On June 1, the Las Cruces Research Station and the Wilson Botanical Garden hosted the Third Annual Open House Day. It was a great success, with over 700 people from the community visiting the station! The purpose of this outreach is to share our science, conservation and sustainability efforts with the community through guided walks, workshops, talks and exhibitions. All of these events were conducted by a committed group of staff, volunteers, and researchers. We are very grateful to our sponsors and co-sponsors; Fruterra, Grupo Materiales, Socovi, BM Supermarkets, San Vito Bird Club, Distributor Marroa S.A., Multiservicios Villalobos, Sinem – Cema Coto Brus, Pura Vida Sur and Elena Yoga Class.
The Open House Day carried forward an interaction with the community that began with the EcoCultural Festival that Las Cruces hosted several years ago. This year, we added activities like the Science Center tours where children and adults alike explored collections of insects, learned how the movements of arachnids could help us build better robots and prosthetics, saw a bird’s eye view of our region through cameras mounted on drones, deciphered bird songs, and marveled at the extraordinary diversity of tree seeds.
All the activities were well attended. We barely had enough guides to host nature walks and talks and workshops were filled to capacity. Local artisans enjoyed brisk sales. The tree donation was a success, with trees given away for planting at local homes and farms. San Vito Bird Club members were busy all day and enjoying smiles from of the children who lined up for face painting. At the close of the event, we were delighted by the talent of Coto Brus’ youth, with an outstanding performance by the Symphony Orchestra of the School of Music (SINEM).
Thanks to the efforts of the many volunteers, the Open House Day was a great blend of education, science, conservation and fun. Among the most rewarding outcomes waswere seeing so many local families who came to visit the station and botanical garden for the first time.