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 Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician Course - Aerie School Backcountry Med
Event Dates:
January 29-February 25, 2012
Program Overview: The Wilderness Medicine Semester is a unique program designed for people with an interest in wilderness and travel medicine and their associated industry-leading certifications. It provides students with the training and credentials to live and work in the most challenging environments in the world. With one month in the tropics of Costa Rica and a second in the mountains of Montana, Aerie’s Wilderness Medicine Semester is a 15-credit intensive program designed to give students the most valuable, well-rounded training in wilderness medicine, outdoor survival and risk management. At the center of the semester is Aerie’s Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician (WEMT) class. Integrated with the WEMT, the semester includes in-depth training in swiftwater rescue, avalanche rescue, Search and Rescue, tropical survival, alternative medicine and winter survival.
Students will learn human anatomy and physiology at the University of Montana cadaver lab. They will have instruction from local, traditional healers from the small village where they will live in Costa Rica. Optional evening instruction will include Spanish immersion and homestays with local families. Students will participate in an overnight survival exercise and orienteering training, taught by members of the Costa Rican endurance team, and then travel to Montana where they will be trained in winter survival and Search and Rescue from experts in mountain medicine.
Course Locations: Students will live in two of the most beautiful locations possible. The first month in Costa Rica will primarily be held at Rancho Mastatal, a sustainable-living organic farm and education center located eight miles from the Pacific Coast. Class in Mastatal will focus on wilderness and travel medicine, traditional healing, local flora and fauna, and survival in a tropical environment. They will participate as EMT students in a free health clinic that Aerie offers to residents of Mastatal. They will then travel together to Missoula, taking a night there to meet at the cadaver lab and review anatomy and physiology. The following day, students will travel to the Northwest Connections facility in the Swan Valley, located between the Bob Marshall and Mission Mountain Wilderness areas and just South of Glacier National Park. In the Swan, students will be in a mountainous, winter environment and we will complete the WEMT curriculum, focusing on altitude, hypothermia, avalanche rescue, winter survival and Search and Rescue.
Certifications: Successful students will receive certifications in
- Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician
- National Registry Emergency Medical Technician – Basic
- State of Montana Emergency Medical Technician – Basic
- Rescue III International Swiftwater Rescue Technician
- American Heart Association Healthcare Provider CPR
- Level 1 Avalanche
Additional Training:
- Vehicle Extrication with Missoula City Fire Department
- Helicopter rescue with LifeFlight in Missoula
- Search and Rescue Training with Missoula County Search and Rescue
- Program and outdoor risk management
- Human anatomy and physiology at the University of Montana cadaver lab
- Organizing and offering community health clinics
15 credits are offered through the University of Montana Department of Health and Human Performance.
Instructors: Aerie´s instructors are leaders in the wilderness medicine, rescue and risk management fields. For this course, they will include:
- David McEvoy, Critical Care Paramedic, Co-Founder and Director of Aerie
- Fernando Giaccaglia, Costa Rica resident, Wilderness EMT, Guide for Coast to Coast Adventures
- Tony Cate, Firefighter-Paramedic, Assistant Director of Aerie Emergency Medicine
- Peter Anderson, RN, Wilderness EMT, Aerie Training Officer and Senior Lead Guide for Rainier Mountaineering Incorporated (RMI)
- Jay Satz, Former National Director of Risk Management for the Student Conservation Association
- Mike Johnston, EMT, Rescue III International Instructor
- Steve Karkanen, EMT and Director of West Central Montana Avalanche Foundation
Room and Board: All room and board is covered while in Mastatal and Montana.
Costs: Please contact Aerie directly.
For more information on the course and/or to register for the course, contact:
 Villanova Service Learning Experience - Tropical Adventures Education
Event Dates:
March 3-March 9, 2012
Tropical Adventures in Education will be leading students and student
leaders from Villanova Univeristy on this yearly service learning trip
to Mastatal. They will be working on community projects in the
surrounding communities. For more information, please contact Tom
McDonald at tae2001@seanet.com
 Renewable Energy in the Developing World - Solar Energy International
Event Dates:
March 10-March 17, 2012
Learn about Renewable Energy in Costa Rica this winter!
Solar Energy International has been sponsoring renewable energy
workshops for more than 18 years. Their staff includes leading experts
in the renewable energy world, and their alumni work all over the world
in the renewable energy industry. See their Web site at
http://www.solarenergy.org for information on their full catalog of workshop offerings.
Workshop registration:
Solar Energy International
PO Box 715
Carbondale, CO 81623
970-963-8855
Fax: 970-963-8866
Email: sei@solarenergy.org
Web: www.solarenergy.org Program information and logistics:
Ian
Woofenden
Solar Energy International
Northwest & Costa Rica Coordinator
360-770-1520
ian@solarenergy.org
http://www.solarenergy.org
http://www.facebook.com/IanWoofendenRE
Lodging, food, and local information:
Tim O'Hara
Rancho Mastatal
001 (506) 2410-6263
Email: info@ranchomastatal.com
Web: http://www.ranchomastatal.com
 Natural Building Course - Yestermorrow Design/Build
Event Dates:
March 21-April 6, 2012
This will be the 9th annual course with Yestermorrow.
For more information about this course please contact Monica DiGiovanni at monica@yestermorrow.org at the Yestermorrow Design/Build School.
