Posts Tagged ‘turtle release program’

What to Expect From a Behind the Scenes Eco Tour of Our Eco Resort

Thursday, April 14th, 2011

When you come to La Cocotera Eco Lodge and Resort and stay at our eco resort be sure to go on our “Behind the Scenes Eco Tour.”  The staff at our eco resort would be more than happy to show you our different eco processes at La Cocotera Eco Resort.  We will show you our biological, not chemical, waste water recycling treatment plant.  We will also show you our solar energy capabilities and our ionization pool filtration system.

Olive Ridley Turtle at Eco Resort

You can also have the opportunity to participate in our turtle release program.  The turtle release program is sponsored by our eco resort and allows hotel guest to aid in safely releasing thousands of newly hatched Olive Ridley turtle into the ocean every year.

Don’t forget about our Species Reintroduction Program.  La Cocotera is the proud sponsor ofEl Salvador’s official program to reintroduce the Scarlet Macaw into the country. Guests can learn all about this exciting program and meet people involved in the project.  Guests of the eco resort can also see our Scarlet Macaws and the latest edition to our birds, our Yellow-Naped Parrots.

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La Cocotera Featured in Travel Guides!

Friday, January 21st, 2011

La Cocotera has been featured in Frommer’s Nicaragua El Salvador Travel Guide and in El Salvador:  A Great Destination (Explorer’s Guide).

Frommer’s lists La Cocotera as a “find.”  Frommer’s says, “Staying here is an unforgettable experience.”  We are so pleased to be recognized by Frommer’s.  Furthermore, we are so glad that Frommer’s identified what La Cocotera tries to achieve with the eco resort.  Frommer’s describes the ecoresort and some of the eco-friendly features at La Cocotera:

This is one of the finest ecolodges in all of Central America and certainly one of the most luxurious hotels in El Salvador outside of San Salvador.  It offers a rare taste of international style in a remote and beautiful part of the country.  La Cocotera gets the balance right:  utter comfort with a social conscience.  It employs locals, uses sustainable energy, promotes nature conservation, and blends right in with its environment.

As an ecoresort, La Cocotera features solar-powered hot water and brown-water recycling, and it even incubates turtle eggs, gathered from illegal vendors around the country, for release by guests into the sea.  The staff is gracious and friendly.

El Salvador:  A Great Destination (Explorer’s Guide) describes Barra de Santiago as “one of the most remote beaches in El Salvador.”  The guide then continues to talk about La Cocotera Resort and Ecolodge, “This outstanding ecolodge on the endless beach may be a bit upscale for folk really watching their carbon footprint, but it’s fantastic.  Six spacious palapa-topped bungalows are hewn from natural materials, with exquisitely crafted bamboo detailing and gorgeous solar-heated showers with smooth black rocks all around.”

Be sure to check out these travel guides on your way to La Cocotera!La Cocotera Staff

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El Salvador Ecotourism: Olive Ridley Sea Turtles

Friday, October 16th, 2009
olive-ridley-turtle

Olive Ridley Turtle

One of the great advantages of ecotourism is having the opportunity to witness the wonders of nature first hand. Just one of the many unique and amazing animals that reside in our little area of El Salvador is the Olive Ridley sea turtle. If you are lucky, you may be able to see this sea turtle on the Barra de Santiago beach.

Olive Ridley turtles get their name from the coloring of their heart-shaped shell, which starts out grey when they first hatch, but becomes olive green once the turtles are adults.  Olive Ridley turtles are one of the smallest species of sea turtle, with adults reaching 2 to 2.5 feet in length and weighing 80 to 110 pounds.

Female Olive Ridleys have a remarkable way of nesting that sets them apart from other animals.  Large groups of turtles gather off shore, then simultaneously come ashore to nest and lay their eggs. The  nesting rush is known as an “arribada”,  which is Spanish for “arrival”. During these arribadas, hundreds to thousands of females come ashore to lay their eggs.

The Olive Ridley turtle’s conservation status is threatened, which means it is likely to become endangered unless the circumstances threatening its survival and reproduction improve. In breeding populations on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, the Olive Ridley turtle is endangered. The main cause of the historical decline of the Olive Ridley sea turtle is the collection of eggs and killing of adults on nesting beaches.

turtles

Olive Ridley Turtles

At La Cocotera Eco Resort, we sponsor a turtle release program that allows guests to participate in the release of baby Olive Ridley turtles into the Pacific ocean. Our eco lodge aims to promote ecotourism and inspire guests to help preserve our natural environment. We purchase the eggs from locals and raise them until they are ready to be released. If you would like to learn more about our eco resort and the turtle release program, contact us at info [at] lacocoteraresort.com

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Eco Travel Tips from Your Environmentally Friendly Resort

Tuesday, July 28th, 2009

Traveling around the world can offer some of the greatest inspiration to preserve this wonderful gem that we call Earth, but traveling can also be harmful for the unaware eco-consumer.

