Thanks for having a look at our current "wish list". This is where you can make a specific donation to help maintain or upgrade facilities and support GDFCF's overall conservation mission to protect the biodiversity of Área de Conservación Guanacaste. This list contains discrete items that support the four major programs described on the Ways to Help page.
October 2023
Our current and continued wish list of needed equipment, supplies, and funding includes:
- Electronic Equipment: The tropics are very hard on electronic equipment due to humidity and rough working conditions. We are currently in desperate need of camara traps to monitor wildlife movement and density, and bioacoustic monitors to better understand the distribution of migratory birds. Our local IT technician is a miracle worker, and we keep many machines going beyond their expected lifespans, but eventually machines wear out.
Camara Traps $500 each
Bioacoustic Recorders $500 each
- Malaise Insect Traps and Supporting Equipment: Malaise traps are a critical component of the BioAlfa bioinventory project. These tent-like structures are essential tools used for trapping flying insects in jars of alcohol after which they can be frozen, stored, transported to a laboratory and DNA barcoded.
Malaise Traps $300 each
Ethanol (ETOH) $700 (for a 55-gallon drum)
Freezer (large) $1,000 each
Freezer (small) $700 each
DNA Barcoding $3 per species sample (and we have thousands!)
- Research Station Supplies: We support 12 stations located throughout ACG. Each station is staffed by 2-4 parataxonomists dedicated to that field station. These stations are always in need of repairs and equipment (some more than others). The following are typical costs ($2,125) for basic supplies at each these field stations for 2-3 years:
Refrigerator $500
Car battery for light traps $75 each
Binoculars $350 each
Generator $500 each
SLR cameras & flash units $500 each
Field Researcher Bundle $200 (headlamp, backpack, rubber boots, raincoat)
- Support a Parataxonomist in the Field: For $18,000 per year, you could help keep one of our 35 parataxonomists working year-round in ACG, collecting specimens and being part of the larger team that is cataloguing the rich biodiversity of ACG and safeguarding it for the future.
- Laboratory Supplies: Support the central climate-controlled BioLep laboratory in Sector Santa Rosa of ACG that serves as the hub for local curation, species preparation and photographing, and the central repository for species gathered across ACG before they are shipped for DNA barcode analysis and to national and international collections. BioLep requires specialized ovens for drying, freezers for storage, a climate-controlled facility for storage, and various specialized equipment. $25,000 per year.
- Island Marine Research Station Upgrade: Our remote island research station, Estación Isla San Jose, was built over 30 years ago. The station is critical for daily enforcement of the no-take marine protected area and as a “base camp” for biologists working in the Islas Murcielago archipelago of ACG’s Sector Marino. Recent upgrades have brought the station new life, but it lacks an onsite laboratory and housing for researchers and other staff. We estimate that a small laboratory and housing for researchers will cost approximately $500,000.
For any of the above, patronyms -- formally naming an undescribed species after you -- is possible with a minimum investment of $25,000.
We are happy to discuss ways of recognizing your donation onsite, on our website and other social media platforms, as well as through our regular communication efforts!!