About Row

Nandamojo Watershed Guanacaste Costa Rica The Nandamojo River Valley

The Nandamojo River Valley is located in Guanacaste province on Costa Rica’s northwest coast. The watershed encompasses a 28,000 acre area, from the steep hills surrounding our valley to Playa Junquillal, where the river empties into the sea.

More than any other factor, it is climate that defines the challenges and opportunities in this part of Costa Rica. Temperatures can climb over 100 degrees and there are two distinct seasons: wet and dry. The winter dry season, which starts in November, is caused by trade winds that blow in from the Caribbean. As this air moves west across the country it loses moisture, reaching Guanacaste as a gusty dry wind that desiccates the landscape. In May, the trade winds shift and allow offshore weather from the Pacific to bring afternoon showers and humidity. For the next six months, rivers and lowlands areas are filled with water and the landscape is a jungle of green. This “tropical dry forest” supports a unique ecosystem of flora and fauna.

Working Together for a More Sustainable Future

Nandamojo Watershed - Costa Rica

Restoring Our Watershed (ROW) is a US-based non-profit organization (501c3) that has been working in the Nandamojo River Valley of Guanacaste, Costa Rica, for more than 10 years.

ROW began its work in 2000 with a series of university-level courses developed by Tom Peifer of El Centro Verde in Costa Rica, and Will Raap, founder of Gardener’s Supply Company and the Intervale Center in Vermont. Ecologists, social entrepreneurs, educators, students and local residents came together over a period of several years to assess the various environmental and economic pressures on the watershed.

What emerged from this work was a commitment to restore and protect the land, water, flora and fauna of the Nandamojo watershed for future generations. ROW is pursuing this vision by modeling community-based environmental planning and sustainable land use techniques, and increasing the vitality and resiliency of the local economy.

ROW works in collaboration with many other local, national and international NGOs, as well as landowners, schools, farmers and government officials in the Nandamojo. The success of our projects depends on the strength of these valuable partnerships.