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Tag: Community

  • NP #17: Del Mar Academy: How did one school change Nosara so much? What’s next?

    NP #17: Del Mar Academy: How did one school change Nosara so much? What’s next?

    In this episode, Rich sits down with Del Mar Academy founders Haley Macmillan-Ord and Jessica Sheffield to discuss updates with Del Mar Academy and their side of the story with opening and operating a school deep in the jungle.

    Short version (14 minutes):

    Full version (55 minutes):

    Most people understand opening and operating any kind of school is not easy.

    Opening a school deep in the jungle in a small town hours away from major civilization (via sometimes horrendous roads), zero supplies, very few students, plus so much more… Well that is even harder.

    But this is exactly what the Del Mar Academy founders did back in 2007.

    People new to Nosara might not be aware of what Nosara was like just a short decade or so ago… Nosara used to be a tiny little town with very challenging access, almost zero publicity, no private schools, very limited medical care, and overall was an extremely challenging place for expats to live if they had kids.

    However, Nosara of today is becoming a popular, well-heeled tourist town mentioned by major publications such as the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Outside Magazine, CNN, FOX, and so many others… There are doctors, dentists, chiropractors, the supermarkets are improving, there is a wide variety of restaurants and there is a chance the main road will finally be paved.

    But it was not always this way. Del Mar Academy helped bring Nosara to the forefront of options for families looking for a spot in Latin America which is a big factor why Nosara is filled with families and nature preserves instead of nightclubs and condo developments.

    The success of Del Mar Academy is now helping other private schools to open and operate, plus Del Mar Academy helps the local public schools a great deal, as well as providing scholarships to local Tico’s. Now that Del Mar Academy is a foundation their goal is to drastically increase their funding so they can provide more scholarships and increase environmental awareness not in Nosara but throughout the world.

    Del Mar Academy Website

    Del Mar Academy Facebook

    https://www.nosarascholarships.org/donate—donar.html

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  • NP #16: February 2019 Update: Ryan Bombard and Nosara’s Bomberos… Fighting fires, relocating animals, rescues, and so much more

    NP #16: February 2019 Update: Ryan Bombard and Nosara’s Bomberos… Fighting fires, relocating animals, rescues, and so much more

    Ryan is living a life of adventure few humans understand. His phone steadily beeps with items small and sometimes very big he needs to deal with. He has 2 small children and a warrior of a wife dealing with her own health challenges… ‘So how does he do it?’ one may ask.

    Listen to this podcast and learn more about Ryan Bombard’s life as well as how Nosara really works:

    11 minute full version:

    4 minute short version:

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  • NP #14: Gerardo from Costas Verdes wants to bring the forest back to the sea

    NP #14: Gerardo from Costas Verdes wants to bring the forest back to the sea

    BarriGuiones is an organization improving Playa Guiones and Nosara. Gerardo is the Project Director and is the ideal person to lead this project. He stopped by to speak with Rich for a 2019 update about what they’ve accomplished and where he is looking to go. Along the way there’s lots of discussion about development in Nosara and likes and dislikes or our area.

    We hope you enjoy this discussion. The first version is a short one and later on we will release the full discussion.

  • What is that sailboat doing out there?

    What is that sailboat doing out there?

    If you’ve been in town for the past couple of weeks you’ve probably noticed an enormous sailboat sitting way outside at Playa Guiones. We normally don’t have boats that large come and sit around here for this amount of time. Lots of people have been asking what’s going on with that and why is it here?

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    Photo: Kaiya

    Earlier today I spoke with one of the owners, Liesel, and she filled me in. They are from South Africa and are basically sailing around the world chasing surf. They sailed across the Atlantic, through the Caribbean, passed through the Panama Canal and eventually made their way up here to Costa Rica. Early next week once the winds arrive they are heading up to Tamarindo then across the Pacific all the way to Fiji where they are going to surf Cloudbreak.

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    Overall my personal opinion is their boat is magnificent and I have massive respect for their ability to navigate the world and am jealous of their financial freedom to do so.

