Greg Mayne – First Station Manager

Station Manager: Greg Mayne
Dates of Service: August 1991 – December 1993

I can hardly believe that I arrived at Caño Palma in 1991 as the first Station Manager. Where has the time gone? And what a transformation that has occurred! The property was recently purchased from a campesino and the parcel of land that would eventually contain the Station infrastructure was open, with many fruit trees, a small banana plantation, and shrubby secondary vegetation surrounding a rudimentary thatched building that served as a kitchen and house. The dock consisted of three planks, at times precariously hanging over the canal, at other times submerged following heavy tropical rains. A comfortable tropical breeze circulated and there was an unobstructed view across the black-water canal that reflected the overhanging vegetation.

There was no running water, unless it rained that is, and no electricity. My bedroom was shrine-like, with numerous candles to read by. I remained in touch with Canada only when the single phone in Tortuguero provided outside contact. The village was 30 minutes away by our long, narrow dugout and new 15-horsepower engine. It had roughly 200 people and was one of the more interesting and quaint coastal villages I had ever experienced. Despite the small population, the village boasted three bars that served as dance floors every night. Inhabitants were Afro-Caribbean, Nicaraguans who fled the Contra-Sandinista revolution in the 1980s, and Costa Ricans who chose to live in this quiet, remote fishing village. There were just three gringos– myself included.

My experience was rough, rustic, trying, but always rewarding. I learned a new culture, a new language, and perhaps tolerance and open-mindedness. It strengthened my dedication to conservation and love of culture and adventure. Over the course of two and one-half years, local Costa Ricans and I established the trail system that we have to this day, a small dormitory, a worker’s cabin, a thatched rancho that served as our museum, the first flush toilet on the canal, and a large impressive dock – most of which have been replaced. Research and monitoring efforts were sporadic and in their formative stages. With the help of the late Daniel Hernandez, we established the neotropical-migrant bird monitoring program that exists to this day. Discussions around sea turtle monitoring began, and primate and herpetological studies progressed in these early days. I was honoured to work with dedicated scientist, biologists, conservationists, and enthusiastic volunteers; all highly influential in their own way. I also witnessed massive rainforest destruction at the hands of large fruit companies and fish kills due to pesticide runoff. These life-altering experiences made me pursue additional study in environmental science and graduate work in wildlife toxicology.

I had been consumed with study for many years and a career with Environment Canada when I decided to return to the Station for a vacation in 2006. I should have known that this would only serve to re-ignite my passion for tropical conservation and lead to a role as Director of Site Services with COTERC. So much has been accomplished since 1991 and I am truly proud of all our accomplishments. We have appreciably enhanced the infrastructure of the Station and the COTERC mandate and mission by offering our facilities to students, researchers and volunteers interested in tropical ecology and the Costa Rican culture. Station Managers serve to forge alliances and relationships with locals, lodges, and the Costa Rican government; all of which advance conservation of this highly significant rainforest ecosystem tucked between the Barra Colorado National Wildlife Refuge and the Tortuguero National Park. A big part of me remains at the Station and this is why I continue to visit.