THE ROLE OF THE STAFF
The role of the staff, and more specifically the station managers at CPBS is vital. Although many people travel to and spend time at the center, it is these select few that make the whole organization possible. Beginning in 1991 with Marilyn Cole as its founder, the station was able to take form and flourish over the years that followed due to the sacrifices and hard work of the Station staff. As the Station has developed its identity, we have at times ad Scientific Officers work alongside the Station Managers. In 2011 we formed the role of Research Coordinator, recognising that with our growth as a research center, we required a full-time, on-site scientist to team with our Canadian based Director of Conservation and Research.
Although living and working full-time has often been described as a challenge, staff also explain that it can be very rewarding. Each manager has faced personal obstacles at the Station that they have had to overcome, yet in each circumstance the managers and their support staff have proven themselves, and greatly improved Caño Palma in their wake. For example, general improvements on the buildings such as septic tanks, electricity, plumbing, a trail system and boardwalk in the forest, relationships with locals and visitors to the Station, and the creation of many programs like bird migration, turtle monitoring, and research on primates and amphibians, just to name a few. Not only have the Station Managers improved the center in Costa Rica, but they also explain that the experiences they took away from their time there has allowed them to share their knowledge with other places around the world.
In each case, the Station Managers have described their position as one that gave them intense satisfaction, with both devotion and passion driving them to help the environment. While they describe their memories with fondness, the photos of them at Caño Palma depict even more vividly the deep connection they share with the Station. Over the years the Station has evolved from a plot of land to the thriving center that now hosts multiple research opportunities to benefit the fauna and flora that surrounds it, the locals, and the many people from other countries who have the opportunity to travel down and experience it first-hand. Once described by Greg Mayne as "rough [and] rustic" the Station has grown to be more accommodating for the many humans who come to help make a difference in the environment. This was all made possible by the sacrifices of the Station Managers, who often faced both physical and emotional barriers in order to obtain finances and support to make the programs possible.
Although living and working full-time has often been described as a challenge, staff also explain that it can be very rewarding. Each manager has faced personal obstacles at the Station that they have had to overcome, yet in each circumstance the managers and their support staff have proven themselves, and greatly improved Caño Palma in their wake. For example, general improvements on the buildings such as septic tanks, electricity, plumbing, a trail system and boardwalk in the forest, relationships with locals and visitors to the Station, and the creation of many programs like bird migration, turtle monitoring, and research on primates and amphibians, just to name a few. Not only have the Station Managers improved the center in Costa Rica, but they also explain that the experiences they took away from their time there has allowed them to share their knowledge with other places around the world.
In each case, the Station Managers have described their position as one that gave them intense satisfaction, with both devotion and passion driving them to help the environment. While they describe their memories with fondness, the photos of them at Caño Palma depict even more vividly the deep connection they share with the Station. Over the years the Station has evolved from a plot of land to the thriving center that now hosts multiple research opportunities to benefit the fauna and flora that surrounds it, the locals, and the many people from other countries who have the opportunity to travel down and experience it first-hand. Once described by Greg Mayne as "rough [and] rustic" the Station has grown to be more accommodating for the many humans who come to help make a difference in the environment. This was all made possible by the sacrifices of the Station Managers, who often faced both physical and emotional barriers in order to obtain finances and support to make the programs possible.
Current Staff
Charlotte & Manual Station Manager, Assistant Station Manager ( 2013 to Present)
Charlotte
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Manuel and Emanuel
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Manuel and I have dipped in and out of Caño Palma life for a number of years. Manuel started passing through in 2000, helping with construction projects and joining herpetologists in their searches for reptiles and amphibians. A born naturalist he’s observant and patient, and having worked out of doors for the majority of his life, he’s had plenty of time to indulge his curiosity in nature.
I arrived in 2007, giving up a career in healthcare to pursue a passion for birds and conservation. With a plan to be here for three months, I lived on base for nine, before I accepted that leaving was not going to be as easy I thought, there was just too much to learn. Having lived in New Zealand, the United States, and England, I had finally found home. Manuel and I bought a house on the other side of the canal, married, and continued to provide coverage while managers were away. After the birth of our son, Emanuel, and a harrowing first year as blundering, tired parents, I was able to reignite my connections with the CRBO and start bird-banding again – bliss.
