Costa Rica
From the jungles of
Palo Vivo began as a group of friends, passionate about challenging themselves and exploring nature in creative ways. As young members of a community founded on the values of conservation, we had access to forests and old-growth trees that captivated both our curiosity and hearts. Our skills and strength grew as a group, and slowly our sights turned upwards toward the canopy - a largely unexplored world filled with endless potential for discovery and fun.
Finding ourselves surrounded by an abundance of strangler fig trees - uniquely shaped trees with intriguing trunk formations ideal for climbing - we began to adapt traditional rock climbing techniques and gear to our style of tree climbing in order to safely access new heights while protecting the tree and epiphytic environment around us. Quickly we noticed the strong impact spending time climbing fig trees had on ourselves and other community members we shared the experience with.
It became clear that climbing fig trees was a powerful opportunity for us to shift and strengthen our relationship to the forest around us, and in turn our relationship with nature as a whole. We also witnessed a strengthening of the bonds between us as a community.
Monteverde
to be exact
Tree climbing allows us an opportunity to push ourselves beyond self-imposed limitations. It is a chance to practice trust, perseverance, and presence. Spending time in the forest in this way gives us tools to be more resilient, both as individuals and as a collective. The natural next step for us was to figure out how we could offer more tree climbing opportunities to young people in our town, leading us to organize our first tree climbing course in 2019 and the creation of the Palo Vivo initiative.
We come from a community with a long and extensive history of conservation that has been a driving force in our decision to take part in the conservation of the forest we love so deeply. Our community is located in the mountaintop community of Monteverde, which rests in the Tilaran mountains of Costa Rica. Our community began in 1951 when a group of Quakers emigrated from Alabama fleeing the peacetime draft. With this community began the ‘Watershed’ property, unofficially the first nature reserve in Costa Rica. The Watershed property was a large swath of property set aside on the top of the mountain and allocated to be untouched undeveloped forest.
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In 1970 George and Harriett Powell joined the community and found themselves alarmed at the rate at which the stunning jungles of Costa Rica were being cleared for agriculture. They raised funds alongside the World Wildlife Fund in order to buy as much land as possible which they then converted into the Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve. In 1974 the Quakers donated the Watershed property to the Reserve making it nearly 5000 acres worth of protected forest. ​
In 1985 the Monteverde Conservation League emerged from concerns about deforestation in areas outside protected zones. Within this league local landowners and resident biologists collaborated to address issues such as soil retention, water quality, and ecosystem threats.
In 2002 the Fundación Conservacionista Costarricense was founded in response to the disappearance of different species of flora and fauna on the Pacific side of the Tilaran range, particularly that of the Three-wattled Bellbird and Resplendent Quetzal. Through their efforts they have planted over 275,000 trees, many of which are endangered, and protected over 160 acres of forest. They additionally conduct research on the best practices for efficient and effective restoration techniques in the tropical rain and cloud forests and established the Bellbird Biological Corridor which spans nearly 200,000 acres from mountain to sea. ​
These are but a small slice of the different conservation efforts in our community that have inspired us to take action.
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Find us on...
Our Values
Love
We live and work through unconditional love. We make choices grounded in peace and compassion while practicing empathy and respect with those we interact with.
Community
We are stewards of this earth. We use education to create a better environment for those who are nearest to us by facilitating learning, collaboration, and reciprocal interactions
Integrity
To ensure productive communication and simplicity, we practice awareness, honesty, and humility with ourselves and others.
Creativity
We move creatively with courage and adaptability in order to be receptive and inspired while interacting with an ever-changing environment.
Perseverance
We strive to maintain clarity of mind, prioritizing health and perseverance to ensure the productivity and sustainability of our work.
Our
Vision
To see communities strengthen their relationship with the natural world. (And themselves) Thus ensuring the long term health of our surrounding species and planet
Through education, climbing, research, and reforestation, we work to help communities better understand and subsequently care for our forest and human communities.
Our
Mission
Grace Kennedy
Founder
Reforestation, Climber, Educator, WFR
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Mason Neufeld
Creative Direction
Photographer, Climber, Educator
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Ipsi Castillo
Community Builder
Hiking Guide, Climber, Educator
Rafi Vargas
Founder
Climbing & Eduction, Naturalist Guide, WFR
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Elan Badminton
Administration
Reforestation, Photographer, Climber, Educator
Noah Kane
Social Media
Film Maker, Climber
Izzy Moore
Founder
Systems & Safety, Rock Guide, Climber, Educator, WFR
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Kayla Aburida
Administration
Luis Villalobos
Graphic Design
Climber, Educator
Marco Molina
NAT. GEO Explorer, Climber, Educator
Alejandro
Climber, Educator
Vivian Finick
Writing
Journalist
what we've done
We began to deliver mini courses at the Escuela Creativa (10 students over six weeks)
A year of learning about reforestation (MVI, Reserva CloudBridge); Began to facilitate canopy research projects
We built a climbing wall in the RioChante community center; we began to climb with small groups.
We continued to develop our reforestation project.
We took over physical education classes at the Creativa School, continued climbing with small groups, reforesting plots in Monteverde, and supporting investigation of the canopy
We continued to facilitate physical education at Creativa School and the Monteverde Friends School, worked with small groups, continued to host interns through CIEE, and hosted our second Monkey Fest
We continued to facilitate physical education at Creativa School and the Monteverde Friends School, worked with small groups, continued reforestation projects, continued facilitating canopy research, began to host interns through CIEE, and began Monkey Fest