The Eternal Rainforest The Children’s Eternal Rainforest straddles the Continental Divide, encompassing 55,600 acres of virgin and secondary forest, as well as several reforestation areas. With help from various organizations in more than 40 countries, The Children’s Eternal Rainforest is now Costa Rica’s largest private reserve. “It all started in 1987 at a small primary school in rural Sweden. Eha Kern, a teacher, was helping her class learn about rainforests and the animals that need them for survival. Nine-year-old Roland Teinsuu asked what he could do to keep the rainforest safe and help protect those special animals. Roland and his classmates talked to tropical biologist Sharon Kinsman, who just happened to be visiting in Sweden. She told them about the Monteverde Cloud Forest. She told them how deforestation was starting to hurt a beautiful forest in the Tilaran mountains of Costa Rica. The class decided to raise some money to buy some of the forest. Then, at least in that one spot, no one could chop down the trees. The students raised about $1500. This was enough to buy about 15 acres of land. It was enough to cover the expenses (surveying, title search, and legal fees) of buying land. The class worked with an organization called the Monteverde Conservation League. The League helped provide the scientists and conservationists who manage and protect the forest. And that is how the Bosque Eterno de los Niños (Children’s Eternal Rain Forest) all began. Suddenly other kids wanted to help the rainforest, too, and now children all over the earth are helping. With fundraising projects
such as collecting aluminum cans and holding bake sales using rainforest ingredients (ginger, chocolate, and vanilla), kids everywhere have raised enough money to buy 50,000 acres . . . and counting!” Journey North is a free, Internet-based program presented by Annenberg Learner. Program participants share field observations across the northern hemisphere, exploring the interrelated aspects of seasonal change.
Central Highlands Region
