Costa Rica’s south Pacific coast is known for its rich biodiversity both above and below the ocean surface. Guest contributor and trip leader and Alicia Amerson—marine biologist, PMP-certified project manager, and wildlife conservation storyteller—shares a preview of her upcoming trip, Whale Watching in the Osa Peninsula with Projects For Wildlife.

 Drake Bay by Laurie McLaughlin

In 2013, I traveled to Costa Rica to study whales and dolphins. Most people are shocked when I say whales and dolphins, because they're not the types of animals people first think of when I say Costa Rica. What wildlife species comes to mind for you? Maybe frogs, birds, or monkeys.

Costa Rica was the origin of my international research and a love for travel to help wildlife and wild spaces. Since the very beginning, I made the travel goal to leave no footprint, to make the place better than how I found it. Each one of my excursions and research projects for wildlife has provided an opportunity to give back. Over the past year, I launched a podcast called Projects For Wildlife. The podcast offers listeners a chance to learn from wildlife project leaders who are working to protect and save wildlife species and habitat around the world. Now it’s time to take you along. Together, we are going into the field to conduct Projects For Wildlife.

 Pantropical spotted dolphin by Marie Hill, NOAA NMFS PIFSC

I will share with you what I learned through my sustainable whale-watching tourism research and invite you to participate in citizen science projects so that we can share what we see, photograph, and learn with a broader science community. Through our efforts, we will learn about ecology and science communication. Perhaps you will be inspired to write your first wildlife blog.

I am grateful for the opportunity to work with Holbrook. Through Holbrook, I am able to create travel excursions that align with my sustainable travel goals and ensure that our adventures together are sustainable and minimize impacts to wildlife.

Collared Aracari by Martin Van Lokven

Being with you this fall in Costa Rica will be thrilling. I can’t wait to see the awe in your eyes as we watch giant humpback whales compete for female attention and perhaps even see a mom and calf. The densely forested coastline is an open invitation to explore what is within, and we will explore the rainforest to find various wildlife species. We may hear howler monkeys and photograph toucans, along the way we will upload our photographs to various citizen science apps and document the behavior and location of the wildlife we encounter. 

If you dive into the podcast you know that each episode ends with the invitation to “Stand up for what we stand on.” Together let's stand up!