Question: Where can you find tropical streams trickling off the slope of an ancient volcano, capuchin monkeys swinging (and relaxing) in the trees, packs of white-lipped peccaries rampaging through old-growth forest, and a team of scientists hunkered down streamside measuring the breath of stream ecosystems?
Answer: Maritza Biological Station!
30 Years of Research in Costa Rica
Since 1989, Maritza Biological Station and Asociación Centro de Investigación Stroud (ACIS) have been the headquarters and foundation for Stroud™ Water Research Center’s tropical research programs, and the station has become a resource for scientists, teachers, and land managers throughout the region. The streams flowing through the station are a Long-Term Research in Environmental Biology site, funded by the National Science Foundation. To date, research on those streams has generated more than 30 peer-reviewed scientific papers.
Scientists Give Board Members a Tour
In addition to collecting valuable data that helps reveal how tropical streams are connected with the forests they drain, six Stroud Center scientists recently provided a tour of Maritza for members of our board of directors. Bern Sweeney, Ph.D., John Jackson, Ph.D., and Executive Director David Arscott, Ph.D., described the history and current research directions of the Maritza Biological Station to introduce six board members to the importance of our water research in the tropics. The board members were also given a tour of the amazing upgrades and improvements made at the station thanks to Station Manager Rafa Morales’s intensive efforts.
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- In addition to collecting valuable data from Costa Rican streams, Stroud Center scientists recently provided a tour of Maritza for members of our board of directors. Photo: Mayra Bonilla
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- Executive Director Dave Arscott, Ph.D., explaining what the presence or absence of certain aquatic macroinvertebrates tells us about stream health. Photo: Mayra Bonilla
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- Assistant Research Scientist Marc Peipoch, Ph.D., measuring how microbial communities that live in the streambed utilize nitrogen, an essential nutrient.
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- Assistant Research Scientist Diana Oviedo-Vargas, Ph.D., on her way to Quebrada Marilín to measure stream metabolism and nutrient cycling. Photo: Mayra Bonilla
Steve and Mayra Stroud from ACIS and Maritza Biological Station staff Cristian López and Marieta López hosted our visit with an abundance of Costa Rican hospitality, cheer, and great food. Lively discussions and great camaraderie led to a memorable trip for all, topped off by research scientists Diana Oviedo-Vargas, Ph.D., and Marc Peipoch, Ph.D., returning home with lots of data, water samples, and new scientific insights on tropical stream ecosystems.
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- Assistant Director Scott Ensign, Ph.D., reading sensor data for Peipoch to record in his fieldbook. The sensor measures the density of algal communities in the streambed.
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- Board members and Stroud Center scientists took a hike to view pre-Columbian petroglyphs on the plain near Orosí Volcano.
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- Station Manager Rafa Morales has significantly upgraded the facilities at Maritza.
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- Marieta López provided visitors with delicious meals during their stay at Maritza.
Stay Tuned for the Public Television Episode!
A film crew for the Visionaries public television series captured this science-in-action for an upcoming episode about the Stroud Center. We’ll post an update when it debuts!
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- Morning view from Maritza’s Casa Biológica.
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- Evening view from Maritza’s Casa Biológica. Photo: Steve Stroud
