WOO is a group of committed volunteer women who live in the Osa Peninsula and surrounding areas, located in southern Pacific zone of Costa Rica, who are striving for conservation, education and ecological awareness to preserve one of the most intense reservoirs of bio-diversity on Earth. This organization works to design, implement and aid projects, in partnership with other local groups, to protect the Osa. A unique and distinguishing factor of WOO is the perspective that these women bring to conservation.
We focus primarily on:
Conservation: Preserve one of the most biologically intense places of the world, the Osa Peninsula and its surrounding areas.
Education: Educate the communities around these areas to get their continuous support in preserving the flora and fauna.
Ecological Awareness: WOO hopes to create and increase ecological awareness amongst the community, private and public investors, tourists and Costa Ricans in general about the need to preserve pristine places such as the Osa. Through these means we hope each person who comes to visit the Osa will leave understanding the importance and vitality of the rainforest.
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Women of the Osa Members:
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Katherine Malia Hennessy:
Katie was born in California and grew up in Hawaii. Given her love for the culinary arts, she moved to Los Angeles in 1983 and opened 2 cafes and a full service catering business with her brother. She also sang in a small rock band and lived for a year in Spain where she acted in a televised series, Dark Justice. Realizing that she wanted to spend her life in a more tranquil environment, she moved back to Hawaii in 1990. She continued to work in the fine dining industry and in 1993 met her future husband Mike. On their first date Mike told her that his dream was to live in Costa Rica. It became their dream and they saved all of their money, put everything they owned in a car and drove all the way down to Costa Rica from California in 1995. They fell in love with the magic of the Osa, it’s beautiful rainforests, wildlife, great waves and fishing - and they never left. They built a home on the water and were blessed with a beautiful daughter in 1999. They own and operate Tres Peces, which offers surfing lessons and sport fishing tours. Katie also works as a Food Consultant for Lapa Rios, a luxury Eco-Lodge creating the menus, recipes and teaching the staff to cook. Katie says that living in the Osa inspired her to help protect this amazing and fragile environment and she wants to help others understand it’s importance to the world. Katie has been working with Women of the Osa since its inception in 2004. She served as the Chairperson for WOO from 2005-2007.  Katie, Mike and Brisa couldn’t have wished for a better life and are living their dream. And by the way…..she can surf better than most of the boys.
Donna Madey-Butler:
Donna Madey-Butler left behind the concrete jungle of New York in 2001 and moved to Costa Rica with her husband, Michael, looking for a different kind of wildlife. She and Michael married in May 2001, went on their honeymoon in June, and one week later packed it all up to start their new life in Costa Rica. Michael’s dream was to own and operate a nature lodge in Central America. Donna’s personal passions for environmental conservation, professional experience, and her slight insanity made for a perfect match.Donna brings to Costa Rica, and to WOO, over 10 years of personal and professional experience in environmental planning, open space preservation and park planning. After co-founding and running a quasi governmental land trust in Colorado, she moved back to her home in New York where she helped lead a team of consultants in the environmental impact statement and master plan of 26,000 acres of pristine property slated for millions of square feet of commercial and residential development. Donna and her team are proud to report that this property was successfully protected from development and is now one of the newest additions to the New York State Parks Department.Donna and Michael own a beautiful, remote, nature lodge, Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge, located on the Golfo Dulce. HYPERLINK “http://www.nicuesalodge.com” www.nicuesalodge.com Playa Nicuesa just celebrated two years of operation in April 2005. And, to make life even more worth living….Little Leo Mar (Sea Lion) was born in August of 2004, and are awaiting the arrival of a little sister for him in October 2007.
Terri Peterson:
Terri’s first trip to Costa Rica, in 1990, awakened a life-long desire to live in a natural rainforest environment. The Osa kept calling and in 1995 Terri and her partner, Gary, retired early from their careers in Oregon and made the Osa Peninsula their permanent home. They own primary forest property in the upper gulf, in the corridor between Corcovado and Piedras Blancas National Parks. They plan to build a small environment-friendly ‘casita’ and maintain the property as natural as possible to help preserve the Osa’s amazing flora and fauna.Terri has had two equally satisfying careers in her life. The first was17 years in the zoo business, as an animal trainer and keeper, working at the San Diego Wild Animal Park, the San Diego Zoo, and Wildlife Safari in Oregon. Her animal charges included many Central American species such as the kinkajou (her favorite), toucan, iguanas, parrots, boas, and others such as tigers, lions, cheetah, small cats, birds of prey, and binturongs. The animals were trained to demonstrate natural behaviors for public presentations and school outreach programs. A true joy for her now is to see some of these same species in the wild around her new home.Terri often traveled with animals in her job, appearing on national and local media, and accompanying San Diego Zoo’s Ambassador, Joan Embrey, on her visits to The Tonight Show, Regis and Kathy Lee, and others. She estimates she made over 9,000 animal presentations during her career.Leaving the zoo business in 1994, Terri transitioned to a new career in the waste and recycling field as the waste reduction manager for Douglas County, Oregon. Her passion and expertise was in developing community-based partnerships to involve and educate the county residents to advance recycling and ‘trash less.� She saw an improvement in recycling rates during her 11 tenure from 26% to 35%. Because it involved changing behaviors that wasted precious resources, Terri believes she did as much for conservation in her second career as she did in her first; maybe more.Terri learned of WOO through international media that highlighted WOO’s efforts to advance recycling in the Osa. She hopes to contribute to their success and become involved in the many other outstanding WOO activities.
