First of all I want to thank you all for supporting & playing at RFA09, as we do realize you are investing time, energy and resources to help make RainforestAid possible and all of us want to personally thank you for bringing live Music to The Rainforest. We realize that traveling is not your favorite part about being a musician and our commitment to you as a musician is to do our best to make your stay with us as inexpensive and as comfortable as possible, and to run our festival efficiently and sustainably. We have new musicians and sponsors jumping on every week, and I encourage you to check in with the site every few weeks for updated information. www.rainforestaid09.com or correct any information that may be incorrect is on our site.

We have begun selling Rainforestaid09 tickets on –line and we have had several potential ticket holders ask us why some of our Sponsors & Musicians don’t have RainforestAid09 posted, linked and listed on their websites yet, or RFA09 listed on their summer touring schedule.


Whether you are a musician, hotel, lodge or sponsor, I would like to take this opportunity and encourage you to forward this e-mail to your webmaster today, some of you already have, however if you haven’t, we ask for you to post RFA09 information on your site today as you are listed on ours. We thank you from the bottom of our Osa hearts.

The quicker we are linked to your site, the more tickets we sell. If you would like to sell tickets for the venue, please contact me.( prices listed in attach )

I also have 100 + RFA09 Posters that I can mail you, please include your mailing address along with your acknowledgment you received this e-mail.

We look forward at taking care of your needs once you arrive to San Jose. Musicians have a potential opportunity to play at a RFA09 fundraiser at the Jazz Café Thurs or Friday night before the Festival. Maybe raise some $.

I have included your website, link, video or photos on the RFA09 website www.rainforestaid09.com . and I am asking you to reciprocate by placing our info on your site. Attached are the ticket prices, JPEG images, links, posters & banners . Please ask your webmaster to upload RFA09 Info / link from your website to ours, as a direct link to buy tickets.

Thanks for your help in spreading the word, but mostly for seeing the benefits of RainforestAid and joining us in June 2009, to help educate children, solve health concerns, and to create jobs for Costa Ricans. Not to mention much needed tourism revenue. I will be sending you all updated festival info in a few weeks, hotel, transportation, food etc…Also please forward your logo, image that you would like displayed on our posters, website, and festival banner to our webmaster Will Briegel will@crocodilebay.com

Thanking you in advance for your support. Pura Musica !
Michael H. Cranford / RFA09 Festival Promoter
Apdo 28 / Puerto Jimenez / Peninsula de Osa / Costa Rica
( USA) 508-714-0622 / (CR) 506-8378-3013
http://www.rainforestaid09.com/
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BEIJING, Feb. 2 -- A world leader in ecotourism, Costa Rica is a country that promotes nature conservation instead of the ruthless exploitation of natural resources, and wildlife-watching instead of competitive drinking at the side of hotel pools.

The Central American nation is considered a role model in this respect, and its many natural treasures - including crater lakes, smoking and dormant volcanoes, Pacific and Caribbean beaches, and rain forests with howler monkeys, toucans and sloths - attract more tourists every year.

Even little creatures are big stars in Costa Rica. Take, for instance, a red poison dart frog spotted in the bushes by the Sarapiqui River. It looked up to see two cameras pointed in its direction. Barely as big as a thumb, the pipsqueak puffed out its throat mightily.

Two tourists from Germany, along with the rest of the small group, heeded the advice of Karla Barquero, their guide: They kept still and photographed without flashbulbs. The brightly colored amphibian, normally quite shy, seemed to appreciate this behavior and did not bound away.

A 28-year-old biologist, Barquero pursued university studies in the German city of Ulm and now offers night tours for bat-watching. She stopped at a suspension bridge spanning the river and pointed downward. There in the rain forest, amid the wild orchids, aerial roots and ferns, hung a sloth on a branch of a giant, moss-covered tree.

Its claws gripped the branch firmly, and its eyes were closed. Living up to its name, the animal did not let the intruders disturb its nap. The tourists were impressed.

"This is better than at the zoo," said a teacher from Rome.

A two-hour riverboat trip that began at the town of Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui presented animal highlights every minute. Howler monkeys, defending their territory, whooped and hopped from branch to branch. The head of a caiman poked out of the water, and a pair of toucans displayed their yellowish-green bills in the verdant treetops.

Juan Arrieta, the boat's captain, could see that his passengers were satisfied. But he had a mild complaint. "Nowadays," he said, "I've got to start the boat earlier - about 7 or 8 am - to show as many animals as I used to." The riverbank was much more pristine 15 years ago, before the construction of various houses and huts.

Residents confirmed that toucans, at least, could be seen in greater numbers before. Some of the exotic birds have retreated from this section of river to quieter areas. They have plenty of space: About 30 percent of the "Rich Coast," the English translation of the Spanish name "Costa Rica," is protected by law.

