So, this is the place I work and have spent the past year--La Selva Biological Station. La Selva means "the forest" in spanish and this field station is located a few kilometers from the little town of Puerto Viejo Sarapiqui in mid-north-west Costa Rica. The La Selva property is protected land (1,600ha) managed by OTS (the Organization for Tropical Studies). OTS runs 2 other field stations in Costa Rica: Palo Verde and Las Cruces.
The forest here is classified as wet tropical lowland forest and average yearly rainfall is approximately 4 meters per year--pretty rainy. There are several rivers that run throughout La Selva and during the rainy season they sometimes rise and flood a lot of the forest. There has only been one major flood since I have been researching here and it was so bad that all researchers were forbidden from entering the forest unti the waters receded!
I live in a little house off-station (1 km away from the main entrance) with my boyfriend Carlos. Many researchers live on-station in cabinas, but it is much cheaper (and more relaxing) to live right outside La Selva. This forest is a great place to work and a fun place to visit--it is very tourist-friendly. The animals that I study and the plant species I work with are all found in great abundance here. I know that my next 7 months of research will go by fast so if anyone wants to come visit, send me an e-mail soon (my mom is coming in September with a friend). Chau!
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