“Regain trust and reunite the town”; this is the main objective of Ostional’s Association of Integral Development (ADIO), as expressed by newly appointed President Magdalena Lara Vega.

The former Ostional President Gilbert Rojas appealed the election on October 24th but his challenge was rejected by the National Directory of Communal Development (Dinadeco) on December 14th.

When consulted on the matter of the appeal, Rojas said only that at this time he is concentrating on the case of his house fire and no longer living in Ostional.

President Vega said the Association is working toward recovering everything that the town has lost, including trust and peace.

“We find a divided and distrustful town, and we are going to work on that in order to revive development”, said Lara. ADIO has 200 members and one of the newly established benefits is to help members who get sick while they are working during the ‘arribadas’.

During these last ‘arribadas’, they have provided this benefit to 15 members, and the aid is more than ¢22.000 a month.

The legally sanctioned sale of turtle eggs is a major source of income for the residents of Ostional. The harvest and sale of the turtle eggs carried out by the ADIO in the National Wildlife Refuge in Ostional is regulated and permitted by environmental legislation, as long as scientific studies show that the use is controlled, rational, and does not endanger the species.

The commercialization of Olive Ridley tortoise eggs is only permitted by the ADIO, and they must be packed in sealed bags bearing the organization logos and accompanied by the corresponding invoices.
Since the 60’s, the first settlers of Ostional have used turtle eggs as a means of family subsistence and with the creation of the refuge the community was organized and the ADIO was formed to permit the rational use of resources and provide protection to the site, thus avoiding massive uncontrolled looting by other people.

Nosara’s new Tourist Police stationed at Playa Guiones, working with a new team of Fuerza Publica officers stationed at the village center of Nosara, have substantially raised the visibility of law enforcement efforts since arriving in November.

Local police chief Jason Vargas reported on Jan. 11, to a poorly attended public meeting at the FUCAN building, that law enforcement officials in San Jose see Nosara as a showcase of how local support can turn the tide against an increase in crime. Because local citizens complained, as well as offered financial support, attention is being focused on Nosara and there is pressure to show results, Vargas said.

The new police chief reported crime statistics for November and December that showed local police have been busy with roadblocks, confiscations, arrests and community outreach activities. Thefts, drugs and domestic violence dominate the reports.

The combined Fuerza Publica and Tourist Police forces have 21 officers in rotation and three motorbikes, with cars sometimes on loan from Nicoya. A permanent police car for Nosara is promised in March, he said.

The newly formed Security Association (Asociacion de Seguridad Comunitaria de Nosara) is dedicating its current efforts to raising money to be able to maintain the Tourist Police in its current location in Guiones and to the most pressing need to rebuild the police station in the center of Nosara. This building is under an order from the Ministry of Health to close on Jan. 20 if there is not a plan to make the building more habitable.

The necessary repairs will cost $16,000, according to Agnes Pinheiro, who is president of the security association formed to oversee the funding. A year’s expenses for rent and utilities for the Guiones station is estimated at $14,000. So far, $10,000 in donations have been made in support of these two projects, along with some donated materials.