In an effort to witness all the natural beauty of Central America and its world renowned national parks, make an effort to avoid inadvertent damage. Take these steps from National Geographic’s Traveler for the ultimate guide to sustainable travel:

  • Try booking a stay at an environmentally friendly resort or hotel. Be mindful of the global impacts of resources used; take initiative to find a local eco friendly hotel or even community environmental programs near your lodging.  Visit  LaCocoteraResort.com to read about our environmentally friendly methods and our Green Leaf Certification.
  • Make sure to unplug your home or office when you leave for a vacation. Responsible traveling begins at home! Before you head out, make sure to unplug any appliance that won’t be in use while you’re away, such as computers, phone chargers, televisions, video game players and microwaves. According to Thomas Kostigen, co-author of The Green Book, “as much as 10 percent of the electricity used in your home is wasted energy burned by adapters, chargers, computers and other appliances that we leave plugged in when we’re not using them.”
  • When you are making preparations for your trip, go paperless. Use online resources to plan and book your trip, and only when necessary, print out maps and other materials at home on recycled paper.
  • To lessen the negative impact of your travels - and help ensure optimum positive impact - thoroughly research your destination before you book. Traveling to some destinations during the market-induced high season can increase your overall negative impact, so planning a month earlier or later can be beneficial.
  • Finally, visit during a festival, or schedule your trips in conjunction with vibrant, local celebrations that provide a window into the culture and help support traditional crafts and customs. This helps sustain local economies and cultures. Travelers support the living culture because they spend money on food, lodging, locally made crafts or local events. One of our most popular events at our hotel is the turtle release program, which helps the eco system and supports the culture without inadvertently trampling it.

All these methods are simple and helpful ways to travel better and show respect for the ecosystem both in your own home and all they way across the world.

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La Cocotera Featured in Explore TACA Magazine

Saturday, June 20th, 2009

TACA (www.taca.com) , the official airline of El Salvador, featured La Cocotera Resort in their in-flight magazine, Explore. TACA flies to 39 destinations in 22 countries in North, Central and South America and the Caribbean, including daily flights to 9 major U.S. cities. TACA flies daily non-stop from Los Angeles to San Salvador.

In his article, Heeding The Call Of Nature, Ken Rivadeneira describes the picturesque scenery of Barra de Santiago, our secluded resort and the turtle release program we sponsor:

As the waves splashed and receded, I dipped my hands into the bowl that held a dozen fragile, small, hard-backed reptiles and scooped one of the creatures into my palms. It instinctively flapped its paddle-like fins, and I set it on the sepia-colored sand of El Salvador’s Barra de Santiago, watching as it slowly followed the sunset and made its way into the Pacific. The only footprints on the sand were turtle tracks.

This sea turtle and its 11 bowl-mates had been born and raised in La Cocotera Resort & Ecolodge, the first true eco resort effort in El Salvador, and one of the few in Central America that carries the idea of being environmentally conscious through every aspect of its operation. “Part of being ‘eco’ is to not leave such a big footprint on the land,” says Joseph Bruderer-Schwab, founder of the resort. “I feel really proud and good inside, that I [created the resort] that way, with the environment in mind.”

Read the full article here

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What is a Turtle Release Program?

Tuesday, May 12th, 2009
turtle release program in central america

Olive Ridley Turtles

Turtle Release programs are a type of wildlife conservation program in which participants can adopt a baby turtle and help release it into the ocean. These types of programs not only help preserve these animals, they’re also a great way to learn about the turtles and their habitat.

At La Cocotera Eco Lodge, guests have the opportunity to take part in this wonderful project. Our Turtle Release Program is for the Olive Ridley turtle, one of the smallest species of sea turtle. It is named for the olive-green color of its heart-shaped shell. Olive Ridley turtles are listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

The turtles nest on the La Cocotera beach and instead of letting the eggs be eaten, we purchase them from locals and allow them to hatch, raise them and release them. This turtle release program in Central America allows La Cocotera to safely release thousands of Olive Ridley turtles each year. Come experience this wonderful event and set baby turtles free in the ocean!

olivebabies

Want to learn more? We are a proud sponsor of a variety of ecotourism activities including nature tours of local forests, kayak bird tours, and a Species Reintroduction Program for the Scarlet Macaw. Find out more on our Ecotourism page!

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