!) until natural tuna stocks become exhausted. The Constitutional Court actually suspended the advancement of the project back in May 2007 because there was not enough evidence that this project would not pollute and destroy the gulf’s natural resources (duh- why wouldn’t it?!). Apparently MINAET has not heeded this suspension and the concerned communities are speaking out against any further action. Pavones is among these communities, demonstrated when we gathered more than 700 signatures for the anti-tuna farm letter that Pretoma, Costa Rica’s ocean conservation group, delivered to President Oscar Arias on May 28th. You can see their article covering the event by scrolling down to the links below.

 

Pavones proper only has a few hundred residents, so this high number of signatures should really tell you something about the general sentiment and passion for this issue.

Now, for some remarks on our delightful grass roots festival…

 

 

Children’s inspirational banner

 

 

 

¡Fiesta Fiesta! The best kind of party

Pavones has undoubtedly never experienced such community vigor and heated excitement as it did a few weeks ago. Granted, Escuela Camino Claro has only been here for a few years but everyone definitely agrees this was a first. After witnessing so many people join together with their knowledge, time, and energy (not to mention organizing and coordinating skills), I realize how proud I am to be a part of this diverse and special community. There seemed to be no dividing lines between Pavones’ locals, foreign residents, and surfer tourists as we all danced together to the live music and enjoyed the various activities during a sunny weekend in a remote corner of the world. Many members of the Guaymi indigenous group trekked into town from the reservation with their families to show their support.

 

¡De verdad, un día histórica para Pavones!

Pretoma’s presence at the festival was fundamental in spreading awareness to many parts of the community that otherwise would have stayed uninformed about the issue. Similarly, national press, including Tico Times and Repretel, were kept busy taking pictures and conducting interviews.

 

A team surf competition, a fashion show, an up-the-river boot race, garage and bake sales, children’s activities, and soccer games were some of the many events that took place at the festival. The ECC teachers failed to put together a team for the competition, but, needless to say, we were happy to help with trilingual signage (English, Spanish, and Guaymi!) and getting some of our students involved in the banner-painting project. This is obviously what we do best since, well, we are an English school, not a surf school. One of the most remarkable parts of the weekend, though, was the impressive lineup of music that got the whole town shaking. Indeed, a nice break from Reggaetón, as well as some cultural exposure than Pavones is not normally used to. Costa Rican marimba music, a bit of reggae, and San Jose’s Zege African percussion band with their incredible dancers were the highlights, as well as the traditional mariachi music and baile típico. I will never forget the look of amazement on people’s faces as they watched the beautiful, painted African dancers. It was a new, positive experience for many.

 

Close to home for two ECC teachers

After ECC’s Pura Vida Fundraiser last January, Raphel and I almost had an anxiety attack as soon as we heard the word “fundraiser” mentioned a few months ago. For those who don’t know about this annual Eugene, Oregon fundraiser and silent auction and that a large portion of ECC’s yearly expenses has been supported by it, feel free to check out the pictures on our website and the YOUTUBE video (links below).

 

So, did we want to be on the committee for the No a Las Granjas Atuneras Festival? Not at the moment, thanks- but we will definitely educate our students and get them involved as much as possible! After several Spanglish conversations on the topic and some artistic free time during class (art is a good stimulus for learning such things as colors), we arrived on the day of the Festival with manageable blood pressure and were able to enjoy the party from an outsider’s perspective. Knowing what it takes to plan and coordinate such an event, I have the utmost respect for everyone involved. Props to you all and thank you for bringing us all together! Sure, we don’t get a lot of live music or community/cultural events down here, but a few weeks ago I fell in love all over again with this magical place and all the people that coexist here. We must never take our lives here for granted because it may all change in the near future.

 

¡No a Las Granjas Atuneras!

 

Useful Links

• Pretoma’s website

www.pretoma.org   

 

• Pretoma’s article covering this event

www.pretoma.org/category/press-releases/

 

• ECC’s 2009 Pura Vida Fundraiser & Silent Auction PHOTO GALLERY

www.caminoclaro.org/photo-galleries/pura-vida-fundraiser.php

 

• ECC’s 2009 Pura Vida Fundraiser & Silent Auction YOUTUBE VIDEO

Part 1: www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8o4MYJqscQ

         Part 2: www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oDjMb5Vq5I    

 

 

Activities for everyone

The Green Team (Equipo Verde) kept everything tidy and promoted recycling

Something our town, and its sea wall, has surely never witnessed before: Fashion show!

