Day 9 - Horizontes Research Center


Welcome to Horizontes.
Horizontes is located in the dry rain forest. It is a research facility where they study and research the ecosystem, ecology, drought and its effect on the flora, and how to reforest the area. Horizontes, back in the 40s, was basically all forest. Then people realized how good the grass and soil was for cattle so they turned it into a cattle ranch. They had to clear a ton of the trees to make space for the cattle. They did that so much, it turned from a luscious forest to a desert in the 70s. Since then, they've been trying to reforest the area to try to get it back to the way it was. The government of Costa Rica has protected 30% of its land to where you can't kill anything or hunt because they are trying to preserve it. Horizontes is apart of that 30%.

Harrison LaJoie

Yesterday, we went to go plant trees for the local ladies at the butterfly farm. Afterwards, we went to an awesome river where we got to swim and hang out. There were small waterfalls that if you got close enough to the back you could see out of the waterfall and breathe. We were there for about an hour to an hour and a half, then went back to Finca La Anita and packed for our departure to Horizontes. The next morning we left at about 8 AM and made our way to Horizontes. A little bit more than half way into the trip, we stopped at a store and stocked up on food for the remaining two days. We made it to Horizontes and put our stuff in our rooms then went out to have lunch, which some people who lived there, graciously made us. After lunch we had about an hour of free time before we had to go to class. In class we learned about nitrogen and carbon in the air and how the nitrogen can make great fertilizer for the soil and the flora. After class we just had free time to play soccer or whatever. And thats all folks.

Harrison LaJoie

checking the pH





Getting ready to play soccer.

View from the top of the tower... Miravales Volcano. 

Kaleb and Caroline are working with Victoria (turtle researcher).


Preparing soil samples for pH meters.



GGGoooaaaalllll!


We thing we can play... until we get to Costa Rica.








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