La Selva
On our first night in Costa Rica we had dinner with Alejandro Urbina, Director of La Nación, the Costa Rican newspaper known for outstanding work in investigative journalism. The next day we traveled to La Selva Biological Station in the tropical rain forest for two days of talks and tours.
Laboratorio
We heard a number of talks by resident and visiting scientists at La Selva on subjects from tree inventories to radio tracking deadly fer-de-lance snakes.
Hospitality
We stayed in cabins, ate in the group dining hall and were treated with great hospitality by everyone, especially Deedra McClearn, the Director, and Mariana Mora from the Organization for Tropical Studies. We relax a bit before heading out for the evening's activity.
Bat Netting
We went bat netting in the rain with husband and wife team Bernal Rodriguez and Ragde Sanchez, who began their courtship after meeting in a bat cave. They're doing a population study of bat species at La Selva.
Bat Wing
We felt the softness of the outspread bat wing. "As soft as a baby's bottom" is how Deedra McClearn had described it earlier in the day.
Iguana
The exceptional flora here is being documented as part of La Selva's Digital Flora Project, but we were equally astounded by the fauna. Toucans, blue morpho butterflies and lots of iguanas.
Caiman
We saw this caiman, a small crocodile, on a boat ride down the Rio Puerto Viejo.
Jesus Lizard
The day's wildlife highlight, however, was spotting this Emerald Basilisk on the river bank. Also called the Jesus Christ lizard, it is capable of running across the surface of water.
Siesta
All the sun and excitement called for an after lunch siesta.
Hot Springs
The next day we stopped at Tabacon Hot Springs on our way to Arenal volcano for a quick dip in the thermal waters.
Gerardo Soto
We were fortunate to have volcanologist and geologist Gerado Soto accompany us to Arenal. He was conceived during the 1968 eruption and has spent much of his career doing research at Arenal. Though rain and clouds obsured the top, we could hear the volcano rumbling.
Volcanic Risk
Arenal is considered one of the most active volcanoes in the world.
Lava Flows
As we hiked part way up the side of the volcano, Soto taught us about the geology of Arenal. We stayed at the Arenal Observatory Lodge. With continued rain and fog we couldn't do much observing, but we tracked the volcano's low grade activity on a seismograph and heard it spitting out bolders.
NASA
We visited the San José airport to learn about a joint project between NASA and Costa Rican scientists to study climate change in the high troposphere. Jorge Andrés Diaz of the Centro Nacional de Alta Tecnologia explained how the study would look at atmospheric contamination and changes in the ozone layer.
WB-57
Data is collected using a WB-57 research plane, which can fly at an altitude of 18,300 meters (60,000 feet).
Suiting Up
Dominic Del Rosso, one of the test pilots for the WB-57, explained the difficulties involved in conducting experiments when wearing a pressurized suit in cramped confines of the airplane.
La Finca
We were the guests of Guillermo Rodriguez at La Finca, his estate outside of San José. Rodriguez was the founder of the Costa Rican Institute for Clinical Research. Fellow Piotr Cieslinski showed off his riding skills.
Paella
We ate a delicious dinner of paella. Elías Jiménez, former President of the Social Security System, joined us to talk about the accomplishments of Costa Rica's health care system.
