Station Manager’s end of year report from Caño Palma Biological Station
What does an end-of-year look like at a remote rainforest research station during one of the wettest seasons on record?
In this end-of-year report, the Station Manager reflects on a period of intense fieldwork, heavy rainfall, and meaningful transition at COTERC’s Caño Palma Biological Station in Costa Rica. From the close of the 2025 sea turtle nesting season and continued macaw, mammal, and forest research, to community outreach and preparations for 2026, this update offers a candid look at the resilience, adaptability, and dedication that underpin long-term conservation work.
As we move toward the end of the year, life at Caño Palma Biological Station in Costa Rica has been busy, wet, and full of transition and we are very grateful to COTERC members for your continued support through it all.
We brought the 2025 sea turtle nesting season to a close in October, with night patrols winding down mid-month and excavation work increasing as nests reached peak incubation. Despite fewer turtle-focused interns on base toward the end of the season, the team worked hard to maintain nest protection and keep predation levels as low as possible. We are especially thankful to Baptise and Matthis for their hard work throughout the season and to Red Doyle and Shannon Doner, who took over the end-of season excavation organization.
One of the highlights of the quarter was our return to Turtle-Fest, an important event organised by Costa Rica’s Ministry of Environment MINAE and the Sea Turtle Conservancy (STC) that we hadn’t attended for quite some time. Our team shared updates from across all station projects, with a strong focus on how our turtle work differs from neighbouring initiatives, particularly in relation to predation prevention. We also took the opportunity to showcase the wider scope of COTERC’s research and training programmes. Despite some truly torrential rain, the stand was very well received and gave us renewed motivation to develop durable outreach materials for future years.
Community engagement and environmental education continued in other ways as well. We remain involved in local discussions around responsible pet ownership and spay/neuter initiatives, an issue that is increasingly relevant to coastal wildlife conservation along the beach and in surrounding communities. Tech savvy intern Hugo, prepared some really great videos to share with the community and emphasise the importance of participation in campaigns.
Even with unusually heavy rainfall and several near-flood days, long-term research and wildlife monitoring continued across macaw, mammal, river, and forest projects. We welcomed visiting student groups, trialled new camera equipment kindly left with us by long-time station supporter Bryce Trevett, and hosted prospective collaborators exploring future educational field programmes.
Behind the scenes, much of the quarter was dedicated to preparing for 2026. We continue to see strong interest in our conservation internship programmes, with placements already filling well into the first half of 2026 and only a few project spaces remaining. We also focused on staff handovers, permit coordination, and practical station improvements. Materials for essential dormitory repairs are now on site, and work is now in progress to raise the dorms and make them a little more flood proof!
While we’re excited for the new year, we are extremely sad to say goodbye to Eline Mariano, an outstanding Research Coordinator, who has done an incredible job supervising students and streamlining our data management. Eline first joined us as a student working on her Masters, so has now been with us for almost 2 years! She will have a well-deserved break before starting a new position in bat research.
As always, we extend sincere thanks to all staff and interns finishing their time at the station, and to those who helped carry the programme through a period of challenging weather and reduced numbers on base.
Your support as COTERC members makes it possible for us to continue long-term research, training, and conservation work, even during demanding transitional periods and we are truly grateful.