The Sarapiqui district, which can be reached from San Jose, the Costa Rican capital, via a road through Braulio Carrillo National Park, lies in a fertile lowland plain. Cattle graze on the pastures, and mangoes, avocados, papayas and plantains thrive in the gardens and on the plantations. There are also areas where pineapples are grown.

Prudent "Ticos," as Costa Ricans call themselves colloquially, as well as some foreigners operate eco-lodges and hotels that use solar energy, convert refuse into biogas, and filter water for reuse.

At the Tirimbia Rainforest Center, west of Puerto de Sarapiqui, Willy Aguilar carefully used a knife to cut four yellowish green cacao pods from a cacao tree. Aguilar, 28, and his team at the non-profit center show visitors how the region's original inhabitants produced cocoa drink and raw chocolate 500 years ago. Harvesting and roasting cacoa seeds is a time-consuming process.

"The sweetest experience in the rain forest" is an enticing slogan, but many visitors grimaced at the first taste. Cocoa in its early stages is grainy and not sweet. A second version, with sugar added, was more in tune with what modern palates expect.

The Tirimbina staff have their hands full. So do their colleagues at the nearby La Selva Biological Station, which provides accommodation - mainly to people interested in science - for a night, a week or even a year.

For its part, the Sarapiqui Conservation Learning Center has programs geared to women's groups, schools and kindergartens, among others.

Apart from ecologically-oriented activities, plenty of fun and sporting adventures await tourists in Costa Rica. Hikes to volcanoes, kayak trips and white-water rafting are just a few of the many possibilities.

(Source: China Daily/Agencies)
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We should all be concerned with saving the rainforest, and we can do our part by making small changes to our lifestyles. If everyone chose to do so, the results would be amazing. Trees offer us beauty and shade of those hot summer afternoons. Trees also help reduce the effects of carbon dioxide. Planting more trees is a very easy way you can help the to preserve the rainforest.

You can help reduce the amount of waste by recycling, especially recycling paper. The number one reason why rainforests are being destroyed is to provide more wood for paper. Another reason is for building homes and businesses. There are plenty of other types of materials you can choose from so that the rainforest can be preserved.

Other products produced from rainforest trees include rubber and lumber. Take a good look at how much of these commodities you are using. Try to limit the use of them to only necessities and look for alternative materials when it comes to luxury items.


Do you drink large amounts of coffee or use spices each time you cook? If so, you can be damaging the rainforests. This is because the demand for coffee and spices are so high areas of the rainforest are being cleared away to grow them.

Americans contribute to 25% of the pollution worldwide. This is due to the fact that they consume more fossils fuels for their vehicles and factories than any other country. There are many changes you can make to cut down the amount of pollution you contribute on a daily basis.

Consider taking public transportation or carpooling to and from work. There are also many great models of hybrid vehicles that can operate for long periods of time on electricity. This is a good investment for the environment as well as to save money on the cost of fuel.

Each animal in the rainforest is important to the balance of its ecosystem. Make sure you report any illegal hunting in the rainforests as well as the illegal sell of animals that are removed from that natural habitat and sold as pets. The most common ones are parrots and iguanas.

Individuals need to realize that purchasing the parts of poached animals in the rainforest or these live pets encourages that behavior to continue. If we all do our part to make sure there is no market for such activities, then the financial motivation for doing so would be gone.

Write letters to Congress to encourage the government to place stricter laws on those who hunt illegally and remove animals illegally from the rainforest. You also need to write to encourage them to restrict how much land in the rainforest a company can clear as well as require them to plant new trees in the location afterwards.

Children need to be taught from a very early age just how important the rainforest is to our well being. They need to learn what they can do to protect the rainforest as well as to appreciate how it helps keep the air clean, affects our water cycles, and affects the climate around the world.

Children need to be educated both at home and at school. With the rainforests being completely cleared away at the rate of 6,000 acres per hour, we need to make some serious changes. Taking the right steps in our own lives and teaching our children to do the same will help ensure the rainforests and the animals that have a home there are able to survive for future generations.

The rainforests are essential to our well being. The trees produce oxygen that we need to breathe. They also help keep the air clean, and we need that due to the chemicals, emissions, and pollution we put into our environment.






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A small book of proverbs, positive intentions, and affirmations.

As I consciously focus my energies on the reality of my spiritual journey, I am able to become more effective as a warrior of light.

Walking in, and spreading light and love throughout the world is my mission here in this material existence.
The revolution continues moment by moment. Though fear may attack me from all sides, I hold complete victory in my heart.

Love will prevail Read more on this article...