Marijke Mulder
Marijke was born in Golfito, Costa Rica. Her tica mother and Dutch father decided to move to Europe when she was 2 years old. She and her family lived in Belgium for 14 years but decided that their heart was in the Peninsula de Osa, where they still owned a farm. After the first year getting settled off grid, she started to work at Lapa Rios and got married in the process. Marijke and her husband Lucas now live full time in their house in La Amapola and while Lucas is working as a web designer, Marijke is starting private English lessons and a small eco-agriculture project in their community. She joined Women of the Osa in the beginning of 2006 and is the youngest member and proud to be the current secretary of our association.
Millay Kogan:
Millay Kogan, originally from Los Angeles, California, arrived to the Osa Peninsula in July 2006 to work as a sustainability coordinator for Lapa Rios Ecolodge. She has an undergraduate degree in Hotel Administration from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York and is passionate about conservation, sustainable development and environmental education. She became a member of Women of the Osa in September 2006 and since then has come to care deeply about environmental education and involvement on the Osa Peninsula.
Andrea Bonilla:
Andrea was born in San Jose, Costa Rica. Her family owns a cattle ranch in the North Pacific of Costa Rica, where she spent most of her free time, horseback riding and milking cows (legitimate tomboy). Andrea swam most of her teenage years until she decide to go to college in the States. She went to Cornell University, studied Hotel Management and came back home during winter breaks! Andrea finished school and decided to work for her dad to avoid those long “hospitality hours�. After a year, she decided her heart was into hotel management and ventured off to Zanzibar, Tanzania, to manage a beach resort for a good friend of hers. After a year in Africa, she was asked to come and work for the management company that runs Lapa Rios. Even though she is Costa Rican, she had to look up the Osa Peninsula in the map. After a long search, she decided it was “in the middle of nowhere� (donde el diablo perdio la chaqueta, as we would say in Costa Rica) and it was best to check it out before signing the contract. Almost six years later, she co-owns the management company that runs Lapa Rios and a couple of other lodges. She is no longer on property, but counts her days when she knows she has to come back to the Osa. Andrea loves working with Women of the Osa even if her involvement tends to be more “cyber� these days!
Kimberly Hays Spier:
Kim was born and raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. For college she attended the University of California, Berkeley where she graduated summa cum laude with degrees in English and Anthropology. Then she attended U.C. Hastings College of the Law. She received her J.D. and passed the Bar Exam in California, went on to practice law in the Bay Area. After practicing law for a year or so Kim realized she wanted more…her own business somewhere remote and tranquil. In 1997 she moved to Costa Rica to pursue her dreams. She lived and worked in San Jose for almost a year, importing and distributing California wines to Costa Rica. She started dating Phil Spier during that year and eventually moved to the Osa Peninsula in December 1997. Phil literally bought Kim “out� by purchasing her entire inventory to convince her to move to the Osa. Phil and Kim own and operate Bosque del Cabo Rainforest Lodge and are committed to conservation and preservation of the biodiversity of forests and wildlife in the Osa Peninsula. They have worked together with groups and by themselves to try to preserve and increase the rainforests in this amazing area. Kim is served as the Treasurer for Women of the Osa from its inception until fall of 2007. She enjoys working with WOO and looks forward to many years of good work, successful projects and friendship.Kim and Phil are awaiting the birth of their son in December, 2007.
