Dear Ecologgers, I've recently been voted onto the board of a small nonprofit associated with a private ecological reserve in the cloud forests of Costa Rica. I have spent some time there, and as a researcher it seems to be an ideal platform for those interested in cloud forest ecology to conduct field experiments. The site it more remote without some of the amenities of the Monteverde reserve, but this translates to less disturbance of animal populations by humans, cheaper maintenance costs, and quite frankly, a really nice private environment to work in.
The Field Site: There is a lodge with some solar capability, gas range, cooking utensils, etc. as well as a bunk cabin that can both be slept in. They were built with lumber cut from trees already down on the property upon purchase. The land includes about 700 acres, 80-85% of which is primary forest. Another approximately 15% was pasture upon purchase but has been undergoing natural succession back towards forest. This reserve is connected to over 65,000 HA of other reserves in the area, so is part of a larger biological corridor. Potential study species: This includes plant and insect spp. too numerous to list, four species of large cats, transient tapir, white faced capuchins, howler monkeys, occasional forays by spider monkeys, nesting quetzals, bellbirds, coatis, snakes, bats, frogs... I understand this is a very unspecific list but the founders of the field site are not scientists so the species accounts are generally lay observations. If you are familiar with Monteverde spp., this site has a very similar array of spp. Other perks: Daily fees for research are currently set at $10/day to pay for propane and gas (our local Tico associate generally will drive people in and out town to the trailhead for the reserve, and will go with people at first to show them the way. He generally is pretty good about checking on people throughout the week as the site is a little remote). Lastly, having been there a few times, it is just a really nice place to be. The porch is great for bird watching, in the dry season you can hike to the top of the trail above the field station and watch the volcano Arenal flow at night, and you really just become really cognizant of the forest around when you are out there, which makes for a good research environment. You can check out a few things about the field site here: http://www.globalclassroom.net/gcr/csta_rica/cr_lodge.html If you have specific questions/are interested in the research station, you can either email me back at [email protected] or contact Colin Garland at [email protected] Colin knows a lot about the current state of affairs at the site. Additionally he may have a better idea of the presence/absence of particularly spp. or spp. groups, seasonal weather patterns, seasonal migration of birds up/down slope, etc. As he isn't a scientist, I may have some insight into other logistical issues that you may have. Thanks for your time. I hope this turns out useful for someone looking to do research in cloud forests. -Matthew Chmielewski Secretary, The Global Classroom
