Pinewood man returns from goodwill trip to Costa Rica

Ken Johnston
Editor

While most people think of laying on the beach sipping margaritas when they go on a tropical vacation, that is not the case when it comes to Kevin Kennedy of Pinewood.
He just completed his third vacation to Costa Rica since 1996, only each time he has chosen to travel to a different part of that Central American than most tourists do.
Kennedy, a forester by education, has been travelling there to volunteer his time working with a conservation group in the rain forests there.
In 1996 Kennedy says he was reading the Winnipeg Free Press and saw an organization called The View Foundation. They were looking for volunteers to do conservation work in Costa Rica. He and seven others made the trip and he fell in love with the place. “We planted trees, cleared trails dug holes for fence posts and just about anything that was needed.”
While there they worked under the auspices of the Monte Verde Conservation Association in Bosque Eterno De Los Nios (Children’s Eternal Forest). That organization uses private donations to staff patrols to protect the fragile rain forest from the likes of poachers and other seeking to pillage it.
He returned in 1998, but on his own and again this past January 14-28th. He again visited the Monte Verde Conservation Association and volunteered his labour. Kennedy said they are very grateful to get help from volunteers like himself as with their budgets being so small any help they can get is needed.
“The heat is tough on you there,” explained Kennedy, “It averages about 30° C every day, but they do not work me to the point of exhaustion. They gave me a couple of days off here and there.”
Using the breaks he travelled to various places to see some of the country’s other splendor. He travelled to see the active Arenal Volcano, did some horseback riding and visited a nature preserve.
On this most recent trip he saw and heard the howler monkey. He had only heard them before so it was a real treat to see them. He also travelled many hours over a rough trail with a friend he met there to see a very beautiful waterfall.
Even though he was educated as a forester in the 1970s, Kennedy said that he is virtually at a loss when it comes to the plant life in Costa Rica. “You have to be cautious not to touch things you are not familiar with,” he explained.
There are also a lot of poisonous snakes there, but thankfully he did not have any encounters with them. “You have to be careful not to move leaves on the trails. Snakes are known to hide under them.”
The trails he has helped clear and construct are designed to allow nature lovers to venture into the rain forest and appreciate it for its true beauty and wealth. They often grow back in quickly. “At tree 12 inches around may only be five years old,” said Kennedy.
“Some of my neighbours think I am crazy to work on my holidays. But I find it to be very rewarding,” said Kennedy. In addition to travelling there at his own expense, Kennedy has kept in touch with people there and often sends them donations to help with the conservation program and other needs there.
Perhaps his generousity and love of giving comes from where he has ended up career wise. He worked off and on doing forestry work from 1976 to 1986. But the work was never full time with a long term position. So in 1987-88 he took a nursing assistant program and got into counselling. That lead to a full time job counselling residents with development disabilities.
As a young man he volunteered with a Catholic organization to take less fortunate kids on outings. Some of those outings were in the great outdoors and he loved both.
While he said he loved doing the forestry work he loves helping others even more.
He hopes to make more trips to Costa Rica and give more of himself to the people there, something that he says gives him much, much more in return.