Tropical Herpetology Expeditions- Puerto Rico’s Rainforests

Island ecosystems are typically characterized with high species diversity and high specialization within those species.  These factors contribute to the fragility of island biodiversity- of the 724 recorded animal extinctions in the last 400 years, half were island species.  Island ecosystems also tend to have a high diversity of reptile and amphibian species.

With regards to the Caribbean, reptile and amphibian diversity tends to be high in species, but low in genus.  For example, of the 170 species of frogs endemic to the Caribbean islands, 80% belong to the genus Eleutherodactylus.  This pattern is the result of adaptive radiation, the evolutionary process by which several new species evolve from a pioneer species to fill all available niches in a given environment.

Tropic Ventures Research and Education Foundation oversees the scientific studies at Las Casas de la Selva, a 1,000 acre sustainable forestry project and nature preserve in Patillas, Puerto Rico. Our herpetologist, Norman Greenhawk, is conducting research on anole population trends, as well as instigating studies of geckos of the genus Sphareodactylus and frogs of the genuses Elutherodactylus and Leptodactylus. Read the welcome letter from Norman here.

Norman has put together plans to lead herpetological expeditions throughout the year as a means of obtaining volunteers to help collect the massive amounts of data required for the studies.  By signing up for an expedition, you will be helping with the following studies:

Volunteers will also take a trip to the Lucillo beach, site of a sea turtle nesting spot.  Once there, you will be given a tour of the beach and nesting area.  Volunteers may or may not observe turtles (unfortunately, animals don’t run on our set schedules!)  For a full itinerary, click here.

2009 Expedition Dates:
Team I: November 21- November 29
Team II: December 1- December 9

2010 Expedition Dates:
To be announced in December 2009

Cost:  The cost for participating in this expedition is $825.00 USD.  This cost covers your lodging, food, transportation to/from the airport, transportation to/from Lucillo beach, and guides.  This cost does not included airfare.  www.cheaptickets.com is but one site to find affordable flights to and from Puerto Rico (or, call your travel agent or use your regular online travel site)- generally East Coast US residents can find tickets in the $200-$300 USD range, and West Coast US residents in the $300-$400 USD  range.  International flights from London, UK can start at $700 USD. 
Payment to TVERF for the expedition can be made by personal check, money order, or with a credit card via paypal.

Eligibility:  Participants must be 18 years old in order to join the expedition, or must be at least 16 years old and accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.  Participants should be in good physical and emotional health- spending time in the forest, isolated from urban centers, can take a toll on the body and mind.  Otherwise, the only criteria for eligibility is an eagerness to help further humankind’s understanding of tropical herpetology!

Group Size and Cancellation Policy:  The minimum size of the expedition is 10 people, the maximum size is 15.  If a particular expedition date does not have the minimum requirement of people, Tropic Ventures staff members will make a decision to go forward with the expedition or to cancel it (for example, if only four people sign up for the trip, it will likely be cancelled.  If 8 or 9 sign up, then it is more likely that the trip will continue).  If the trip is cancelled due to lack of signups or weather (approaching hurricane, tropical storm, etc), all money will be refunded.  If less than 10 people sign up for a given expedition, the decision to cancel or continue will be made 2 weeks before the arrival date.  Spots on the expedition are filled on a first come, first served basis.  After 15 people are booked, the expedition is closed.  If you wish to cancel your spot on the expedition, you must do so no later than 3 weeks prior to the arrival date in order to get a full refund, or no later than 2 weeks prior to the arrival date in order to get a 50% refund.  Any cancellations made later than this date will receive no refund.  This is because 2 weeks prior to arrival is when the staff members start to book transportation for expedition members and purchase equipment for the expedition.

Travel requirements:  Expedition participants are required to book and pay for their own airfare to and from SJU airport in San Juan.  All transportation on the island, including to and from the airport, will be taken care of and is included in the cost. US citizens do not require a passport to enter Puerto Rico, as it is a commonwealth of the United States of America.  All non-US citizens are required to present a valid passport to enter Puerto Rico.  US citizens should bring a driver’s license or other valid form of ID.

