I am a little confused about this whole mess concerning Roberto Dobles, who just stepped down as the head of MINAET, Costa Rica’s Environment, Energy and Telecommunications Ministry.  He is also a second-cousin to Costa Rica’s president, Oscar Arias.  Okay according to reports in La Nación and The Tico Times, Dobles and his family are shareholders and/or officers of various corporations that own a corporation that owns a corporation that requested a concession to draw water from the Aranjuez River.  Well this corporation, called Agricultura Mecanizada Chapernal, S.A., withdrew its request and instead joined with other corporations, all of whom had an interest in diverting water from the river to various agricultural and sugar mill operations, to form a corporation called Sociedad de Usuarios de Agua Rio Aranjuez (which means Rio Aranjuez Water Users Corporation).  This corporation was granted the concession in 2003. Well recently it has been determined by MINAET that actions by these entites under this concession have caused irreversible damage to the river and biodiversity in the area.  The report used very strong language stating that “disastrous harm” and a “serious crime against an important ecosystem” had occurred.  Dobles may be in serious legal trouble as his actions may have run afoul of Costa Rica’s anti-corruption law, as well as an ethics decree signed by Arias when he took office.  So now Dobles has resigned, but claims he did nothing “illegal.”  Turns out that Oscar Arias himself may not be entirely clean in the matter either as he and his family also have ties to this web of corporations.  I guess a really good question to ask Dobles is, “if you did nothing wrong, why did you resign?”  It is deeply troubling that the Arias administration is implicated in these environmental problems.  I have in the past written favourably about Costa Rica’s president and former Nobel Peace Price winner.  Under his watch I have seen dramatic improvements in the country’s infrastructure, which had been allowed to deteriorate to intolerable levels under the previous Pacheco administration. Arias talks a pretty good environmental talk, but actions speak louder than words.  Problems such as the granting of “national convenience” decrees giving green lights to environmentally questionable projects like the Las Crucitas mine and Steve Case’s Punta Cacique development keep cropping up.  And now this far more serious and potentially criminal matter.  It is a “black eye” on the environmental record of this administration that probably won’t heal any time soon.  Costa Rica cannot afford this type of nepotism and political corruption, especially concerning the most precious resource it has.  Dobles should resign and if he ran afoul of any law with respect to this concession, he should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.  And as for Arias, I can only hope that his decision to appoint his second-cousin to the important role as chief environmental watchdog doesn’t in the end turn and bite him in the $%#.

Okay we all celebrate Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. President’s Day and a whole bunch of other special “days.”  Well here in Costa Rica we have our own special days, one of which is the Boyero Day.  What in the $%^# is a “Boyero” you ask?  Well a Boyero is a person who guides a team of oxen pulling one of Costa Rica’s famous oxcarts, or carretas in Spanish.  If you go back in time 100 years or so, you would see these fellows in the country roads coming down from the mountains with loads of coffee in their oxcarts.  Nowadays the boyero is more of a “thing of the past” and the painted oxcart more of a novelty than a functional piece of Costa Rican daily living.  But don’t tell that to the 100’s of “boyeros” that gathered recently in Escazu to celebrate “Dia Nacional del Boyero.”  This is a 26 year tradition that attracts both young and old.  To understand the boyero, one needs to be familiar with some of the terminology.  For example, as noted above the ornamentally painted oxcart, the National Labor Symbol of Costa Rica, is known as the “carreta.”  The oxen that move in unison to the commands of the boyero is known as a “junta” and the ornamentally painted device that binds the animals is known as the “yugo.”  What is the motivation behind this annual gathering, other than to have fun, you ask?  Ask any boyero and they will tell you readily that it is to preserve a Costa Rican tradition that has been handed down from generation to generation.  It is great that this special day is such a hit with the kids.  This goes a long way to making sure that this colorful tradition that is so uniquely Costa Rican is indeed preserved for the indefinite future.

Article in La Nación

Well I am used to hearing about surfers getting attacked by sharks, although it is a rarity for such an event to occur in Costa Rica.  It is more likely to happen to you in Northern California or Australia.  But this one got my attention, surfer gets attacked by crocodile?  I thought crocodiles were fresh water creatures.  It happened on September 19th, 2008 in Playa Hermosa, which is just down the road from Jaco and one of Costa Rica’s best surfing beaches.  The victim was 13-year old Dakota Kilbride.  The crocodile was well-known to folks in the area as the nine-foot crocodile with part of his tail missing.  They had even given him a name, Juancho.  The croc grabbed Dakota on his right knee.  The youth had to have numerous surgeries and therapy. And believe it or not, he is back in the ocean enjoying his passion for surfing once again.  The truth is that it is not uncommon at all to find crocs in the ocean, especially near river mouths.   One area that is especially dangerous in this regard is Bochinche, near the mouth of the river Tárcoles in the cantón of Garabito (where Jaco and Hermosa are also located).  It is well established the crocs are much more aggressive during the rainy months like September, October and November.  The reason because this is mating season for the animals.  What is Dakota’s advice for surfers and swimmers?  Well, if you see a croc, get out of the water.  Sometimes great wisdom comes to us painfully.

Link to Article in La Nación