 

The little ones strutting their stuff with Guaymi typical dress

Thank you Jessie Travis for your photos J

The real campaign starts- ¡No a Las Granjas Atuneras!

Many of you are already aware of the impending threat of the introduction of a massive tuna farm in the Golfo Dulce. If this is not the case, please read on to further education yourself about the current state of the crisis and find out how you can help us here in Pavones.

All of us at Escuela Camino Claro felt it is of the utmost importance to reach out to our supporters and donors because this is an issue happening literally in Pavones’ front yard, thus directly affecting our thriving Community Education Center.

What are the tuna farms?

­­­­­­­­­­­­­ Granjas Atuneras S.A. is a company of Venezuelan and Spanish interests, which is looking to place between 10 and 100 cages just outside of the mouth of the Gulfo Dulce. The cages measure 50 meters in diameter and 20 meters in depth and would be positioned a few kilometers off the beach. The tuna would be corralled hundreds of miles out to sea by helicopters, nets, dynamite and speedboats and then dragged back to the Golfo Dulce.

The project would offer little if any economic feedback for the rural communities that surround the Golfo Dulce (us!), but rather benefit a handful of wealthy individuals. Might I interject and say we, as Golfo Dulce residents, don’t even get a bite of tuna: Japan will sure be enjoying a lot of fresh sashimi on our behalf. What’s more- because I assure you we can live without fat, farm-fed tuna on our tables- the project threatens to disrupt the gulf’s delicate ecosystem, a natural resource that supports local fisheries and sustainable tourism opportunities. Fishermen will loose their livelihood, marine life will either be caught in the nets and inadvertently killed or slowly murdered by nitrogen byproducts, and concentrated amounts of tuna carcasses will attract sharks. Not so much fun for two ECC teachers who like to surf and are scared of sharks.

Survey results of the local population show an overwhelming anti-tuna farm sentiment; however, with few expendable resources to allocate to derailing the project, more powerful political and economical intentions are driving the proposal closer to implementation.

YES, IT’S AS BAD AS IT SOUNDS. This is not what we want to see every morning when we wake up…

What can we do to stop it?

Awareness, awareness, and more awareness. The original goal was to finance a referendum that would start the process of denying the project. This was declared ineffective, though, because the timing is too late. Those of you who donated to the fund- do not fret! Your contribution was donated directly to Pretoma (www.pretoma.org), the non-profit ocean conservation group leading the anti-tuna farm campaign. They will use 100% of the money for other attorney fees related to this cause. Most recently, MINAET (Costa Rica’s Ministry of Environment, Energy, and Telecommunications) has just approved the project and now it’s in the hands of Granjas Atuneras, S.A., awaiting final approval.

Pretoma has been a champion but we need more awareness, support and funding to confront the political interests that are letting this project move forward. Share this, get others involved and let’s step up to protect our waters. It’s more important than ever to get involved and SAY NO to GRANJAS ATUNERAS!

All of this information, and a lot more, is available on Pretoma’s website. They have recently launched a “No Tuna Farms” Campaign:

http://www.pretoma.org/no-tuna-farms-campaign-launchedarranco-la-ca

How can you help? DONATE!

You can donate through ECC’s paypal account available through our website www.caminoclaro.org. Also, Pretoma is accepting donations through it’s online “click-and-pledge” secure donation software, accessible from the website’s main page, www.pretoma.org. We thank you for your concern and are grateful to those who have already made a contribution.

2009 anti-tuna farm campaign festival in Pavones

Most of the community of Pavones is currently wrapped up in the hustle and bustle of planning a “Save Our Gulfo Dulce!” fundraiser for next weekend. Attracting the media and important political figures, such as the mayor of Golfito, is the most important thing we as a community can do at the moment. It’s been remarkable to see the preparation take place over the last month and witness people coming out of the woodwork to help and donate in any way they can. Truly though, in the three years I’ve been here I have never seen so many members of this diverse community come together for one shared cause. It’s amazing, hopeful, and inspiring.

Please check back in a few weeks and I will let you know how it goes. Keep your fingers crossed that Raphel and I win something in the gunny sack race, fishing contest, or ECC team surf competition (we try to be involved in extracurricular events). Regardless of what happens next weekend, you can depend on some pretty cool pictures to be posted, thanks to our roommate and pro photographer, Jessie. We are currently trying to convince her to stay in Pavones, maybe in the future ECC could afford to hire her back as our personal photographer? Ha ha, right, that’ll be the day.

See you soon!

Planning, planning, planning…