    However, I am EXTREMELY concerned about boats motoring in and out of the lineups in Guiones. It is very crowded here and I don’t want anyone to get hurt. Fortunately, these guys are really kind and super experienced with boats moving through the surf.

    Pelada or Garza are easier points of entry so it is rare to have a boat of this magnitude out front in Guiones.

  • NP #13: One street in Guiones stopped getting robbed… Here’s how they did it.

    NP #13: One street in Guiones stopped getting robbed… Here’s how they did it.

     

    Nosara has a crime issue.

    This is no surprise and is not anything new. In fact, pretty much all of Costa Rica, Latin America and most every tourist town in the world has some sort of crime problem. In the Nosara area our most alarming trend is the house break-ins. They seem to be increasing in frequency and it is downright impressive how the thieves are very seldom caught in the act.

    But there is a solution.

    Please check out this quick discussion I had with Andrew Saxton to hear for yourself what one street in Guiones did to take action and prevent robberies.

    This is about 6 minutes and I’d appreciate if you share it with anyone who owns property in, lives in, or visits Nosara.

    Most of our crime is preventable and it is time for the people of Nosara to cooperate and begin to implement these strategies. Please dial into the guidance of the Nosara Security Association and join in the upcoming webinars working to unite all of the areas for strategies like the one in this video. It works and it is time to take action.

     

  • NP #11: The Guardians of Nature: How Jessica Sheffield plans to change the world

    NP #11: The Guardians of Nature: How Jessica Sheffield plans to change the world

    Jessica Sheffield is on the short list as one of the ‘Saints of Nosara’ as I like to say. She is an extremely hard worker and dedicated to making the world a better place while leading by example. Jessica doesn’t tolerate laziness and encourages everyone to get involved with what matters most in their communities. There are countless projects she serves with such as President of Nosara Recicla for about a decade (she is currently the vice president), a founder of Del Mar Academy, and way too many more to mention.

    Her newest project, The Guardians of Nature, is what she deems as her ‘passion project’ and her goals for it are highly aggressive. This time she is not just aiming only to help Nosara and the country of Costa Rica… She is trying to change the world. And it is working!

    I hope you enjoy this discussion and choose to support Jessica’s vision in becoming a reality. One way of doing so is supporting the upcoming event for Guardians of Nature at Olo Alaia in January. Please come if you can… You won’t regret it.

    Learn more at: www.movimientoguardianes.org

    Or on Facebook: La Guardiana de la Naturaleza

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  • NP #10: The Nosara Civic Association Update: A conversation with President Kuki

    NP #10: The Nosara Civic Association Update: A conversation with President Kuki

    If you’re not already aware, the Nosara Civic Association is a massive reason our town is what it is today.

    In fact, everyone involved in Nosara owes a massive ‘thank you’ to the warriors who fought for and maintained the parklands interrupting our community. They are the reason the Playas de Nosara is free of large scale development and completely unique amongst most every beach town in the world.

    However, many would argue we are currently at a tipping point as Nosara’s popularity is skyrocketing and well heeled buyers are arriving unlike anytime before.

    Along with growth comes growing pains; and we are certainly having them.

    Ethel Araya (most everyone calls her Kuki) is the current President of the Nosara Civic Association and doing an outstanding job. She recently came by for a conversation and provided a complete update on some of the most pressing matters concerning our community.

    Make some time to listen to this one if you can.

  • NP #7: G Love & Nosara

    NP #7: G Love & Nosara

    Here in Nosara we are super fortunate to meet all kinds of amazing people who love our community. Since 1998, G Love has been coming to Nosara and has no plans of stopping anytime soon. In fact, for the previous five years, G Love (Garret Dutton) has been headlining to Nosara Acoustic Roots Festival. Each year we try to have this festival the weekend after Thanksgiving and it seems to be growing. The show is to benefit the Nosara Security Association and is the biggest fundraiser of the year.

    I got a chance to sit down with Garrett and talk about Nosara and hear some stories about his friends Jack Johnson, Kelly Slater, Donovan Frankenreiter, Mick Fanning, Joel Parkinson, the Malloy brothers and more. We also had a chance to detail some of his musical influences and motivating factors and life on the road and staying motivated. G shares a story about losing a deal to Beck and much more info you’ll just have to hear in this episode.

