The Monkey Farm in Playa Ocotal, just five minutes from Playas del Coco, is having an Open House Sunday, January 5th from noon until 5:00. The Monkey Farm is a non-profit organic, sustainable farm and future wildlife rescue center, run entirely by volunteers from all over the world living and learning on the farm.

The volunteers are joined by Dr. Elgin Bermudez, wildlife biologist and veterinarian, who will treat and oversee the care of all the wildlife that is rescued by the farm, in addition to the farm animals themselves.

The farm is just now in the beginning stages of being created. The volunteers, currently from Finland, Croatia, Columbia, Brazil and the U.S., are planting the food which will feed the volunteers who live on the farm. They have planted fruit trees and herbs and re-started an aquaponics system which is growing both tilapia and vegetables.

Aquaponics is an organic system which cycles the fish’s water and waste through a filter, then through the plants, which take the nutrients out of the water as it passes through. The fish waste is pure nutrients for the plants and the plants in turn, clean the water for the fish.

Aquaponics uses 95% less water than conventional farming, while producing five times the amount of produce. Using less water is very important in Guanacaste, which experiences six months of drought every year.

The volunteers are also caring for the farm animals which will contribute meat and dairy products for them to eat. The farm animals are also “volunteers” working on the farm. With their grazing, they will be creating a natural fire break to stop the wildfires. Wild fires are common during the dry season. Unfortunately, high winds that time of year, spread the fire, destroying everything in its path, including the wildlife.

So the crew came up with a plan to create a natural fire break by putting a fire-proof fence up around the perimeter of property, and then a second fence will be installed about thirty feet inside that one. This will create a corridor, or strip for the farm animals to graze. Keeping the grass and brush short, will create a fire-break to stop the fire from coming onto the farm.

This fencing requires funding, so the volunteers started a fund-raising campaign to raise money to install the fencing. To contribute to this worthy cause, you can either donate on their website, or go out to the Open House this Sunday and see for yourself what is going on at The Monkey Farm! Bring the family and participate in the raffle of prizes donated by local business owners. Have a glass of our own organic lemonade or ice tea, pet the friendly goats and see the aquaponics system.

For directions to The Monkey Farm and more info and pictures, go to their website at www.TheMonkeyFarm.org