Hello Everyone – I sent a message to the list earlier this year in regards to the project to establish La MICA Biological Station in central Panama (www.lamica.org). Several people have asked for an update and information on how to help this important project. Please take a moment to read on… Project Background In an effort to enhance conservation, education, and research in Parque Nacional G. D. Omar Torrijos Herrera (Parque Omar) in Coclé Province, central Panama, the local people and I aim to build an environmentally friendly research station, La Montaña para Investigación y Conservación Ambiental (La MICA; or the Mountain for Research and Environmental Conservation), to provide services to researchers, students, and visitors from around the world and sustainable employment for people from the local communities. La MICA will include 3 laboratories, 2 classrooms, a library, a weather station, and metered trails to facilitate research and education. Dining services, a store, cabins, and a small clinic will provide services for our guests, but also for other visitors and the local people living within or near the park; most of these facilities currently are not available. A special attribute of La MICA is that we will have several “satellite laboratories” located throughout the 25,275 ha park, providing access to amazing, remote habitat, traditional communities, and endless opportunities for research and learning. Ways to help…please email me at [email protected] for more information. 1.. Donate We have already raised over $3200 and need just $100,000 for materials, general furnishings, and wages for construction! This is a unique situation where even the very smallest donation will make a real difference ($5 will build nearly 2 square meters of the station!). The local people and I have set up a nonprofit foundation in Panama called Centro de Investigación Biológica El Copé, S.A., which will soon be able to accept TAX DEDUCTIBLE donations. Please email me if you would like information on how to donate or on forming potential partnerships. 2. Equipment Donate your unneeded or unwanted equipment to directly benefit Panamanian and International students and researchers. We can use all types of equipment from invertebrate nets and plant presses to microscopes, computers, & drying ovens. 3. Publications If you have published work that may be relevant to our visitors (neotropical biology – flora or fauna, Latin American ethnobiology, cultural studies, etc.), please send me .pdfs that we can make available in our library. 4. Facebook Help us spread the word by joining our Facebook group La MICA’s Amigos. Encourage your friends to join this group also. 5. Publicity Please pass along this email to your colleagues, organizations, universities, and friends to help us gain publicity and secure the necessary funds for construction. 6. Visit us! Contact me for information on how to visit Parque Omar. Thank you for helping make this project a reality for Parque Omar and its local people! Happy Holidays! Julie
Julie M. Ray, MS, PhD Candidate La MICA La Montaña para Investigación y Conservación Ambiental Biological Station Fundación Centro de Investigación Biológica El Copé, S.A. Parque Nacional G.D. Omar Torrijos Herrera; El Cope-La Pintada; Provincia de Cocle, Republica de Panama www.lamica.org [email protected]