Yestermorrow's website is http://www.yestermorrow.org
The Yestermorrow Design/Build School is open Monday through Friday,
8:30am to 5:00pm and on weekends when classes are in session.
You can reach Yestermorrow by phone/fax at:
(802) 496-5545 phone
(888) 496-5541 toll free
(802) 496-5540 fax
You can reach Yestermorrow by mail at: 189 VT Route 100 Warren, VT 05674
This innovative course in the rainforest of Costa Rica provides
students with a unique opportunity to explore the design/build process
using earth, straw, cob, stone, site-milled wood, bamboo, and
recycled/reused materials. The class will work on a group project at the
Rancho Mastatal environmental learning center and/or a small community
project in the village of Mastatal. We will be announcing more specifics
about the project in the coming months. Students will have the chance
to collaborate on a variety of design assignments. The class will survey
and discuss different building techniques and work hands-on and
in-depth with a featured number of them. The class is ideal for
architecture, environmental studies, and building technology students
and professionals as well as those interested in incorporating natural
building techniques into their own projects.
Tuition : The tuition for non-Central American residents is $2,400 and includes all food, lodging, instruction and field trips. The tuition for Central American residents is $1,500.
Instructors
Skip Dewhirst
Skip is a
co-founder of Meerkat Design and Handwork. He is a furnituremaker and
timberframer who also explores his passion for wood by designing and
building guitars, carving and boatbuilding. Skip has been teaching folks
of all ages about working with wood for over twenty years.
Lizabeth Moniz
Lizabeth has been working in the
building trades off and on for the last 20 years. She has taught in
various capacities including Step-Up, Women Build, public schools,
experiential education and wilderness guiding, YouthBuild, and the Peace
Corps. Lizabeth recently received her MA in Landscape Design at the
Conway School of Landscape Design and is currently finishing the
timberframe house that she and her partner in crime designed and built
in Worcester, VT.
 Fermentation Workshop - Rancho Mastatal
Event Dates:
April 7-April 8, 2012
Learn the ancient art of live-culture fermentation with the Rancho Mastatal staff. We have been fermenting just about everything we've been able to get our hands on for almost a decade now. During this 2-day course you will participate in hands-on workshops on kombucha, vinegar, dairy kefir, water kefir, cheese, kimchi, sauerkraut, sourdough bread, starch ferments, naturally carbonated sodas and more. These will lead into group discussions on related topics such as symbiotic evolution, nutrition and immunology, global health, and food safety and regulation. Fermentation has been used for thousands of years as a way to preserve and increase the nutritional value of foods and plays an important role in keeping us happy and healthy. The techniques that we'll teach you will be applicable to all living situations. Learn the practical skills and theory of fermentation, and even take home some recipes and starter cultures to brew your own everlasting supply of ferments! As they grow, you will soon have enough to share with all your friends and family! Students will stay at the Ranch’s amazing facilities and in addition to learning about fermentation they will be exposed to a host of other sustainable living projects including a methane digester, composting toilets, permaculture designed gardens and orchards, animal husbandry, natural building and much more. It promises to a fun-filled, productive and instructional weekend for everyone involved. This course will be taught in English. For more information about this workshop please call us at 2410-6263 or email us at info@ranchomastatal.com.
Cost: Central Americans, US$150; residents and ex-pats, US$200; foreigners, $250. Cost includes three nights lodging starting on April 6, all meals, course instruction and full access to Rancho Mastatal and its private wildlife refuge.
About
Rancho Mastatal and More Information
Rancho
Mastatal offers numerous workshops related to sustainability
throughout the year. We also host frequent educational groups that
come to our facilities learn about a host of topics ranging from
community development to tropical ecology. We opened our doors in
November of 2001 and have been dedicated to developing systems to
better care for the planet and its people since. The Ranch is also
committed to conservation and has set aside most of its land as a
private wildlife refuge. The site is wedged between the La Cangreja
National Park and the beautiful community of Mastatal (pop. 140).
Accommodations
Most
students will be accommodated at the Ranch's wonderful bunkhouse
(Jeanne's House) set amongst fruit trees on the edge of the
rainforest. There are eight beautiful bamboo bunkbeds to sleep in as
well as a number of hammocks where you can relax outside. This house
borders a large area of protected forest and features 10 kilometers
of trails, waterfalls, views to the national park, and beautiful
swimming holes. Jeanne's comes equipped with running water,
electricity, one flush toilet, one composting toilet (which we
encourage everyone to use as to reduce the pressure on our small
septic system), two passively heated private outdoor showers, and an
indoor shower. If you are interested in a more private lodging
option such as the Hooch, Leo's or the Starboard Cork please contact
us directly for more information. Lodging upgrades cost an
additional $10 per night.
Meals
will be taken at the Main House, a beautiful structure set on our
250-acre private wildlife refuge. This area of the Ranch is
highlighted by eight kilometers of trails, abundant wildlife,
waterfalls, rivers, swimming holes, and beautiful forests that border
the La Cangreja National Park. The house is less than a one-minute
walk to town. There are numerous Mayan hammocks on the porches in
which to read a book or nap. The house has one flush toilet and two
methane biodigester toilets that provide cooking gas for the kitchen.
The main house is generally the most active place at the Ranch, and
where all meals are served. Its also home to the Ranch's Zone 1
garden and garden nursery.
