The parade in La Cruz. Photo by Melissa Espinoza.
There were parades, games, music, arts and crafts, dancing, guided nature walks, and beach clean-up activities... all under the banner of celebrating the biodiversity and wonder of the Eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. The second annual Ocean Festival was held recently in the coastal communities of La Cruz, El Jobo, and Cuajiniquil; the main objective was to raise awareness about the importance of protecting the ocean in this region and to bring together academia and civil society, using marine science as a bridge. It was a huge success, with over 800 people participating (up from 300 last year)! The festival was organized by CC-MAR (Ciencia Ciudadana Marina Santa Elena), the University of Costa Rica, Área de Conservación Guanacaste (ACG), and the Municipality of La Cruz. GDFCF, via CC-MAR, helped support many of the activities of the festival, including the dedication of an ocean-themed mural in Cuajiniquil, which now decorates the front of the community center. The enthusiasm and engagement of these communities was very heartwarming and a clear indication that BioMar, the marine bioinventory research program led by GDFCF, ACG and the Centro de Investigación en Ciencias del Mar y Limnología (CIMAR) at the University of Costa Rica, is contributing to local awareness for marine conservation in the coastal communities of the biologically-rich Golfo de Santa Elena seascape. We are so grateful to the BioMar team, as well as to Lucía Vargas and Lissy Ruíz of CC-MAR, for all their work to make this festival a success. And we deeply appreciate the support for this work from the New England Biolabs Foundation.
The mural was a interactive community activity. In the second photo, the finishing touches are happening just before the mural's dedication. Photos by Melissa Espinoza and Monique Gilbert.
CIMAR Researcher Leonardo Chacón shares his research with festival participants; and Lissy Ruíz and Lucía Vargas, who organized much of the event. Photos by Melissa Espinoza.