On November 3rd, 2020, one of the most historic elections in United States history took place, with the highest voter turnout in the history of the country. But, in Colorado, another piece of historic legislation was passed. Winning by a slim margin, Colorado Proposition 114, the Gray Wolf Reintroduction Initiative, was passed. This represented the first time ever that a state used the ballot box to decide whether to reintroduce an extirpated species. Proponents of the bill pointed to the success of the wolf reintroduction programs in Washington, Idaho, and most famously, in Yellowstone National Park as evidence of the benefits for reintroducing the apex predator to their historic range. Opponents call it biology by ballot box, and insist that the potential economic damages created by wolves outweigh the ecological benefits of their reintroduction.
As the global travel market remains at a standstill amidst the seemingly unending spread of COVID-19, many of us remain at home, dreaming of exotic destinations and a break from the monotony. And though it will largely remain up to the individual as to when it feels appropriate to begin traveling again, this may be the perfect time to surround yourself with natural beauty in another way, by adorning your home or business with images of wildlife and wild places taken from the world.
Since March of this year 2020, my work guiding and traveling has ground to a halt. Like many others in the travel and guiding industries, I feel like a refugee in my own country, unable to return to my Costa Rican home due to travel bans. A time of forced rebuilding has been thrust upon me and many others during a time of great uncertainty. But, one cannot wait forever, and with that in mind, I am putting one step forward at a time, anticipating that the big break will come eventually.
In everything there must be balance. And living in a developing country reminds me of that regularly. I love when people call Costa Rica paradise. Sure, in the photos, the tropical beaches and mountainous jungles look like heaven. But, you can’t see the heat in the photos. You can’t see the mosquitoes, and you certainly can’t see the regular frustrations that come with living in a developing country. Like today for instance, one of the hottest days of the year, in a year that has been the hottest since 2014 on the Osa, some idiots with a chainsaw took it upon themselves to take down a tree that was growing alongside the road just a stone’s throw from my house. They didn’t cut a wedge out of the trunk to control its fall, nor did they tamp a metal wedge into the cut to push the tree’s fall away from the power lines. Instead, they cut the trunk straight across, and you guessed it; the tree fell directly onto the power lines.
With 2019 fully under way, I am returning to my blog to update everyone on what has been happening in my life. The last post I made was about arriving in Uganda for my assignment with Photographers Without Borders (PWB). Though that experience deserves a post in itself, and will hopefully receive one, for now I am content with saying that it was eye-opening, challenging, and absolutely an incredible experience. I will write a full description of my time there, as well as my experience with PWB soon, assuming my life remains somewhat calm for the foreseeable future.
The experience is tough. With the intense bouncing comes waves of exhaust filling the passenger area as the driver downshifts to make it up the steep inclines. The clatter of the truck with its makeshift implements is near deafening. Dust is everywhere, coating everything. And, for those of us born with testicles the colectivo can be particularly painful, as genitals are pounded by the hard benches if not sitting in just the right position. The smartest travelers on the colectivo use bandanas or buffs to cover noses and mouths, sunglasses to protect the eyes, and loud music playing in ear buds to help muffle out the ear-splitting racket as the truck smashes down the rocky path.
Today I have arrived back in Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula after leaving it over 8 months ago. Many forces drove me back here, but the two that pushed hardest were, one, the disconnection I feel from my own society in the U.S., and secondly, my desire to live a life motivated by something more powerful than a paycheck; a sense of wonder and purpose.