Food
Meals
are mostly vegetarian, wholesome and delicious. The Ranch takes their
cooking and food seriously. For snacks the Ranch serves bananas and
sweet breads, the latter often times cooked in our homemade earthen
oven or solar cookers. We source much of our food from our and other
local farms and support local agriculture in every way that we can.
We maintain a herd of goats, a large flock of hens, over two hundred
hundred fruit trees, a huge Zone 1 garden and row crops. We are also
active in fermenting a huge variety of foodstuffs.
Arrival
Students
should plan on arriving to Rancho Mastatal no later than 8 a.m. on
the first day of the course and are encouraged to arrive on the
evening before (prices include lodging the night before the course
begins).
Course
Payment
Our
preferred form of payment is cash (upon arrival to or prior to
departing the Ranch), either in US dollars or Costa Rican currency
(colones). If you would like to pay before arriving to the Ranch or
in the case that you need to pay us after leaving, you can send us a
check, direct deposit into our Costa Rica account or pay with a
credit card via http://www.paypal.com.
Direct
Deposit
Go
to whatever Banco de Costa Rica in the country and deposit in
following account:
Account
Name: Mastatal Natural Experience S.A.
Bank: Banco de Costa Rica
– Santiago de Puriscal
Savings Account Number (Número de Cuenta
de Ahorro): 270-12080-4
Currency: US Dollars
Check
To
send us a check drawn on a US, please make your check out to Kevin
O'Hara and send to:
Kevin
P. O'Hara
Vice President
M and T Bank
2 Court Street
Binghamton, NY 13901
Credit
Card
If
you would like to pay with a credit card, please go to
http://www.ranchomastatal.com/pages/programs/events2.php
and click on the PayPal icon. PLEASE ADD 4% OF YOUR TOTAL BILL TO
YOUR PAYMENT WHEN PAYING WITH PAYPAL.
Please
send us an email confirming your payment and for what course you are
enrolling in.
Enrollment
For
more information and/or to enroll in any of these courses please
contact Tim O’Hara at info@ranchomastatal.com
and/or call the Ranch at 2410-6263. We have a maximum of 15 openings
for each workshop and a minimum of 3 students to run each course.
Tropical Fruit Production and Orchard Design - Rancho Mastatal, Peter Kring
Event Dates:
April 10-April 12, 2012
Join
renowned agroecologist, farmer and orchardist Peter Kring from Finca
Isla Botanical Garden for a 3-day workshop focusing on fruit
production in the Tropics, grafting, and orchard design and
management. Peter founded and has successfully managed Finca
Isla for over 25 years where he has gained unmatched experience
and knowledge in growing food in the Tropics. This workshop will
focus on the cultivation of Vanilla, Black Pepper, and Salak, general
tree maintenance, grafting, pruning, and orchard maintenance and
design. In
addition to learning about successful and responsible tropical food
production, students will be exposed to a host of other sustainable
living projects including a methane digester, composting toilets,
Permaculture designed gardens and orchards, animal husbandry,
fermented food products and much more. This course will be taught in
English. For
more information about this workshop please go to the Rancho
Mastatal's Events
Calendar, call us at 2410-6263 or email us at
info@ranchomastatal.com.
Cost:
Central Americans, US$200; residents and ex-pats, US$250;
foreigners, $300. Cost includes four nights lodging starting on
April 9, all meals, course instruction and full access to Rancho
Mastatal and its private wildlife refuge.
About
Rancho Mastatal and More Information
Rancho
Mastatal offers numerous workshops related to sustainability
throughout the year. We also host frequent educational groups that
come to our facilities learn about a host of topics ranging from
community development to tropical ecology. We opened our doors in
November of 2001 and have been dedicated to developing systems to
better care for the planet and its people since. The Ranch is also
committed to conservation and has set aside most of its land as a
private wildlife refuge. The site is wedged between the La Cangreja
National Park and the beautiful community of Mastatal (pop. 140).
Accommodations
Most
students will be accommodated at the Ranch's wonderful bunkhouse
(Jeanne's House) set amongst fruit trees on the edge of the
rainforest. There are eight beautiful bamboo bunkbeds to sleep in as
well as a number of hammocks where you can relax outside. This house
borders a large area of protected forest and features 10 kilometers
of trails, waterfalls, views to the national park, and beautiful
swimming holes. Jeanne's comes equipped with running water,
electricity, one flush toilet, one composting toilet (which we
encourage everyone to use as to reduce the pressure on our small
septic system), two passively heated private outdoor showers, and an
indoor shower. If you are interested in a more private lodging
option such as the Hooch, Leo's or the Starboard Cork please contact
us directly for more information. Lodging upgrades cost an
additional $10 per night.
Meals
will be taken at the Main House, a beautiful structure set on our
250-acre private wildlife refuge. This area of the Ranch is
highlighted by eight kilometers of trails, abundant wildlife,
waterfalls, rivers, swimming holes, and beautiful forests that border
the La Cangreja National Park. The house is less than a one-minute
walk to town. There are numerous Mayan hammocks on the porches in
which to read a book or nap. The house has one flush toilet and two
methane biodigester toilets that provide cooking gas for the kitchen.
The main house is generally the most active place at the Ranch, and
where all meals are served. Its also home to the Ranch's Zone 1
garden and garden nursery.
Food
Meals
are mostly vegetarian, wholesome and delicious. The Ranch takes their
cooking and food seriously. For snacks the Ranch serves bananas and
sweet breads, the latter often times cooked in our homemade earthen
oven or solar cookers. We source much of our food from our and other
local farms and support local agriculture in every way that we can.
