THE STENOPHRYS PROJECT
What is the Stenophrys Project?
The Stenophrys Project started officially in August 2019 and is the first study project by the BCP. The Stenophrys Project was the first conservation and study program on bushmasters in Costa Rica.
It is an effort to protect and understand the Central-American Bushmaster (Lachesis stenophrys) in its natural habitat in the South Caribbean region of Costa Rica, using the expertise and profound knowledge of the local Bribri community and their lands.
The project is organized in collaboration with Kéköldi WaKa Koneke and housed in the Biological Research Station, located in the middle of the primary rainforests of the Kéköldi Indigenous Reserve.
The Research Station
The Research Station is situated in the heart of the primary rainforests engulfing the Kéköldi Indigenous Reserve. It is accessible from the main 256 road going to Playa Negra by a trail leading deep into the forest. Getting up to the station requires a 2km jungle hike through some challenging terrain, so make sure you come prepared!
The station itself has a kitchen, library, office, bathrooms, showers and a main area with hammocks and tables used for working, eating and relaxing. The main area has an immense balcony that looks down on the forest floor and into the forest canopy. Sloths, kinkajous, snakes and birds can be seen minding their own business, straight from the platform.
The station has a second floor with accommodations for up to 24 people, with 6 rooms, each equipped with two bunk beds. Bed linens and towels are provided. There is third floor on top, that can also be used for camping under the open skies or bird watching.
Around the project you can hike several long jungle trails that amount up to around 10km! These hikes will bring you to small creek habitats, hilly slopes, dense rainforests, large rivers, beautiful sceneries and even a 50m high waterfall.
The Local Research Team
Sebastián Hernández
Sebastián is the president of Kéköldi Wak Ka Koneke, a civil association protecting the indigenous BriBrí lands in the Kéköldi Indigenous Reserve, as well as all organisms living within them.
He knows the lands and animals around the project like the back of his hand and is the founder of the research station in Kéköldi that houses the Bushmaster Conservation Project.
Sebastián is the local manager of the Stenophrys Project of the BCP and collects data on the animals with his son and daughter.
Ireana Hernández
Ireana is the oldest daughter of Sebastián and responsible for the majority of the fieldwork conducted in the Stenophrys Project. She goes out several times per week to track the bushmasters and collect data on their ecology and ethology.
She has a profound knowledge of the fauna and flora around her home and has a keen eye for spotting hidden creatures.
Weymer Hernández
Weymer is the younghest son of Sebastián and an avid field herper and photographer. He accompanies his father and sister on data collection days and works as a naturalist guide on the guided day and night tours in the Stenophrys Project.
Weymer grew up looking for snakes in the wild and knows where certain species like to reside. Out of the whole team he has found the most bushmasters in the wild.
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