Improvements at Las Cruces Biological Station to Enhance Tropical Training and Research

热带研究组织(OTS)在哥斯达黎加有三个生物野外观测站，供国际科学界广泛使用；La Selva(湿润的低地热带雨林)是开发出来的，在实现其培训和研究潜力的过程中进展顺利；帕洛维德(季节性干燥的低地雨林)是一颗钻石，具有原始的设施，已经超出了满足需求的能力--因此这里正在进行升级活动；拉斯克鲁塞斯(我们中等海拔的山前雨林)在基础设施方面确实位于上述两个站之间，但1994年11月23日晚上发生火灾时，建筑物、设备和补给遭受了灾难性的损失。这一损失发生在拉斯克鲁塞站发展的一个特别关键的时刻，因为它难以满足课程和研究人员的需求，特别是那些对高度多样化的中等海拔生态系统感兴趣的人，这些生态系统是人类最喜欢和最使用的。最近，对话生物学家、林学家和农业生态学家的活动激增，为系统主义者和生态学家的传统观点增加了可持续发展的维度。由于该站在地区、国家和国际舞台上的重要性，正在进行精简和重建该站的计划。该项目将支持以下活动：1)改造一所现有的房屋，以取代失去的一些容纳学生和研究人员团体的能力；2)翻新在火灾中幸存下来的通用实验室；3)建造一些空间上相互独立的建筑物，以弥补在火灾中失去的部分(即：长期研究人员住房、研究实验室和一栋将容纳厨房、餐厅、办公室、供应室和洗衣房的总务楼)；以及4)更换丢失的设备和用品。就像菲尼克斯从灰烬中重生一样，拉斯克鲁塞斯将这场灾难视为一项挑战，并正在最大限度地利用这一令人悲伤的情况，为其复活制定一个合理而节俭的计划。OTS正在抓住这个机会，为用户的需求量身定做新设施。

The Organization for Tropical Studies, Inc. (OTS) has three biological field stations in Costa Rica that are used by a broad spectrum of the international scientific community; La Selva (wet lowland rainforest) is developed and well along the way to achieving its training and research potential; Palo Verde (seasonally dry lowland forest) is a diamond is the rough with primitive facilities that have been stressed beyond capabilities to service the demand -- so upgrading activities are underway here; and Las Cruces (we mid- elevation premontane rainforest) did lie somewhere between the above two stations in terms of infrastructure, but suffered a disastrous loss of buildings, equipment and supplies when fire struck on the evening of November 23, 1994. This loss has come at a particularly critical time in the development of the Las Cruces station as it struggles to accommodate the demand by courses and researchers, particularly those interested in highly diverse mid- elevation ecosystems that are most heavily preferred and used by human populations. The recent surge in activity by conversation biologists, foresters, and agroecologists has added a sustainable development dimension to the traditional by systematists and ecologists. Because of the importance of this station on the regional, national, and international scene, plans are underway to streamline and rebuild the station. This project will support activities to: 1) remodel an existing house to replace some of the capacity that was lost for accommodating groups of students and researchers; 2) refurbish the general-purpose laboratory that survived the fire; 3) construct a number of spatially separated buildings to replace the balance of what was lost in the fire (viz. long-term researcher housing, research laboratory, and a general services building that will house the kitchen, dining room, office, supply room and laundry); and 4) replace the lost equipment and supplies. Like the rise of the phoe nix from the ashes, Las Cruces has taken this calamity as a challenge and is making the most of a sad situation to develop a sound and frugal plan for its resurrection. OTS is seizing on this opportunity to tailor the new facilities to the user's needs.