We maintain a herd of goats, a large flock of hens, over two hundred
hundred fruit trees, a huge Zone 1 garden and row crops. We are also
active in fermenting a huge variety of foodstuffs.
Arrival
Students
should plan on arriving to Rancho Mastatal no later than 8 a.m. on
the first day of the course and are encouraged to arrive on the
evening before (prices include lodging the night before the course
begins).
Course
Payment
Our
preferred form of payment is cash (upon arrival to or prior to
departing the Ranch), either in US dollars or Costa Rican currency
(colones). If you would like to pay before arriving to the Ranch or
in the case that you need to pay us after leaving, you can send us a
check, direct deposit into our Costa Rica account or pay with a
credit card via http://www.paypal.com.
Direct
Deposit
Go
to whatever Banco de Costa Rica in the country and deposit in
following account:
Account
Name: Mastatal Natural Experience S.A.
Bank: Banco de Costa Rica
– Santiago de Puriscal
Savings Account Number (Número de Cuenta
de Ahorro): 270-12080-4
Currency: US Dollars
Check
To
send us a check drawn on a US, please make your check out to Kevin
O'Hara and send to:
Kevin
P. O'Hara
Vice President
M and T Bank
2 Court Street
Binghamton, NY 13901
Credit
Card
If
you would like to pay with a credit card, please go to
http://www.ranchomastatal.com/pages/programs/events2.php
and click on the PayPal icon. PLEASE ADD 4% OF YOUR TOTAL BILL TO
YOUR PAYMENT WHEN PAYING WITH PAYPAL.
Please
send us an email confirming your payment and for what course you are
enrolling in.
Enrollment
For
more information and/or to enroll in any of these courses please
contact Tim O’Hara at info@ranchomastatal.com
and/or call the Ranch at 2410-6263. We have a maximum of 15 openings
for each workshop and a minimum of 3 students to run each course.
 Earth Building Workshop - Earthen Hand Natural Building
Event Dates:
April 14-April 20, 2012
Join well-known natural builder and instructor Scott Howard of Earthen Hand Natural Building for this wonderful 1-week earth building experience. The course will cover the basics of building with earth and offer students a hands-on opportunity to immerse themselves in a number of earth building techniques. During the weeklong workshop participants will learn about and work with cob, wattle and daub, lime plasters and washes, earth renders and earthen floors. The workshop will be held at the Rancho Mastatal Sustainable Living Center, one of the premier natural building locations in Central America. On site students can learn from and get inspired by a multitude of earth and naturally built structures that have been constructed at the Ranch and in the small rural community of Mastatal during the last 10 years. Workshop projects will take place at both the Ranch and in the community. One highlight will be work on the construction of a timberframe and wattle and daub library in the middle of the community of Mastatal. Students will stay at the Ranch’s amazing facilities and in addition to learning about earth building they will be exposed to a host of other sustainable living projects including a methane digester, composting toilets, Permaculture designed gardens and orchards, animal husbandry, fermented food products and much more. It promises to a fun-filled, productive and instructional week for everyone involved.
Instructor
Scott Howard is a Pacific Northwest artist/builder/designer who creates earth buildings, architectural sculptures, ceramic art, and stained glass windows. This diverse skill set allows him to adapt readily available materials such as earth, reclaimed glass and wood to create beautiful and practical solutions. By using earthen and reclaimed materials, he creates pieces with very low embodied energy. His knowledge of conventional construction allows him to integrate these low embodied-energy techniques and materials into most any structure. For more information about Scott and his work visit his website at http://www.earthenhand.com/why.html.
Accommodations
Students will be accommodated in one of three houses during the course. Most students will stay in the wonderful, private bunkhouse (Jeanne's House) set amongst fruit trees on the edge of the rainforest. There are six beautiful bamboo bunkbeds and one double bed to sleep in, as well as a number of hammocks where you can relax outside. This house has 65 acres of protected forest, six kilometers of trails, a 60-foot cascade, views to the national park, and beautiful swimming holes. Jeanne's comes equipped with running water, electricity, one flush toilet, one composting toilet (which we encourage everyone to use as to reduce the pressure on our small septic system), two passively heated private outdoor showers, and an indoor shower.
The Hooch is a magnificent private building that sits high amongst the trees with dramatic vistas out towards the forest. It is outfitted with one double bed and two single beds on two floors and sleeps up to four people. It features a beautiful bamboo floor. Guests staying in the Hooch share two beautiful showers and an awesome composting toilet with interns at the Hankey House. And as with all of our other accommodations, the Hooch has perfect access to many of our trails, swimming holes and waterfalls.
The main house is set on our 250-acre private wildlife refuge and features eight kilometers of trails, abundant wildlife, waterfalls, rivers, swimming holes, and beautiful forests that border the La Cangreja National Park. The house is less than a one-minute walk to town and contains three comfortable rooms. There are numerous Mayan hammocks on the porches in which to read a book or nap. Guests at the main house share a bathroom. The house has one flush toilet and two methane biodigester toilets that provide cooking gas for the kitchen. The main house is generally the most active place at the Ranch, and where all meals are served.
Food
Meals are vegetarian, wholesome and delicious. The Ranch takes their cooking and food seriously. For snacks the Ranch serves bananas and sweet breads, the latter often times cooked in our homemade earthen oven or solar cookers.
