Field Station Improvement at Las Cruces, Costa Rica

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The Wilson Botanical Garden at Las Cruces, Costa Rica is a tropical biological station set in a diverse mosaic of natural and agricultural ecosystems at middle elevations on the Pacific slopes. As an increasingly important focal point for the training and research of U. S. and Latin American scientists, it plays a dual role by serving as a traditional site for ecological and systematic exploration of the premontane forests, and as a base for initiatives in tropical agricultural ecology and germplasm conservation. Due to continued expansion of research and increasing competition for the limited multi-purpose space, there is currently a great demand for basic scientific equipment and all-terrain transport at the site. This project will provide partial funding for the first stage of a phased program to upgrade the facility in order to accommodate greater numbers of investigators for longer terms with improved scientific resources. Because of its ties to a broad cross section of the U.S. and international academic communities, this facility will benefit users from an exceptionally diverse geographic and disciplinary spectrum.