Theresa Huisman Pruter:
Terry was born in Richmond, Virginia. Her family moved overseas when she was young, and she grew up in Abqaiq, Saudi Arabia (an oil brat). She went to Arizona State University, studied chemistry and political science. Terry was interested in hydrogen fuel and alternative energies during her school years; to pay the bills she did production work. She produces large-scale satellite television broadcast and corporate events; her clients are large technology companies and their business partners. To vacation from her hectic life she unplugged and came to the Osa Peninsula based on a website whose only guest listed had said there were no phones, no one could find him, and his footprints were the only ones on the beach. While there she went on a Psycho Tour and met the Head Psycho Andy Pruter. They fell in love and she moved to live with him in the Osa. They had a beautiful little boy, Talon, in 2004. Andy and Terry own and run an adventure tour company, Everyday Adventures. They spend their days climbing trees and rappelling down waterfalls. Terry feels like now her life has come full circle- she lives on alternative energy, she teaches ecology by trying to expose and educate tourist to the wonders of the rainforest, and feels fulfilled in family, work and life. Terry loves working with Women of the Osa and sees involvement growing as she finds the right baby-sitter! Her second child, a daughter will arrive on the scene in September 2007.In 2006, Terri joined efforts with another WOO member, Elizabeth Oden, and opened the Osa Peninsula’s first bi-lingual private school, Nueva Hoja.Â
Lana Wedmore:
Owner and Operator of Luna Lodge, Peninsula de Osa, Costa Rica.My whole life I have worked in the service business and almost always in the out-of-doors. I feel better when I can breathe fresh air and look at the greenery. I traveled around the world for over two and half years, teaching skiing in Colorado, teaching sailing in Australia, leading bicycle tours in Vermont, and also guiding tours in Costa Rica.I came to Costa Rica for the first time over 23 years ago and ever since that time, I knew that I wanted to live here and have my own lodge. A seed was planted and a dream was born. The Peninsula de Osa had captured me. The wildlife, the natural beauty of the scenery, the peace I felt when I looked at the rain forest, and the wildside of the isolation all intrigued me to live here. I wanted to preserve and protect a part of this amazing rain forest. My goal today is to educate the people about it, while we still can enjoy it.For many years, I had the opportunity to work for a well-known tourism company here in Costa Rica. I first worked in sales, then as a guide, then as an assistant manager and later became manager at one of their lodges. My experience and guidance encouraged me to pursue my own dream. I saw the importance of the Peninsula de Osa and I wanted to be involved in the healing of our Great Mother Earth. I began to understand the significance of ecology and that all living things are inter-related. We built an Eco-lodge so that it harmonizes with the environment, to share with people from all over the world. It looks as if it is part of the tapestry of the forest.I feel so fortunate to live here on the Peninsula de Osa, to be able to be surounded by so much nature. It is so nice to be involved with a woman’s organization that has such an important goal to help preserve this area. We are all here for a purpose and we are all trying to do our best to protect Mother Earth. Peace inside! Lana from the Luna.
Tao Watts:
Tao is a single mother, artist, writer, massage therapist and chef who now specializes in off-the-grid, conservation, and community development Real Estate in the Osa Peninsula with AdventurOsa Properties. She has lived in Costa Rica since 1990, and has worked in the hospitality industry in many different capacities. She is an retired massage therapist and chef. Her cookbook, “Every Day an Adventure and Every Meal a Feast” will be published and available in the fall of 2007.She considers herself one of the guardians of the Osa and hopes to protect it from overdevelopment by encouraging micro-growth and sustainable projects. She is currently the active chairperson of WOO for the remainder of 2007 and into 2008.
Laura Frey:
Laura was born and raised on a farm in Charlevoix, MI. She majored in Physics and Spanish at Lake Forest College outside of Chicago. After studying abroad in Santiago, Chile and interning in the nonprofit organization, Corporación Justicia y Democracia, she realized that science was not the career she wanted to pursue. A background in family philanthropy/foundations and an interest in Latin America lead her to volunteer in the Osa Peninsula in 2004. Laura was motivated to understand the inner workings of nonprofits in Latin America, explore its culture and language. During this time she fell in love with the area and a Tico, Merlyn Oviedo. Merlyn and Laura now run an eco-minded family lodge, Danta Corcovado Lodge, outside of Corcovado National Park (Los Patos). Laura remains involved in various local associations that help to promote environmental education and awareness, sustainability and responsible rural development. She has been a member of the Association of Entrepreneurs for Responsible Development (ASEDER) since 2005, and the Women of Osa, the Tourism Chamber of Corcovado (CATUCOR) and The Blue Flag Committee since 2006.Laura is our current treasurer.
Mary K Botosan:
Mary grew up in Chicago IL, Chapel Hill, NC and Somerset, NJ. Participating in a variety of sports and dance while growing up with a love of math and all things structural, she began college in civil engineering and finished with a degree in technical theatre from NC State. As a member of Actors’ Equity Association (the union of professional stage managers and actors), a career in Production Management of professional theatre followed, with work at The Cleveland Playhouse, Berkshire Theatre Festival, San Jose Repertory Theatre, American Players Theatre, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Lincoln Center Theatre, Radio City Music Hall - Christmas Spectacular with the Rockettes, DreamWorks SKG and Billy Crystal’s 700 Sundays on Broadway. After meeting her husband Geoff while working in theatre in NC, they began traveling together to Central and South America. But, it was the honeymoon trip to the Osa Peninsula that changed their lives. Moving down full time in 2002 and creating Black Turtle Lodge led to a life split between their home in Costa Rica and a life in New York City, where Mary continues a freelance career in production and project management of theatre and theatrical installations. With the lodge handed over to new owners, Mary and Geoff continue to be actively involved in the Osa Peninsula through both their new home on the Osa and private conservation and reforestation projects. Mary is thrilled to be a part of WOO from its inception and enjoys working from both the Osa and NYC for the dual purpose of community and conservation.