Cost
$850. Includes all food, lodging, instruction and access to the Ranch and its facilities. We are offering a discount to Costa Ricans and Rancho Mastatal interns and scholarships to two locals. Arrival
Students should plan on arriving to Rancho Mastatal no later than 8 a.m. on April 14 and are encouraged to arrive on the evening of April 13. We will hit the ground running on the morning of April 14. The course will wrap up on the evening of April 20.
Enrollment
For more information and/or to enroll in the course please contact Tim O’Hara at mailto:info@ranchomastatal.com.
Biodigester Design and Construction - Rancho Mastatal
Event Dates:
April 24-April 26, 2012
Join
organic coffee farmer and biodigester designer and builder Jose Luis
Zuniga for a 3-day workshop on how to design and build a methane
digester that will turn human and animal waste into cooking gas for
your kitchen and fertilizer for your orchards or gardens. Learn
from Rancho Mastatal's functional, beautiful biodigester while
learning to design and build your own. Cooking with onsite-produced
methane is one of the strategies that we can learn about and embrace
in an effort to reduce our dependency on imported propane as we move
towards a healthier and more sustainable way to live. In
addition to learning about the production of methane using human and
animal waste students will be exposed to a host of other sustainable
living projects including composting toilets, Permaculture designed
gardens and orchards, animal husbandry, fermented food products and
much more. This course will be taught in both Spanish and English.
For
more information about this workshop please go to the Rancho
Mastatal's Events
Calendar, call us at 2410-6263 or email us at
info@ranchomastatal.com.
Cost:
Central Americans, US$200; residents and ex-pats, US$250;
foreigners, $300. Cost includes four nights lodging starting on
April 23, all meals, course instruction and full access to Rancho
Mastatal and its private wildlife refuge.
About
Rancho Mastatal and More Information
Rancho
Mastatal offers numerous workshops related to sustainability
throughout the year. We also host frequent educational groups that
come to our facilities learn about a host of topics ranging from
community development to tropical ecology. We opened our doors in
November of 2001 and have been dedicated to developing systems to
better care for the planet and its people since. The Ranch is also
committed to conservation and has set aside most of its land as a
private wildlife refuge. The site is wedged between the La Cangreja
National Park and the beautiful community of Mastatal (pop. 140).
Accommodations
Most
students will be accommodated at the Ranch's wonderful bunkhouse
(Jeanne's House) set amongst fruit trees on the edge of the
rainforest. There are eight beautiful bamboo bunkbeds to sleep in as
well as a number of hammocks where you can relax outside. This house
borders a large area of protected forest and features 10 kilometers
of trails, waterfalls, views to the national park, and beautiful
swimming holes. Jeanne's comes equipped with running water,
electricity, one flush toilet, one composting toilet (which we
encourage everyone to use as to reduce the pressure on our small
septic system), two passively heated private outdoor showers, and an
indoor shower. If you are interested in a more private lodging
option such as the Hooch, Leo's or the Starboard Cork please contact
us directly for more information. Lodging upgrades cost an
additional $10 per night.
Meals
will be taken at the Main House, a beautiful structure set on our
250-acre private wildlife refuge. This area of the Ranch is
highlighted by eight kilometers of trails, abundant wildlife,
waterfalls, rivers, swimming holes, and beautiful forests that border
the La Cangreja National Park. The house is less than a one-minute
walk to town. There are numerous Mayan hammocks on the porches in
which to read a book or nap. The house has one flush toilet and two
methane biodigester toilets that provide cooking gas for the kitchen.
The main house is generally the most active place at the Ranch, and
where all meals are served. Its also home to the Ranch's Zone 1
garden and garden nursery.
Food
Meals
are mostly vegetarian, wholesome and delicious. The Ranch takes their
cooking and food seriously. For snacks the Ranch serves bananas and
sweet breads, the latter often times cooked in our homemade earthen
oven or solar cookers. We source much of our food from our and other
local farms and support local agriculture in every way that we can.
We maintain a herd of goats, a large flock of hens, over two hundred
hundred fruit trees, a huge Zone 1 garden and row crops. We are also
active in fermenting a huge variety of foodstuffs.
Arrival
Students
should plan on arriving to Rancho Mastatal no later than 8 a.m. on
the first day of the course and are encouraged to arrive on the
evening before (prices include lodging the night before the course
begins).
Course
Payment
Our
preferred form of payment is cash (upon arrival to or prior to
departing the Ranch), either in US dollars or Costa Rican currency
(colones). If you would like to pay before arriving to the Ranch or
in the case that you need to pay us after leaving, you can send us a
check, direct deposit into our Costa Rica account or pay with a
credit card via http://www.paypal.com.
Direct
Deposit
Go
to whatever Banco de Costa Rica in the country and deposit in
following account:
Account
Name: Mastatal Natural Experience S.A.
Bank: Banco de Costa Rica
– Santiago de Puriscal
Savings Account Number (Número de Cuenta
de Ahorro): 270-12080-4
Currency: US Dollars
Check
To
send us a check drawn on a US, please make your check out to Kevin
O'Hara and send to:
Kevin
P. O'Hara
Vice President
M and T Bank
2 Court Street
Binghamton, NY 13901
Credit
Card
If
you would like to pay with a credit card, please go to
http://www.ranchomastatal.com/pages/programs/events2.php
and click on the PayPal icon. PLEASE ADD 4% OF YOUR TOTAL BILL TO
YOUR PAYMENT WHEN PAYING WITH PAYPAL.
