Infrastructure Improvement to the Palo Verde Biological Field Station

在加里·哈特肖恩博士的指导下，杜克大学热带研究组织(OTS)获得了ASTACTA赠款，以改善OTS位于哥斯达黎加的帕洛维德生物站的研究设施。OTS是一个非营利性联盟，由来自美国、拉丁美洲、澳大利亚、加拿大和南非的65所大学和研究机构组成。OTS成立于1963年，其使命是在教育、研究和负责任地利用热带自然资源方面提供领导。自1971年以来，OTS一直在运营帕洛维德生物站。该站位于哥斯达黎加瓜纳卡斯特省低地、季风干燥的森林中，位于帕洛维德国家公园的中心，该国家公园保护着中美洲最大的热带干燥森林之一。在帕洛维德，OTS与政府和伙伴组织合作，就培训、保护、环境教育、湿地恢复和自然资源管理等科学问题开展合作。在过去十年中，OTS和非OTS教育团体对使用帕洛维德的需求几乎翻了一番，同时研究用途继续增加。帕洛维德的设施不足以满足学生和研究人员使用的物质需求，如实验室和讲堂空间、办公室和住房。OTS将使用国家科学基金会的资金建造一个新的设施来容纳站长和工作人员；建造一个四个单元的小屋来容纳最多八名研究人员；建造一条通往沼泽的新的木板路；以及购买一台新的发电机来提供备用电源。该项目的总体目标是：实现OTS的长期战略目标，将帕罗维德生物站发展为热带干燥森林生态和湿地管理的卓越中心。对帕洛维德生物站进行现代化改造，以提高其教育、研究和保护生物学能力。刺激和支持热带干燥森林生态研究的发展和传播。该项目的全面实施将使OTS能够继续在帕洛维德建立其教育项目，帮助科学家实现该地区巨大的研究潜力，并在坦皮斯克河下游流域的农业增长对帕洛维德国家公园产生重大影响之际，与研究人员合作保护湿地。

AbstractA grant has been awarded to the Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS) at Duke University, under the direction of PI Dr. Gary Hartshorn to improve the research facilities at OTS' Palo Verde Biological Station in Costa Rica. OTS is a nonprofit consortium of 65 universities and research institutions from the United States, Latin America, Australia, Canada and South Africa. Founded in 1963, OTS' mission is to provide leadership in education, research and the responsible use of natural resources in the tropics. OTS has operated the Palo Verde Biological station since 1971.Located in lowland, monsoonally dry forest of Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica, OTS' Palo Verde station is in the heart of Palo Verde National Park that protects one of the largest remnants of tropical dry forest in Mesoamerica. At Palo Verde, OTS works in cooperation with governmental and partner-organizations on scientific issues of training, conservation, environmental education, wetlands restoration and natural resources management. Over the past decade the demand to use Palo Verde by OTS and non-OTS education groups has almost doubled, while research use continues to increase. The facilities at Palo Verde are inadequate to meet the physical needs for student and researcher uses, such as laboratory and lecture space, offices and housing. OTS will use NSF funds to build a new facility to house the station director and staff; construct a four?unit cabin to house up to eight researchers; construct a new boardwalk into the marsh; and purchase a new generator to provide a back-up power source.The broad goals of this project are to:Achieve OTS' long-term strategic goal of developing the Palo Verde Biological Station as a center of excellence in tropical dry forest ecology and wetlands management. Modernize the Palo Verde Biological Station to improve its education, research and conservation biology capabilities.To stimulate and support the development and dissemination of research in tropical dry forest ecology. The full implementation of this project will enable OTS to continue to build its education program at Palo Verde, assist scientists in achieving the region's vast research potential, and work with researchers on wetlands protection at a time when agricultural growth in the lower Tempisque river basin is having a major impact on Palo Verde National Park.