During the early 1950s, Quakers from the United States immigrated to Costa Rica to avoid the military draft. The environmentally conscious Quakers settled in Monteverde, shaping the community in many ways. They preserved a third of their land as a watershed to support their farms. Later in 1972, with the additional help of local government and international organizations, they helped create the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve.

Mayans and Aztecs both considered the illustrious quetzal, whose name meant tail feather in Mayan, mystical. The tail feathers were once used as currency by these ancient peoples. Today, quetzal is the name of the Guatemalan currency, as well as its colorful national bird. The male of the species grows twin tail feathers up to three feet long to impress potential mates during mating season. Both male and female quetzals boast vivid blue, green and red coloring. These birds can be found from Mexico to Panama. It is considered a ”near-threatened” species as its cloud forest habitat becomes more encroached upon and the bird cannot reproduce in captivity.