Most participants will be arriving in the afternoon and evening. Airport pickups can be arranged with the Pico Blanco Hotel bus service. The Pico Blanco will charge $10 per person for round-trip transportation before and after the conference.
Registration $35
The first facility of its kind in Latin America, The Butterfly Farm is unique in the world for offering a two hour guided tour to every visitor.
The sheer magnitude of Costa Rica’s biodiversity, the urgent need to preserve it into perpetuity and the limited knowledge of it, together with the need to orchestrate, integrate and accelerate the process of knowing biodiversity required the creation of the National Biodiversity Institute (InBio). Founded in 1989, InBio focuses on knowing and finding intelligent ways to use the country’s wildland biodiversity. Participants will be received for a slide show, discussion, and tour of InBio’s facilities. Leaves the hotel at 7:30 a.m. and returns by 4:00 p.m. Lunch and transportation included. Minimum 9 people.
Registration $30
Insofar as Costa Rica is concerned, the butterfly industry is driven by over 50 independent small scale farmers. Who are these people? How did they come to breed butterflies? What are the laws that govern their activities? How do they work? What do they know and what do they have to work with? There’s no better way to find out about these questions and others than to meet with them directly and ask. Spend a morning working side by side with a few breeders, feeding larvae, collecting host plants, removing pupae, pruning plants and everything else that a breeder does. Participants will be accompanied by a translator. Transportation and lunch are included. Leave the hotel at 7:15 a.m. and return by 3 p.m.
Ice Breaker
Kick back and enjoy the crowd.
Complimentary drinks and appetizers from 5
to 7 p.m.
Registration $25
Your bus will take you to one of several favorite collecting locations. Just where will depend on the size, interests and composition of the group. Leave the hotel 7:30 a.m. and return mid to late afternoon. Transportation, collecting permit (passport number is required with registration), lunch and guide are included.
Registration $30
Insofar as Costa Rica is concerned, the butterfly industry is driven by over 50 independent small scale farmers. Who are these people? How did they come to breed butterflies? What are the laws that govern their activities? How do they work? What do they know and what do they have to work with? There’s no better way to find out about these questions and others than to meet with them directly and ask. Spend a morning working side by side with a few breeders, feeding larvae, collecting host plants, removing pupae, pruning plants and everything else that a breeder does. Participants will be accompanied by a translator. Transportation and lunch are included. Leave the hotel at 7:15 a.m. and return by 12 p.m.
Registration Fee $35
What’s nearly as good as a 1-800 toll free line? E-mail! Whether you want to communicate with a client 1,500 miles away, or check up on what others are doing through the World Wide Web, the Internet is rapidly becoming an indispensable tool for most professionals. Some lepidopterists are on line and zapping notes to each other effortlessly and for pennies. If you have questions or doubts about the Internet, this is the workshop for you! Offered at Fundacion Acceso, a non-profit organization dedicated to the dissemination of internet technology. Held at the Pico Blanco from 1 to 5 p.m. Includes snacks and workshop literature. Minimum 6 people.
Registration $80
The expedition will set out after breakfast at 8:00 a.m. from the Pico Blanco. The bus will head west on the new highway towards Limón, passing through the Braulio Carrillo National Park. The group will be visiting the operation of a long-time breeder named William in the town of Horquetas, having a picnic lunch at his house and for those who wish, indulging in a swim in the nearby river. After lunch, the group will proceed to another breeder’s site, situated deep in the forest near Puerto Viejo de Heredia. Participants should be prepared to cross two rivers by hanging basket, dugout canoe or swimming. Some mud along the trail is almost inevitable. The walk entails only modest hills
Once there the group will be the guest of a second breeder, Geovanni, who will be host for the evening in his remote jungle bungalow. Accommodations will be rustic (the beds when last visited consisted of boards to sleep on), but the surroundings are breathtaking and unforgettable.
On Tuesday the group will return to San José through the region of Sarapaquí, visiting the breeding operation of a third breeder. Lunch will be enjoyed on the return trip to San José. The bus should return to the Pico Blanco by mid to late afternoon, in time to prepare for an early departure the next morning.