The chance to share the management of the Station gives Manuel and I the ability to work towards a variety of goals we feel strongly about. From the opportunity to support the scientists whose research contributes so much to local conservation, to the more complex, of trying to build more bridges and create more opportunities to facilitate, on a local level, change in how our son’s generation view and care for the environment that means so much to us. We have been here long enough to be aware of the frustrations ahead, but know that there is so much to be gained, working with the incredible people who for a week, month or year, choose to make Caño Palma their home.
I arrived in 2007, giving up a career in healthcare to pursue a passion for birds and conservation. With a plan to be here for three months, I lived on base for nine, before I accepted that leaving was not going to be as easy I thought, there was just too much to learn. Having lived in New Zealand, the United States, and England, I had finally found home. Manuel and I bought a house on the other side of the canal, married, and continued to provide coverage while managers were away. After the birth of our son, Emanuel, and a harrowing first year as blundering, tired parents, I was able to reignite my connections with the CRBO and start bird-banding again – bliss.
The chance to share the management of the Station gives Manuel and I the ability to work towards a variety of goals we feel strongly about. From the opportunity to support the scientists whose research contributes so much to local conservation, to the more complex, of trying to build more bridges and create more opportunities to facilitate, on a local level, change in how our son’s generation view and care for the environment that means so much to us. We have been here long enough to be aware of the frustrations ahead, but know that there is so much to be gained, working with the incredible people who for a week, month or year, choose to make Caño Palma their home.
Lianne Woudstra
-ResearchCoordinator (2022 to present)
-ResearchCoordinator (2022 to present)
Lianne is a driven biologist and scientist. She believes that biology allows her to grasp the incredible world around us and that now more than ever, biologists are tackling some of the most important challenges we face as a planet.
She obtained a BSc degree in Animal Sciences, and a MSc degree in Animal Ecology, both at Wageningen University in the Netherlands, where she specializes in Disease Ecology. Her research studied parasites and zoonotic pathogens, where she focused mostly on ticks and tick-borne diseases. To learn more about the emergence of tick-borne diseases, she looks at both the direct and indirect interactions between host animals, parasites and other ecosystem variables. Because all land mammals, birds, reptiles and even amphibians can serve as a hosts for ticks, she had the opportunity to study a wide variety of animals. Specifically monkeys, rodents, snakes and marsupials, in South Africa, Belize and Panama.
Using her previous experience, she hopes to integrate a new research project while managing the existing research conducted at the Caño Palma Biological Station. In this way, she hopes to discover what parasites live on the animals, whether they are domestic or wild, that live in the forest in and around the Station and how do they interact with each other.
She obtained a BSc degree in Animal Sciences, and a MSc degree in Animal Ecology, both at Wageningen University in the Netherlands, where she specializes in Disease Ecology. Her research studied parasites and zoonotic pathogens, where she focused mostly on ticks and tick-borne diseases. To learn more about the emergence of tick-borne diseases, she looks at both the direct and indirect interactions between host animals, parasites and other ecosystem variables. Because all land mammals, birds, reptiles and even amphibians can serve as a hosts for ticks, she had the opportunity to study a wide variety of animals. Specifically monkeys, rodents, snakes and marsupials, in South Africa, Belize and Panama.
Using her previous experience, she hopes to integrate a new research project while managing the existing research conducted at the Caño Palma Biological Station. In this way, she hopes to discover what parasites live on the animals, whether they are domestic or wild, that live in the forest in and around the Station and how do they interact with each other.
Past Staff
Morgan Hughes
-Research Coordinator (2020 To 2021)
Morgan is a passionate Wildlife Biologist and conservationist who is driven by her motivation to inspire and mentor others. She has a BSc. in Wildlife Management from Utah State University and a MSc. in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation from the University of Florida. While her experiences in the United States allowed her to work with a diversity of incredible species, she discovered her true passion for teaching and community based conservation during her time in Peru with the Peace Corps. She looks forward to sharing her knowledge in research design and statistics in order to help students at Caño Palma develop the skills needed to advance in their career and make an impact on the world. Her personal research focuses on bat ecology/ phenology and she hopes to make bat research an integral part of the station’s contributions to science.
Alessandro Franceschini
-Research Coordinator (2019 to 2020)
Alessandro is a born nature lover, with an innate curiosity and a keen desire to explore. He obtained an B.Sc. in Biology (University of Urbino), and an M.Sc. (University of Padua) in evolutionary biology specializing in ecology. He has experience with many different plant and animal species, but for his M.Sc. work he analyzed interactions in the ungulate community of Eastern Italian Alps. During his career he has taken on the challenge of internships and volunteer positions at museums and research stations, most notably in Spain at the CSIC, Italy at MUSE and Australia at AUSTROP. His work in remote places has fed his passion for wilderness and the study of ecology – and eventually a decision to specialize in mammals.