Please
send us an email confirming your payment and for what course you are
enrolling in.
Enrollment
For
more information and/or to enroll in any of these courses please
contact Tim O’Hara at info@ranchomastatal.com
and/or call the Ranch at 2410-6263. We have a maximum of 15 openings
for each workshop and a minimum of 3 students to run each course.
Building with Bamboo Workshop - Rancho Mastatal
Event Dates:
May 5-May 11, 2012
Join well-known bamboo builders Brian Erickson and Martin Coto for this wonderful 1-week bamboo building experience. The course will cover the basics of building bamboo structures and furniture; using bamboo for wall systems and floors and ceilings; and treating this amazingly versatile material. Students will have a hands-on opportunity to immerse themselves in a number of building techniques while working on a small structure. The workshop will be held at the Rancho Mastatal Sustainable Living Center, one of the premier natural building locations in Central America. On site students can learn from and get inspired by a multitude of naturally built structures that have been constructed at the Ranch and in the small rural community of Mastatal during the last 10 years. Workshop projects will take place at either the Ranch or in the community. Students will stay at the Ranch’s amazing facilities and in addition to learning about bamboo will be exposed to a host of other sustainable living projects including a methane digester, composting toilets, Permaculture designed gardens and orchards, animal husbandry, fermented food products and much more. It promises to a fun-filled, productive and instructional week for everyone involved. Instructors
Brian Erickson
Originally from northern Wisconsin, Brian graduated from U.W. Madison and fled to warmer climes. In the San Francisco Bay Area he lived and worked for years as a carpenter/craftsman/toymaker. In 1986 he and his wife, Patricia, participated in the activities of the Bay Area Construction Brigade, a volunteer organization in solidarity with the people of Nicaragua during the Contra War. They also happened across David Farrelly's Book of Bamboo at the local library, and a letter from Patricia brought him to their door, full of stories about Nicaragua. In brief, after spending six weeks in the campo outside of Esteli with the Brigade, Patricia was in love with Central America and Brian had met his first great clump of tropical bamboo. After that, it was no more than a year before they had sold everything in the Bay Area and driven to Nicaragua where they teamed up with a small, ambitious but very inexperienced bamboo project near Matagalpa. Next stop was Moín, Costa Rica, where Brian spent a year with the Taiwanese Bamboo Technical Mission, learning traditional furniture-making techniques using Phyllostachys aurea. Here Patricia began to paint the scenes from daily life in this Afro-Caribbean setting that were to make her famous. They were accompanied by a Nicaraguan weaver from Masaya who studied weaving with Taiwanese masters.During this period the Sandinistas were voted out and at the same time the bamboo project there lost its funding, so that after graduating from the Mission the weaver went back home, but Brian and Patricia stayed on in Costa Rica.A year later Brian began working as prototype furniture designer for the National Bamboo Project at Los Diamantes in Guapiles. After that Project too expired in 1999, he set up his own bamboo farm and workshop on the Rio Blanco west of Guapiles where he and Patricia live and work today.
Martin Coto
Martín is a master craftsman, designer and one of Costa Rica’s most well-know bamboo builders with 30 years of experience working with this medium. He has worked both nationally and internationally and has his name associated with numerous buildings throughout the world including a few at Rancho Mastatal. He's amazingly skilled with a wonderful sense of humor. He runs his own business named Desarrollos Ecouristicos Bambues S.A. based in Moravia, Costa Rica.
Accommodations
Students will be accommodated in one of three houses during the course. Most students will stay in the wonderful, private bunkhouse (Jeanne's House) set amongst fruit trees on the edge of the rainforest. There are six beautiful bamboo bunkbeds and one double bed to sleep in, as well as a number of hammocks where you can relax outside. This house has 65 acres of protected forest, six kilometers of trails, a 60-foot cascade, views to the national park, and beautiful swimming holes. Jeanne's comes equipped with running water, electricity, one flush toilet, one composting toilet (which we encourage everyone to use as to reduce the pressure on our small septic system), two passively heated private outdoor showers, and an indoor shower.
The Hooch is a magnificent private building that sits high amongst the trees with dramatic vistas out towards the forest. It is outfitted with one double bed and two single beds on two floors and sleeps up to four people. It features a beautiful bamboo floor. Guests staying in the Hooch share two beautiful showers and an awesome composting toilet with interns at the Hankey House. And as with all of our other accommodations, the Hooch has perfect access to many of our trails, swimming holes and waterfalls. The main house is set on our 250-acre private wildlife refuge and features eight kilometers of trails, abundant wildlife, waterfalls, rivers, swimming holes, and beautiful forests that border the La Cangreja National Park. The house is less than a one-minute walk to town and contains three comfortable rooms. There are numerous Mayan hammocks on the porches in which to read a book or nap. Guests at the main house share a bathroom. The house has one flush toilet and two methane biodigester toilets that provide cooking gas for the kitchen. The main house is generally the most active place at the Ranch, and where all meals are served. Food
Meals are mostly vegetarian, wholesome and delicious. The Ranch takes their cooking and food seriously. For snacks the Ranch serves bananas and sweet breads, the latter often times cooked in our homemade earthen oven or solar cookers.