Paperwork:  Participants must fill out the following before coming on this expedition:

Rules:

Safety Issues
The expedition will take place in 1,000 acres of second growth rainforest.  The majority of the terrain consists of steep slopes, high hills, and deep valleys.  Soil may be slippery and, in the event of heavy rains, give way easily.  The hikes to and from the anole study areas will range from easy to moderate.  The hike into Icaco Valley during the overnight stay will be difficult.  The forest (and sometimes, the homestead) are home to biting midges, mosquitoes, tarantulas, and scorpions.  Additionally, there are certain plants in the forest that can cause contact dermatitis; others are harmful or fatal if ingested.  Upon arrival at Las Casas, the expedition team will have a general safety meeting to go over safety concerns in detail. 

Itinerary

Supplies (Required unless otherwise noted below)
Pillow**
Sleeping bag
Headlamp***
Long sleeve shirts for work (you will get dirty)
Pants
Forest Safe Boots (all footwear must be close-toed)
Work Gloves
Bug repellent
Reusable Water Bottle
Any medicine you need
“Comfort Clothes”- Sweats, pajamas, etc.
Bathing suit
“Nice” clothes for the day out
Tent**
Camera*
$200-$400 spending money (for souvenirs and off site activities)*^

*Optional
**Optional- We provide for you, but you can bring your own, if you want.  If you bring a tent, it should be a single or a double, we don’t have room for tents that sleep a whole family, unless you want to share it with 6 people you’ve never met before.
*^- This amount is recommended based on what we have seen previous groups spend, per person, while they are here.  The final amount is of course up to you, but you should bring some spending money with you.
*** Seriously, bring a headlamp.  We have issues with people “forgetting” their headlamp when they come to the project, so we’ll spell it out- if you forget your headlamp, we don’t have any spares available, and it gets DARK at around 6:30pm every night.  The trails from the homestead to the bunkhouse/tent area are not level, and in the dark, they can present a tripping/stumbling hazard if you don’t have a headlamp.  You have been warned.  Bring a headlamp, you can get a cheapo one from Wal-Mart for about $5.00.

Accommodations:
During the expedition, volunteers will be staying in the bunkhouse and/or in tents under cover of the outdoor theater.  During the overnight trip into the forest, volunteers will stay in tents, possibly with other volunteers (depending on number of volunteers, availability of tents, and availability of safe space to pitch the tents in the forest).  While the project is somewhat isolated, it is not without some comforts- there are outdoor showers with hot and cold running water, as well as running toilets. 

Your breakfast and dinner will be prepared by two chefs and eaten at the homestead, except during the overnight trip into the forest.  During that time, one chef will accompany the group into the forest and prepare dinner over the campfire.  Breakfast the next morning will be prepared in a similar manner.

Our chefs are professional and capable of making a varying array of food to suit everyone.  Therefore vegetarians and vegans need not worry and can be accommodated during the expedition.

Meet the Staff:
Andres Rua:  Andres Rua is a forester and Director of Technical Systems.  During the expedition, Andres will be your field guide for the hike into Icaco Valley.  Andres is an excellent musician, and always enjoys playing his guitar for groups.  Ask him for a jam session one night!

Thrity “3T” Vakil:  Thrity (pronounced Three-Tea) Vakil is the Director of the project.  During your stay, she will be one of your two chefs.  Thrity has excellent culinary skills; you won’t be disappointed when she is making dinner!

Patricia Boyko:  Patricia is the project mycologist and is currently designing and implementing a new study on tropical mushrooms and fungus.  Patricia has lived in India, and is well versed in Indian, Vegetarian, and Vegan cooking.  She will be your second chef on this expedition.

Norman Greenhawk:  Norman Greenhawk has been studying herpetology for nearly 13 years, and has kept and bred nearly 40 different species in captivity; his other interests are ethnoecology, ethnoherpetology, and ethnobotany.  Norman is currently applying to UPR graduate school to obtain his PhD in Biology.  Norman will be in the field with you every day during your expedition.  Since his arrival at Las Casas de la Selva, Norman has led over 15 groups into the forest for herpetological and ethnobotanical studies- and he hasn’t lost anyone yet!  If you have any questions about this expedition, please feel free to contact Norman by email.

A Final Note:  We ask that you look through our main webpage- www.eyeontherainforest.org.  You will be able to get more information about the project, pictures of previous volunteer groups, and additional volunteer information.  We look forward to seeing you in the jungle!