When he saw the opportunity to work in Cano Palma, he didn’t hesitate for a second, as he had visited Costa Rica before and was excited about station’s potential for surveys and projects on its many interesting species. He first arrived in Cano Palma in July 2019 as Mammal Research Coordinator but is now assuming the role of Station Research Coordinator. Other than supervising volunteers and interns, he focuses on the study of competitive interactions between local meso-predators (ocelot, tayra, opossum) and the apex predator (jaguar) as well as analyzing the occupancy pattern of the neotropical river otter in relation to the presence of the spectacled caiman.
When he saw the opportunity to work in Cano Palma, he didn’t hesitate for a second, as he had visited Costa Rica before and was excited about station’s potential for surveys and projects on its many interesting species. He first arrived in Cano Palma in July 2019 as Mammal Research Coordinator but is now assuming the role of Station Research Coordinator. Other than supervising volunteers and interns, he focuses on the study of competitive interactions between local meso-predators (ocelot, tayra, opossum) and the apex predator (jaguar) as well as analyzing the occupancy pattern of the neotropical river otter in relation to the presence of the spectacled caiman.
Anna Harris
-Research Coordinator (2017 to 2019)
-Research Coordinator (2017 to 2019)
Anna grew up in a small boating town just north of Detroit, Michigan. From a young age she could be found playing in creeks and swamps, which naturally led to an early interest in biology. She received her BSc in biology, emphasizing in aquatic biology, with Spanish as a second major. During undergrad, Anna studied abroad in Costa Rica and held an internship participating in amphibian walks and invasive plant surveys. For her MSc, she conducted her fieldwork in Ecuador examining aquatic macroinvertebrate communities and food-web structures in cloud forest streams. Working at Caño Palma provided Anna the opportunity to work with a variety of taxa, learn new field techniques, and work with biologists from around the world.
Molly McCargar
-Research Coordinator (2015 to 2017)
Molly McCargar first came to Caño Palma as a Marine Turtle Intern in 2014, after completing her BSc in Marine Science, at Boston University. With a passion for the work, and experience in 4 other turtle projects, Molly excelled, and her internship was extended from 3, to 6 months. She then returned to university, completing her MSc in Conservation Biology at Colombia. The focus for her Masters was Icthyology, and she is a woman equally at home in the field, or in a lab.
With an incredible work ethic, and keen scientific mind, we were always hoping to find a way to bring Molly home to Caño Palma. She came back at the end of 2015 to start collecting data for her PhD, and when the Research Coordinator position became available, she was a natural fit for the position. In addition to supervising undergraduates in their research, and running our long-term monitoring projects, Molly continues to conduct her own research while here. She is collecting genetic material from turtle nest excavations, in preparation for her PhD.
-Research Coordinator (2015 to 2017)
Molly McCargar first came to Caño Palma as a Marine Turtle Intern in 2014, after completing her BSc in Marine Science, at Boston University. With a passion for the work, and experience in 4 other turtle projects, Molly excelled, and her internship was extended from 3, to 6 months. She then returned to university, completing her MSc in Conservation Biology at Colombia. The focus for her Masters was Icthyology, and she is a woman equally at home in the field, or in a lab.
With an incredible work ethic, and keen scientific mind, we were always hoping to find a way to bring Molly home to Caño Palma. She came back at the end of 2015 to start collecting data for her PhD, and when the Research Coordinator position became available, she was a natural fit for the position. In addition to supervising undergraduates in their research, and running our long-term monitoring projects, Molly continues to conduct her own research while here. She is collecting genetic material from turtle nest excavations, in preparation for her PhD.
Luis Fernandez
-Assistant Research Director (2014 to 2015)
Luis Manuel Fernández is an enthusiastic Spanish biologist who discovered Caño Palma while working at Tortuguero's Sea Turtle Conservancy.
There was something about the atmosphere on base that caught his attention, and he applied for one of the Head Intern positions for the Marine Turtle Monitoring program.
With a Masters in Biodiversity and Conservation, his research experience also includes European Pond Turtles, and other reptiles, amphibians, and birds. When we interviewed him, we saw the potential for him to fill a much bigger role, and we offered him the position of Assistant Manager & Research Coordinator. He proved his value in 2014, and was invited to continue in this dual role in 2015.
