Environmentalist of the Year: Álvaro Ugalde – A pioneer in land conservation

SAN JOSE — At a time when many of Costa Rica’s pristine rainforests were being hacked away and development trumped preservation, Álvaro Ugalde, then a 22-year-old biology student, visited the Grand Canyon and other U.S. and Canadian parks on a National Park Service tour. Thus began a life devoted to the environment.