The Costa Rica Program
Costa Rica
Since 2001, The Oxford Society has been active in conservation and education efforts in Costa Rica. Many of those efforts have taken place in Tortuguero—"place of the turtles"—which is in the country’s northeast corner. Dominated by wet tropical forest and a patchwork of wetlands and canals, Tortuguero is bordered on the east by the Caribbean Sea. Its black sand beaches provide invaluable nesting sites for green and leatherback sea turtles.
Robles-Kaufman Research Station
In 2010, The Oxford Society raised funds to renovate and expand an existing structure on seven acres of tropical forest nestled between the town and the nearby national park. In partnership with a Costa Rican non-profit, ASVO (Volunteer Association for the Protected Areas), TOS helps fund conservation, education, and research efforts at the site. The Robles-Kaufman Research Station, as it is called, also serves as the home base for Costa Rican and international students who come to learn and to work in this unique and lovely environment. The station is managed by ASVO.
Community-Based Programs
TOS supports efforts designed to improve the quality of life for Tortuguero’s human inhabitants. These include training programs for sea turtle guides (a project that provides income for local residents), beach clean-ups, and environmental education programs in local schools.