    I hope you enjoy this one getting to know G Love and appreciate you checking it out.

  • NP #5: Nosara Recicla is asking for some help ASAP from Nosara residents

    NP #5: Nosara Recicla is asking for some help ASAP from Nosara residents

    In this episode, President of Nosara Recicla Veronica Monge stops by to fill Rich in about a very pressing matter. They need signatures from Nosara residents on an important document which will help expedite servicing for trash in the Nosara area.

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    Veronica will be distributing the document for signatures at key locations throughout town such as Gilded Iguana, Surfing Nosara, Super Nosara, La Paloma, and hopefully a couple of others to be added soon. Time is of the essence on this one though unfortunately.

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    Her goal is to have the signatures by Monday, November 19. If you can please stop by to sign this document everyone will greatly appreciate it. To learn the details of what’s going on please listen to this episode.

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    Many thanks to everyone who supports Nosara Recicla and is paying attention to the trash situation in our area. There are many volunteers donating their time and energy who ask for nothing in return. In fact, there is a group of volunteers led by Bobbi Johnson who go every Thursday to help at the facility. Please join Bobbi and her crew if you’re able to do so.

    This episode is a shortened version of a longer conversation with Veronica so stay tuned for the full episode in the very near future. In the meantime, if you’re a resident and you have a cedula please sign the document to help us. The high season is coming and along with the waves also brings the tourist and we are going to have trash we have to do something with.

  • NP #2: Nosara Road Update: Is Ruta 160 going to be paved between Garza and Nosara or not?

    NP #2: Nosara Road Update: Is Ruta 160 going to be paved between Garza and Nosara or not?

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    If you’ve been to Nosara then you know we have some serious challenges with our roads. Let me restate it to be a little more clear: Our roads are terrible and cars pretty much come here to die. In fact, our dust problems in the high season make it sometimes unsafe to be on or live near the main road, Ruta 160. The primary victims of the respitory issues are local Ticos who live or work right by the road and as Nosara grows the dust problem continues to grow as well.

    However, we have been promised and repeatedly told asphalt is on the way for Ruta 160 between Garza and Santa Marta in late 2018. Unfortunately, as I type this of late October 2018, we can clearly see there is little to no possibility of the new road going in this year… Furthermore, it seems like the entire project may have been stalled or possibly terminated altogether. As one might expect, most everyone in Nosara is highly concerned about this and wondering what is going to happen on this controversial subject.

    To help provide accurate information on what is going on I sat down with Lucca Spendlingwimmer who is on Nosara’s Ruta 160 committee. Lucca details in this interview the project history of the paving of Ruta 160 and where we are at today.

    ***Please everyone give many thanks to the volunteers on the Nosara Ruta 160 committee who constantly try to help the residents of Nosara.

  • When is it going to stop raining in Nosara?

    When is it going to stop raining in Nosara?

    ‘The changing of the seasons is one of the best things about living in Nosara.’

     The above quote is something I say a great deal. What I need to add to this statement is that by the end of the season (whether dry or wet) we’re ready for the change to happen. Like now.

     

    As I type this mid October 2018 we are experiencing our 2nd flood of the month. People have been evacuated from their homes and emergency shelters are supplying food and a dry spot to sleep for the many victims of the flood. As usual in Nosara, people are coming together from most every business and area to help others with significant amounts of food, clothing, personal hygiene products, financial assistance, etc.

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    For those who may not be aware of our seasons: From November through April we have our dry season and May through October is the wet season. September and October are the heaviest months for rain historically and most of the tourist businesses take their much needed breaks and vacations this time of year. Unfortunately, this year there has been a lot of rain in Hojancha which is where the Rio Nosara starts and it has been highly problematic for low areas particularly in Nosara town.

    Many thanks to everyone donating towards and helping with the Nosara flood relief efforts!!!

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  • NP #1: Fires, Floods, Snakes, & Crocs : The Life of Ryan Bombard

    NP #1: Fires, Floods, Snakes, & Crocs : The Life of Ryan Bombard

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