BIO 532 LTropical Field Studies: Costa Rica
Course Description | Course Information | Assignments | Books | Web Links
Course Description
BIO 532 L – Tropical Field Studies: Costa Rica
This project-based field studies course will explore the ecology and geology of Costa Rica, Central America. During a two-week trip, students and faculty will examine three principal tropical ecosystems: Tropical Dry (Seasonal) Forest at Palo Verde National Park, Tropical Rain Forest at Selva Verde Biological Station, and Tropical Cloud Forest in the Los Santos Forest Reserve. We will also visit several other tropical habitats including Transitional Forest, Alpine Páramo, Tropical Wetland, and Tropical Riparian. Field projects on birds and frogs will be conducted at selected sites. The class will also explore geological features such as Arenal and Póas volcanoes, and examine the links between ecological habitats, geology, and climate. We will travel in a 24-passenger, air-conditioned microbus with a professional driver and experienced naturalist guide. Fieldwork will involve daily hiking and several river trips on small boats. Lodging will range from rustic field stations to comfortable eco-tour lodges. This 500-level field course is open to graduate students and advanced undergraduates. Students are responsible for paying all travel costs. All participants are required to attend a series of planning meetings before the trip. Students will submit field notebooks and final project reports for a grade.
Course Information Summer 2006
Travel Dates: June 22 – July 6
· Travel Itinerary
· Map of Itinerary
· Recommended Travel Gear
Faculty: / Department: / Email:Dr. Glenn Stewart / Biological Sciences /
Dr. Laszlo Szijj / Biological Sciences /
Dr. Jeff Marshall / Geological Sciences /
Prof. Chris Brady / Biological Sciences /
Guillermo Ayub / Naturalist Guide / Costa Rica Expeditions
Assignments
· Field Notebook
· Frog Project
· Bird Project
· Geology Project
Recommended Texts
Stiles, F.G., Skutch, A.F., and Gardner, D., 1989, A Guide to the Birds of Costa Rica, Ithaca, New York, Cornell University Press.
Forsyth, A., and Miyata, K., 1987, Tropical Nature: Life and Death in the Rainforests of Central and South America, Carmichael, California, Touchstone Books.
Franke, J., 1993, Costa Rica's National Parks and Preserves: A Visitor's Guide, Seattle, Washington, The Mountaineers.
Web Links
Lodges and Nature Reserves we will visit:
OTS Palo Verde Biological Station, Hacienda Palo Verde, Guanacaste
Arenal Lodge, Laguna de Arenal
Selva Verde Lodge, Chilamate de Sarapiquí
La Selva Biological Station, Horquetas de Sarapiquí
Savegre Mountain Lodge (Cabinas Chacón), San Gerardo de Dota
Hotel Buena Vista, Pilas de Alajuela
General information on Costa Rica:
La Nacion - Costa Rica's Most Popular Daily Newspaper
- If you speak Spanish, you may want to monitor this web site daily before our trip to keep on top of Costa Rican news, weather, and World Cup soccer!
The Tico Times - Costa Rica's English Language Weekly
- Highly respected for quality journalism, this paper provides a look into Costa Rica's vibrant ex-patriot community. Excellent coverage of environmental issues.
Costa Rica Land of Pure Life - PBS The Living Edens Series
- The articles on this web site provide lots of information on Costa Rican wildlife, and feature several locations that we will visit on our trip. There are also some good links to other sites.
Costa Rica Background Information - Lonely Planet Guide
- Useful and interesting overview of Costa Rica from the quintessential travel guide.
OTS - Organization for Tropical Studies Home Page
- A highly respected tropical science research consortium. OTS runs three major biological research stations in Costa Rica. We will visit two of them, Palo Verde and La Selva.