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Field Research and Education, Primate Behavior and Ecology, Ometepe Biological Field Station, Isla de OmetepeField StudyField Research and Education, Primate Behavior and Ecology, Ometepe Biological Field Station, Isla de Ometepe Location of field site: Ometepe Island, Nicaragua Contact Person: Renee Molina Program Director(Miami Office) , info@lasuerte.org , for Research related information contact, Director of research, Dr. Paul A. Garber, Professor of Biological Anthropology, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801 email p-garber@uiuc.edu Phone: 1-305-666-9932 (Miami Office) ; 011-505-883-1107(Ometepe Island) Fax: 1-305-666-7581(Miami Office) E-mail: info@lasuerte.org Mailing address: PO Box 55-7519 , Miami , Florida 33255-7519 Ometepe Biological Field Station San Ramon Volcan Maderas, Ometepe Nicaragua Nicaragua Research Objectives: The Faculty and the Director of Research of La Suerte Biological Field Station in Costa Rica have received permission from the Nicaraguan Government to create a series of education centers and protected forests throughout their country. With the establishment of the Estacion Biologica de Ometepe in January of 1997 we welcome you to join us in our efforts to protect, conserve, manage, and learn about the flora and fauna of Nicaragua. In December of 1997 we inaugurated our first primate behavioral and ecology field class in Nicaragua. Additional courses and research projects have continued this summer. This represents a unique opportunity to participate in what is the start of a long-term study of the ecological role monkeys, birds, bats, and other animals in influencing forest regeneration and plant species diversity in the tropical rainforests of Central America. Nicaragua has been called "the land passed by". Unlike other countries in Central and South America, the forests of Nicaragua have been relatively untouched by logging companies, tourists, and multinational corporations over the past 25 years. Fully one-third of the tropical lowland rainforests in Nicaragua are still intact. This is due to several historical, cultural, and environmental factors. Nicaragua is a country rich is fertile soils, marine and coastal resources, and tropical rainforests. It is located in the middle of Central America, boarded by the Pacific and Caribbean oceans, and by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country got its name from the "Niquiranos" a group of people who settled in this region from Mexico in the eighth century AD. The site that we have selected for our first ecological-educational-and research station is Isla de Ometepe. Ometepe is an island of 276 square kilometers lying in Lake Nicaragua. It is the largest island in the world situated in a fresh water lake. Two majestic forested volcanoes dominate the island. One called Madera raises 1,400 meters above the lake. The other, Concepcin is even taller and reaches a height of nearly 1,700 meters. Ometepe is situated in southeastern Nicaragua and has a population of 30,000 people. The majority of the people who live on the island areof Indian ancestry. We have defined the following long-term goals for Ometepe Biological Field Station: 1. To offer field-oriented courses that are available to both undergraduate and graduate students. 2. Provide instruction on various field techniques in primatology and ecology, to think critically, and how to ask appropriate, testable questions about the environment. 3. Educate students from all parts of the globe about the need to protect and conserve tropical rainforests and the natural heritage of our planet. 4. Develop a plan for the protection and conservation of the fauna and flora of Isla de Ometepe. 5. Inventory the plant, amphibian, reptilian, avian, and mammalian species present at the site. 6. Initiate long-term ecological research projects on the flora and fauna. Field Positions and Volunteers: We are initiating ongoing projects on the behavior, ecology, and conservation of white-faced capuchin monkeys (Cebus capucinus) and mantled howling monkeys (Alouatta palliata). We are also planning projects on the impact of human activity and deforestation on primate population density and forest conservation. Educational Opportunities: The Field School offers broad undergraduate and graduate training in Neotropical field ecology. Classes are limited to around 22 students. With one senior faculty and three graduate teaching assistants per course, the small class size insures an optimal student: faculty ratio of 1 to 5. Courses include primate ecology and behavior, primate biology, limnology, and herpetology. Designed to be classrooms in nature, these hands-on courses get students into the field, designing and conducting individualized research projects. In the first year of research, students at Ometepe have chosen to study a wide range of topics such as positional behavior and feeding ecology, mother-infant interactions, group spacing, ranging patterns, and male-male interactions of howling monkeys. Additionally, several long-term research projects are planned to examine differences in demography, group size, and diet of primates inhabiting lowland forest and volcanic forest on the island.; Students who have taken our courses have continued on to graduate training in anthropology, primatology, and ecology. Students in each class conduct supervised but individual research projects. In some cases the quality of these projects has been so outstanding that students have presented their results at National scientific meetings. We also hire graduate students as teaching faculty to assist in our field courses. Species Studied: "Alouatta palliata"; "Cebus capuchinus" Project Begin/End Dates: Session #1 May 25 to June 19 #2 June 22 to July 17, #3 July 20 to Aug 14, Winter Dec 27 to Aug 14 Winter classes celebrate the new years in the tropics! Web Site: http://www.lasuerte.org Comments: Links to Class listings Summer #1 http://www.lasuerte.org/coursesum1.html Summer #2 http://www.lasuerte.org/coursesum2.html Summer #3 http://www.lasuerte.org/coursesum3.html Winter http://www.lasuerte.org/coursewin.html Links current staff http://www.lasuerte.org/facultygen.html Entry created: 1999-03-24 [Update Entry] [Delete Entry] |