Language
The course will be conducted in both English and Spanish.
Cost
$800. Includes all food, lodging, instruction and access to the Ranch and its facilities. We are offering a $300 discount to Costa Ricans, a $150 discount to ex-pats, and scholarships to two locals. Arrival
Students should plan on arriving to Rancho Mastatal no later than 8 a.m. on May 5 and are encouraged to arrive on the evening of May 4. We will hit the ground running on the morning of May 5. The course will wrap up on the evening of May 11. Enrollment
For more information and/or to enroll in the course please contact Tim O’Hara at mailto:info@ranchomastatal.com.
Indigenous Skills Course - Rancho Mastatal
Event Dates:
May 22-May 24, 2012
Join
indigenous expert Gerardo Perez of the Huetar indigenous tribe and
leader of the Zapaton Indigenous Reserve for a 3-day course on native
skills. The course will cover the basics of living harmoniously with
nature, using indigenous forest materials to make a variety of useful
items such as traps and baskets, making simple forest shelters, using
medicinal plants and much more. Students will have a hands-on
opportunity to immerse themselves in these techniques while spending
time in and exploring the Ranch's private wildlife refuge. Students
will stay at the Ranch’s amazing facilities and in addition to
learning about indigenous skills they will be exposed to a host of
other sustainable living projects including a methane digester,
composting toilets, Permaculture designed gardens and orchards,
animal husbandry, fermented food products and much more. This course
will be taught in both both Spanish and English. For
more information about this course, please go to the Rancho
Mastatal's Events
Calendar.
Cost:
Central Americans, US$200; residents and ex-pats, US$250;
foreigners, $300. Cost includes four nights lodging starting on
April 23, all meals, course instruction and full access to Rancho
Mastatal and its private wildlife refuge.
About
Rancho Mastatal and More Information
Rancho
Mastatal offers numerous workshops related to sustainability
throughout the year. We also host frequent educational groups that
come to our facilities learn about a host of topics ranging from
community development to tropical ecology. We opened our doors in
November of 2001 and have been dedicated to developing systems to
better care for the planet and its people since. The Ranch is also
committed to conservation and has set aside most of its land as a
private wildlife refuge. The site is wedged between the La Cangreja
National Park and the beautiful community of Mastatal (pop. 140).
Accommodations
Most
students will be accommodated at the Ranch's wonderful bunkhouse
(Jeanne's House) set amongst fruit trees on the edge of the
rainforest. There are eight beautiful bamboo bunkbeds to sleep in as
well as a number of hammocks where you can relax outside. This house
borders a large area of protected forest and features 10 kilometers
of trails, waterfalls, views to the national park, and beautiful
swimming holes. Jeanne's comes equipped with running water,
electricity, one flush toilet, one composting toilet (which we
encourage everyone to use as to reduce the pressure on our small
septic system), two passively heated private outdoor showers, and an
indoor shower. If you are interested in a more private lodging
option such as the Hooch, Leo's or the Starboard Cork please contact
us directly for more information. Lodging upgrades cost an
additional $10 per night.
Meals
will be taken at the Main House, a beautiful structure set on our
250-acre private wildlife refuge. This area of the Ranch is
highlighted by eight kilometers of trails, abundant wildlife,
waterfalls, rivers, swimming holes, and beautiful forests that border
the La Cangreja National Park. The house is less than a one-minute
walk to town. There are numerous Mayan hammocks on the porches in
which to read a book or nap. The house has one flush toilet and two
methane biodigester toilets that provide cooking gas for the kitchen.
The main house is generally the most active place at the Ranch, and
where all meals are served. Its also home to the Ranch's Zone 1
garden and garden nursery.
Food
Meals
are mostly vegetarian, wholesome and delicious. The Ranch takes their
cooking and food seriously. For snacks the Ranch serves bananas and
sweet breads, the latter often times cooked in our homemade earthen
oven or solar cookers. We source much of our food from our and other
local farms and support local agriculture in every way that we can.
We maintain a herd of goats, a large flock of hens, over two hundred
hundred fruit trees, a huge Zone 1 garden and row crops. We are also
active in fermenting a huge variety of foodstuffs.
Arrival
Students
should plan on arriving to Rancho Mastatal no later than 8 a.m. on
the first day of the course and are encouraged to arrive on the
evening before (prices include lodging the night before the course
begins).
Course
Payment
Our
preferred form of payment is cash (upon arrival to or prior to
departing the Ranch), either in US dollars or Costa Rican currency
(colones). If you would like to pay before arriving to the Ranch or
in the case that you need to pay us after leaving, you can send us a
check, direct deposit into our Costa Rica account or pay with a
credit card via http://www.paypal.com.
Direct
Deposit
Go
to whatever Banco de Costa Rica in the country and deposit in
following account:
Account
Name: Mastatal Natural Experience S.A.
Bank: Banco de Costa Rica
– Santiago de Puriscal
Savings Account Number (Número de Cuenta
de Ahorro): 270-12080-4
Currency: US Dollars
Check
To
send us a check drawn on a US, please make your check out to Kevin
O'Hara and send to:
Kevin
P. O'Hara
Vice President
M and T Bank
2 Court Street
Binghamton, NY 13901
Credit
Card
If
you would like to pay with a credit card, please go to
http://www.ranchomastatal.com/pages/programs/events2.php
and click on the PayPal icon. PLEASE ADD 4% OF YOUR TOTAL BILL TO
YOUR PAYMENT WHEN PAYING WITH PAYPAL.