Includes lunch, dinner and lodging on Day 1, breakfast and lunch on Day 2, all transportation and translator. Bring swimming gear, wide-brimmed hat, loose fitting clothes that can get dirty, a sheet for sleeping, flashlight, and your favorite bottle of rum. Hiking shoes or sneakers are recommended. Insect repellent is optional as mosquitos will not be a problem.
If one does not choose to go on the overnight, the conference need not end. Continue developing your professional contacts while enjoying either one of these recommended trips. For those that wish to break off and view the country on their own, FICBES can arrange your reservation on a variety of tours or rental car. A program will be available at registration.
Registration $70 Rio Reventazon (Class III).
Twelve miles of the most popular rafting trip in Costa Rica will treat the first time paddler to a unique and wet experience. The river run begins with a series of non-stop exploding waves that will keep you on the go. Recommended for beginners seeking the thrill of white water rafting. Includes round trip transportation, breakfast and lunch. The river company uses top of the line equipment on all of its excursions. Bring rubber soled shoes (sneakers), shorts and T-shirt or swimsuit, sunscreen (optional), towel and complete change of clothing including shoes. Leaves at 7 a.m. and returns to the hotel by 5 p.m.
Registration $90
An air conditioned bus will take you from 5,000 ft. above sea level to the Pacific port town of Puntarenas. Along the route the scene will change dramatically as one passes coffee and sugar plantations, volcanoes and cattle ranches.
Once in Puntarenas, the group will board Calypso’s luxurious Manta Ray catamaran. Equipped with a bar, 2 jacuzzi, spacious sun deck and salon and underwater viewing window, the trip to Turtle Island in the Gulf of Nicoya will be in total comfort.
The registration fee includes:
All conference participants are urged to contribute with their experiences and expertise. People who are interested in contributing a paper presentation of 20 minutes, please contact
A sampling of relevant topics could include artificial diets, disease and parasite controls, rearing methodology, marketing plans, education, public relations, relevant computer systems, problems of general interest, sources for and experience with gift shop merchandise, etc.
The FICBES will be held at the Mirador Pico Blanco Hotel. The hotel features a panoramic view of San Jose and Costa Rica’s central valley and is located 30 minutes from the international airport and 15 minutes west of downtown San José. The Pico Blanco features 23 double rooms, restaurant, bar, conference center, pool and is within easy driving distance to numerous shopping centers. The rooms, double occupancy, are $45 plus 15% sales tax comes to $51.75 per night. The hotel telephone number is (506) 228-19-08 or (506) 289-61-97. Reservations and payment should be arranged through Suministros Entomologicos Costarricenses.
March is in the middle of Costa Rica’s high tourist season and rooms will be scarce. Participants are urged to register (or at least communicate their intentions to participate) as soon as possible. A statement of intention by mid January would be very useful for conference planning. In the case of non-availability of rooms, FICBES reserves the right to make alternative arrangements in nearby bed and breakfasts. Rooms will be assigned in the order that payments are received. If a participant is attending alone, you may request to have a roommate to halve the hotel cost of the room.
Aside from paper topics which are being coordinated with Frank Elia, Joris Brinckerhoff is the conference organizer. All questions should be addressed to him.
Checks in US Dollars should be made payable to Suministros Entomológicos Costarricenses S.A. Correspondence and checks may be sent to:
Suministros Entomológicos Costarricenses, S.A. Apdo. 2132-4050 Alajuela, Costa Rica |
Fax: (506) 438-0300 e-mail: bflyfarm@sol.racsa.co.cr |
In the event that payment is sent via a courier service (DHL, Airborne Express, FedEx), the physical address that would be required is:
The deadline for cancellation is 15 February 1997. A $25 late fee will be assessed to delegates whose payment is received late. Allow at least two weeks for delivery.
Participation in the first ICBES is limited to people and institutions who have a demonstrated history of involvement in the butterfly livestock industry. If you are interested in attending, have not received notification and registration forms in the mail, and believe that you can contribute to the quality of the discussions, please notify Joris Brinckerhoff at Costa Rica Entomological Supply.