Howler Monkey in Mangrove Swamp, Tamarindo Wildlife Refuge, 2/18/08

Costa Rica Experience is a program available to Advanced Placement students at Sayville High School located on Long Island, New York. Students travel to Costa Rica each year to explore and conduct studies in their area of interest as it relates to the underlying theme for all disciplines, "sustainability".

Each year a different geographic region is chosen to highlight different natural resources and cultural variability within the country. Some of the places we have visited include: Santa Elena Cloud Forest, Manuel Antonio National Park, Rincon de la Vieja National Park, Isla Cana, Osa Peninsula, Corcovado National Park, Las Cruces Biological Field Station, Arenal Volcano, Las Baulas National Park, Tamarindo, Selva Verde, Proyecto Campanario, and many others.

Some of the ecological studies conducted have included leatherback turtles, mustache bat count and site utilization, cloud forest biodiversity, avian studies between highland and lowland rainforest, amphibian diversity in Guanacaste, secondary succession of volcanic soils at Volcan Arenal, mangrove swamp biodiversity, coral reef health, and volcanic geology.

Cultural studies have included Guanacaste carnival and rodeo, construction of a community center in La Virgin, soccer games with local students, Costa Rican school visits, lunch with a local family, residents in a sustainable village, and Wilson Botanical Garden invasive Species Eradication Program.

Two-toed Sloth, InBio Park, February, 2005

Keel-billed Toucan, lowland rainforest, Selva Verde, April, 2006

Blue Morpho Butterfly, lowland rainforest, La Savegre River, 2/17/07

Sayville Public School District