This weekend – 30.04 – 01.05. 2016 the Anthros Speleological group together with the Brunca Bats Project team organized a workshop for introducing caves and caving activities to interested people in Golfito. The participants of the event were ten students from all around the country, interested in different topics, closely related to caves – geology, biology and tourism.
The workshop aimed to present speleology as activity and create interest in exploring and protecting caves. The lectors from Anthros Speleological Group aimed to convey the knowledge and the techniques of caving so the participants could safely cope with the challenges that exist in the cave exploring. Another important aim was to inspire people to collect valuable information for scientific research and to pay attention to the protection of biological and geological richness that exists in the karst areas.
The event utilized three parts – theoretical, practical and a caving trip. The first two parts were held in Saturday and Sunday was reserved for the caving trip. During the theoretical part the most important aspects of the science about caves – Speleology were presented. Presentations about cave genesis, geology, caving history in Costa Rica, topography, bats and rope access techniques were held. Special attention was paid to the karst conservation. The project “Brunca Bats” and the ways to join the activities were presented during the workshop.
The practical part of the workshop was held in Rio Claro. The participants in the workshop were introduced to the equipment and techniques for vertical progressing in caves. All of the participants trained single rope technique ascending and rappelling.
On Sunday the group had the chance to visit one of the most complexed and interesting cave systems in the Southern region – the Corredores cave. During the one-hour hike up to the picturesque Corredores river, the participants looked through different rock formations and learned about the types of karst forms. Inside the cave the group observed various species of bats, cave fish, underground river and secondary karst formations (stalactites and stalagmites).
The organizers thank all the participants in the event and hope that the Speleology in Costa Rica and the “Brunca Bats” projects now have new friends.
