Field Station Improvement at Las Cruces, Costa Rica

位于哥斯达黎加拉斯克鲁塞斯的威尔逊植物园是一个热带生物站，坐落在太平洋斜坡上中等海拔的自然和农业生态系统的多样化马赛克中。作为美国和拉丁美洲科学家培训和研究的一个日益重要的焦点，它扮演着双重角色，既是对山地前森林进行生态和系统考察的传统场所，也是热带农业生态和种质保护倡议的基地。由于研究的不断扩大和对有限的多用途空间的竞争日益激烈，目前对场址的基本科学设备和全地形运输的需求很大。该项目将为升级该设施的分阶段计划的第一阶段提供部分资金，以便利用更多的科学资源长期容纳更多的调查人员。由于它与美国和国际学术界的广泛联系，这一设施将使用户受益于异常多样化的地理和学科范围。

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.