RIESTER

Posts Tagged ‘biodiversity’

Happy Earth Day from Tim Riester and the RIESTER Foundation.

Written on April 22nd, 2010 | Posted by Tim Riester

Today is the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. Forty years ago there was bipartisan action in Washington that came as a result of changing attitudes that people around the country increasingly shared regarding the environment. Clean air and water laws were strengthened, non-human species were protected and in general much was done to strengthen laws to protect, and in many cases restore, the environment.

Since that time, human populations have continued to expand and the fragile consensus regarding environmental policy broke down. Humans need wild places, not just as places to visit, but as places they can go even in their imagination. Non-human species are going extinct at unprecedented rates. One example, among many, is the dramatic decline in wild tiger populations.
Siberian tiger on a snow Biodiversity is more than an abstract concept and it’s more than protecting some of our planet’s most noble and emblematic species like tigers and eagles. Consider this: If all insects were to die, humans would likely not survive more than a few months. Visit this website to learn more about the vital functions that creepy, crawly insects perform to make life on Earth possible. All life is interconnected—something that is too easy to forget.

Biodiversity is important for our economy and maintaining the diversity of the gene pool. The Convention on Biological Diversity put it in perspective: “At least 40 percent of the world’s economy and 80 percent of the needs of the poor are derived from biological resources. The richer the diversity of life, the greater the opportunity for medical discoveries, economic development, and adaptive responses to such new challenges as climate change.”

If we continue to use more and more resources without thinking of the consequences to the planet, we will be condemning our children and their children to live lives that lack the material prosperity of today. Our choices will also affect the health of those who follow.

Our goal is to leave a healthy planet to our children, and their children. That is why the RIESTER Foundation works to preserve and protect the environment through habitat preservation and restoration.

Coho salmon

A new project the RIESTER Foundation is supporting is the Salmon Protection and Watershed Network or SPAWN. SPAWN is a California-based organization that works to protect and restore endangered coho salmon and steelhead trout and the habitat on which they depend.

SPAWN uses a community-based approach to habitat restoration that is in alignment with who we are at RIESTER: Brand Activists for our client’s products and causes.

I encourage you to read more about SPAWN. SPAWN is doing some of the hands on work that is so important for protecting diverse forms of life.

Thank you for helping us make Earth Day every day!

Sincerely,

Tim Riester

Tags: biodiversity, Earth Day, habitat, habitat restoration, RIESTER, RIESTER Foundation, SPAWN, steelhead trout, tiger, tigers, Tim Riester
Posted in Books, films and ideas, Environment, RIESTER Foundation, Tim Riester | No Comments »

Conservationist Jeff Kutz of PRETOMA reports good news from Costa Rica.

Written on December 23rd, 2009 | Posted by Tim Riester

Corozalito Beach, Costa Rica.

Below is a report I received by email from researchers funded by the RIESTER Foundation to study the nesting habits of sea turtles at Corazalito in Costa Rica. Corazalito is a rare nesting site where thousands of sea turtles lay their eggs. For the past several years, the location was attacked daily by poachers who would steal the eggs and sell them. RIESTER Foundation funding has provided security to protect the beach from poachers, and dedicated researchers from universities around the world to document activity at the site and tag the visiting turtles.

Subject: Good news from Corazalito!

Great news! Last Sunday night (the 20th) we observed and tagged a rare Pacific green turtle (Chelonia mydas) nesting at our project in Corozalito, which has been extended until January 31st. She was the only turtle on the beach this night, and our team followed her meter wide track to discover where she was preparing her egg chamber (over 60cm deep!).

After depositing 87 eggs, researchers applied tag numbers NX786 and NX787 to the fore-flippers of this previously unobserved female for future identification. This specific green sea turtle had a carapace (upper shell) 86.2cm long [2.8ft] and 76.5cm wide [2.5ft], and its relocated nest represents another piece of hope for the future of green turtles in Costa Rica. We hope to see her return again this year!

Saludos,

Jeff Kutz
Co-Director and Technical Coordinator of Nesting Beaches
PRETOMA

Olive ridley turtles in the waters off of Corozalito Beach.

Tags: biodiversity, Chelonia mydas, conservation, Corazalito, Costa Rica, Jeff Kutz, poachers, PRETOMA, RIESTER, RIESTER Foundation, sea turtles, sustainability, Tim Riester
Posted in Environment, RIESTER Foundation, Tim Riester | 1 Comment »

The RIESTER Foundation, activists for turtles in Costa Rica.

Written on November 18th, 2009 | Posted by Gary Kaasa

The RIESTER Foundation, an independent non-profit, funds projects in California, Arizona, Costa Rica and Guatemala. The projects are tied to our mission of helping to preserve habitat and protect native species. One of our programs is on Corozilito Beach, Costa Rica where we are partnered with the Costa Rican conservation organization PRETOMA in a project to protect sea turtles that nest on the beach.

Corozilito Beach is within walking distance of the RIESTER Foundation Reserve. The beach is in an undeveloped and isolated part of northwestern Costa Rica. Through the Foundation’s efforts, it was discovered that Corozilito Beach is one of the most significant sea turtle beaches in Central America. Thousands of turtles lay their eggs on the beach – mostly Olive Ridley turtles but others too, including the huge and endangered Leatherback.

Last November I was fortunate to see some conservation work first hand when fellow RIESTER Foundation board member Mike Hopkins and I visited the beach with the director of PRETOMA’s sea turtle program late one evening. November is a beautiful month in Costa Rica. The monsoon rains are subsiding and the rainforest at the edge of the beach is at its greenest, lushest growth. That night the moon was full, the stars were spectacular in the Milky Way, the weather was cool and the tide was out. Because of the moon the beach was bright which is not ideal for turtles laying eggs. They prefer dark nights for protection.

Poachers of turtle eggs are a big problem in Costa Rica as this is a food source which many believe has Viagra-like properties. That night we were looking for egg-laying sea turtles and poachers. We found neither.

We saw something remarkable instead: seven newly hatched turtles making their way to the ocean. Their travel from the nest to the ocean was slow. Many dangers are lurking in the form of crabs, birds and other predators. Mike and I served as guards and they all made it to the ocean. You cannot tag baby turtles so nobody knows exactly what happens to them once they reach the water. Survival of the fittest plays a major role in who will survive, grow and perhaps someday come back to this beach.

Because of the success of the first year’s efforts the RIESTER Foundation continues to fund PRETOMA. We are the only funders for the Corozilito project. Currently volunteers from around the world are monitoring the number of turtles that lay eggs nightly, tagging adult turtles for tracking and discouraging poachers on the beach.

Habitat preservation is critical not just for the survival of turtles and other species, but for human survival as well. In order to make our economy and way of life sustainable we must protect other species and preserve wild places. We are all stewards of this planet and our time here is short. The RIESTER Foundation exists to help pass on a healthy planet to the next generation. Protecting turtles and their habitat may seem like a small thing, but it is a vital part of our job as stewards.