Please
send us an email confirming your payment and for what course you are
enrolling in.
Enrollment
For
more information and/or to enroll in any of these courses please
contact Tim O’Hara at info@ranchomastatal.com
and/or call the Ranch at 2410-6263. We have a maximum of 15 openings
for each workshop and a minimum of 3 students to run each course.
Lakeside School Educational Trip - Lakeside School
Event Dates:
June 27-July 10, 2012
This will be our sixth visit from the Lakeside School. Lakeside has a long tradition in engaging students in global affairs. Last year's visit was absolutely unbelievable. The kids stayed with local families for much of their stay and helped work on a number of volunteer projects in the town of Mastatal. We're very much looking forward to continue to foster this relatively new relationship. For more information please contact Tom McDonald.
 Permaculture Design Course - Chris Shanks
Event Dates:
July 18-July 31, 2012
Join renowned Permaculture instructor Chris Shanks for this annual
life-changing 2-week experience. The course covers the core Permaculture
Design curriculum including applications of Permaculture in diverse
settings and techniques for meeting human needs that harmonize with
ecological patterns. Lectures and hands-on work will explore bioregional
designs, natural building, renewable energy choices in North America
and the Tropics, agroforestry, composting toilets, methane biodigesters,
watershed management, community development, tropical and temperate
garden and orchard design, energy and nutrient cycling, and the
integration of animals into cultivated ecosystems. Local experts on
organic production and goat management will make guest appearances. The
course will conclude with students doing their own Permaculture site
design. Permaculture design benefits community leaders and professionals
in the fields of architecture, planning, ecology and education.
Instructor
Christopher Shanks has over
12 years of experience in Central America with Permaculture design and
implementation. After a three-year stint in Costa Rica apprenticing
throughout the country he joined Project Bona Fide (www.projectbonafide.com).
Chris currently co-directs Project Bona Fide and is the farm manager and
chief designer and master-planner of the site. He has spent most of the
last seven and half years developing the site's agro-forests,
agro-ecologies, educational programs, research facilities, and natural
building examples with the passionate help of hundreds of volunteers,
interns, as well as a wonderful and dedicated local staff. Chris has
extensive experience in botany, horticulture, poly-cultures,
ethno-botany, natural building and construction, water management and
purification as well as renewable energy systems. Chris has worked
professionally in the US and abroad in the fields of site design,
master-planning, and permaculture design. Currently Chris owns and
operates a small design build firm called: Living Systems Solutions LLC
in Nicaragua. It is a triple bottom line business founded and run on
Permaculture principles. Chris has also worked extensively in the field
of design in the temperate regions in the frigid cold states of Vermont
and New York state as well as the temperate states of Washington and
California and has lived and traveled in Spain and Thailand as well as
worked and designed in the Bahamas for many years. Chris' experience and
training spring from a deep passion for all things green and good and
an intense desire to co-create a regenerative landscape for all beings
for all time. He is the product of all the wonderful teachers and
mentors he has been fortunate to have and is eager to share what he has
learned. Accommodations
Students
will be
accommodated in one of three houses during the course. Most students
will stay in the wonderful, private bunkhouse (Jeanne's) set amongst
fruit trees on the edge of the rainforest. There are six beautiful
bamboo bunkbeds and
one double bed to sleep in, as well as a number of hammocks where you
can relax outside. This house has 65 acres of protected forest, six
kilometers of trails, a 60-foot cascade, views to the national park,
and beautiful swimming holes. Jeanne's comes equipped with running
water, electricity, one flush toilet, one composting toilet (which we
encourage everyone to use as to reduce the pressure on our small septic
system), two passively heated private outdoor showers, and
an indoor shower. The Hooch is a magnificent private building
that sits high amongst the trees with
dramatic vistas out towards the forest. It is outfitted with one
double bed and two single beds on two floors and sleeps up to four
people. It features a beautiful bamboo floor. Guests staying in the
Hooch share two beautiful showers and an awesome composting toilet with
interns at the Hankey House. And as with all of our other
accommodations, the Hooch has perfect access to many of our trails,
swimming holes and waterfalls.
The main house is set on our 250-acre private
wildlife refuge and features eight kilometers of trails, abundant
wildlife, waterfalls, rivers, swimming holes, and beautiful forests
that border the La Cangreja National Park. The house is less than a
one-minute walk to town and contains three comfortable rooms. There are
numerous Mayan hammocks on the porches in which to read a book or nap.
Guests at the main house share a bathroom. The house has one flush
toilet, one composting toilet and one methane biodigester toilet that
provides cooking gas for the kitchen. The main house is generally the
most
active place at the Ranch, and where all meals are served.
We also have a beautiful camping area that looks out
to the La Cangreja National Park.
Food
Meals are vegetarian,
wholesome and delicious. The Ranch takes their cooking and food
seriously. For snacks the Ranch serves bananas and sweet breads, the
latter often times cooked in our homemade earthen oven or solar cookers.
Cost
$1,250. Includes all food, lodging,
instruction and access to the Ranch and its facilities. We are offering
a $400 discount to Central Americans and scholarships to two local youths from our area.
Enrollment
For more information and/or to enroll
in the course please contact Jackie Pitts at jackie.pitts13@gmail.com.
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