His research focus will be the turtles and caimans, and he will be facilitating community conservation efforts, with a particular focus on a Conservation Club for the students of nearby San Francisco.
-Assistant Research Director (2014 to 2015)
Luis Manuel Fernández is an enthusiastic Spanish biologist who discovered Caño Palma while working at Tortuguero's Sea Turtle Conservancy.
There was something about the atmosphere on base that caught his attention, and he applied for one of the Head Intern positions for the Marine Turtle Monitoring program.
With a Masters in Biodiversity and Conservation, his research experience also includes European Pond Turtles, and other reptiles, amphibians, and birds. When we interviewed him, we saw the potential for him to fill a much bigger role, and we offered him the position of Assistant Manager & Research Coordinator. He proved his value in 2014, and was invited to continue in this dual role in 2015.
His research focus will be the turtles and caimans, and he will be facilitating community conservation efforts, with a particular focus on a Conservation Club for the students of nearby San Francisco.
Emily Khazan Research Coordinator (Dec 2014 to November 2015)
Emily grew up outside of Baltimore, MD., and fell in love with the tropics and field biology while spending a semester in Costa Rica as an undergraduate. She subsequently shaped her undergrad curriculum around conservation biology.
As an undergrad, Emily worked on a series of behavioral ecology projects, focused on damselflies. She conducted fieldwork on odonates from Michigan to Mexico before starting her Master's degree. Her Master's research focused on movement of giant damselflies throughout the San Juan - La Selva biological corridor in Northeast Costa Rica.
Working at Cano Palma gives her the opportunity to explore another region of Costa Rica and learn about/work with many new taxa, and we get some interesting new ideas and perspectives to shape 2015.
Emily is currently in a PhD program at the school of Natural Resources and Environment at the University of Florida.
Past Station Managers
Elias Bader
Elias discovered Caño Palma Biological Station while attending a bat research conference in Costa Rica. With a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Environmental Studies from University of Zurich and a Masters of Science in Biology, Behavioural Sciences, he has experience in working with bats, birds, and other taxa. His work experiences in the tropics include Cahuita and Alajuela in Costa Rica, Madagascar and Panama. He is a passionate herpetologist, ornithologist, and comes equipped with multiple field experiences.
When he visited CPBS as a volunteer for a month in 2013, he quickly fitted in, enjoying the homely atmosphere, the buzz of researchers' energy and the beautiful surroundings. He was just about to inquire about the Research Coordinator position, when we started to ask about his plans for the future..
While at the station, his own work will focus on phenology and land use of snakes as he continues to manage the ongoing projects, interns, and incoming researchers.
Elias discovered Caño Palma Biological Station while attending a bat research conference in Costa Rica. With a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Environmental Studies from University of Zurich and a Masters of Science in Biology, Behavioural Sciences, he has experience in working with bats, birds, and other taxa. His work experiences in the tropics include Cahuita and Alajuela in Costa Rica, Madagascar and Panama. He is a passionate herpetologist, ornithologist, and comes equipped with multiple field experiences.
When he visited CPBS as a volunteer for a month in 2013, he quickly fitted in, enjoying the homely atmosphere, the buzz of researchers' energy and the beautiful surroundings. He was just about to inquire about the Research Coordinator position, when we started to ask about his plans for the future..
While at the station, his own work will focus on phenology and land use of snakes as he continues to manage the ongoing projects, interns, and incoming researchers.
Aidan Hulatt Summer 2012-Summer 2013
Aidan arrived at Caño Palma soon after completing his Masters degree at Plymouth University in Biological Diversity. Together with his undergraduate degree in Ecology he had a strong theoretical background in conservation and understanding of human driven impacts upon the environment. This wasn’t his first experience in the tropics, with previous time spent on research and conservation projects in Ecuador and Guatemala, as well as work in the less tropical UK. Aidan brought to the station a wide range of conservation interests and experiences, which enabled him to excel here. He was extremely motivated to improve on the projects we had, as well as develop a new shorebird monitoring study, and to conduct his own research: A Comparison of ground and canopy epiphyte communities in an Atlantic Wet Forest. An excellent mentor to the interns and student researchers who visited in his year, Aidan brought professionalism and humour to a challenging job and left the station with a solid foundation for all of our long-term monitoring projects.
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