A group of 640 students from the Pan-American School in the western suburb of Santa Ana are putting aside their paper and pencils for a couple of hours a day this week to plant 500 trees in the Santa Ana Conservation Center, a reserve of plant species native to dry climates of the Central Valley.
This project is being carried out in conjunction with the school's Mapache Program, an initiative that encompasses several environmental projects, according to a statement from the Pan-American School.
From 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., students from several grades are planting trees from 24 native species, some endangered, on a 1,500 square meter plot the school adopted within the 53-hectare conservation area, said Fernando Cabezas, botanical director and educational assistant of the Pro Zoology Foundation (FUNDAZOO), which manages the conservation area as well as the Simón Bolivar Zoo in downtown San José.
In past years, trees in the conservation area have been charred by fires caused by drivers throwing trash out the window. During the dry season, it's easy for this trash to go up in flames, Cabezas explained.
“Now we have a system to control the fires. The last fire was two years ago,” he said.
The school purchased the trees from the foundation and provided all labor for the reforestation project.
Cabezas said other schools interested in adopting part of the conservation area can call FUNDAZOO at 203-6897 |
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