Ecologers,
Hello and happy New Year! I recently returned from the lower Rio San Carlos in the Caribbean lowlands of Costa Rica. While there I stayed at Laguna del Lagarto lodge (www.lagarto-lodge-costa-rica.com/) near the Nicaraguan border. The lodge is situated at the northern end of La Selva-San Juan Biological Corridor (http://www.rainforestbiodiversity.org/BiologicalCorridor.htm) and currently has a 500 ha forest preserve containing both primary and secondary rainforest and is easily accessed via a network of trails. Within 2 km there are additional private forest reserves 60 ha and 300 ha in size containing primary and secondary forest. Within these forests you can still find nesting Scarlet and Great Green Macaws (sometimes in the same tree), 3 species of monkey, dart frogs, tapir, and a great diversity of other flora and fauna. The lodge owner Kurt Schmack ([email protected]) is interested in attracting researchers to conduct biological research on his property. He recently completed construction of a secure 15’x20’ research building with abundant shelf space, a storage room, running water, air conditioning, phone line, and a large chest freezer. Additionally, he is the process of developing a medicinal plant garden that could be expanded with researchers needs. For tropical research students on a budget Kurt is willing to provide free room/board and access to research facilities in exchange for a half-day guiding tourists in the forest. However, if you are a tighter timeline he is willing to provide reduced room/board rates for researchers. If you have any questions or want to see photos of the facilities feel free to contact me ([email protected]) or Kurt. Cheers, Tyler L Hicks PhD Student Washington State University - Vancouver E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.thingswithwings.org "Back off man, I'm a scientist!" - Bill Murray, Ghostbusters
