By Natalia Ramos Malavé / Notic@mpus "For us it is the culmination of a plan to attract scientists to the station. It is a project that has taken long time, but that has had a great support of the federal agencies and the University of Puerto Rico (UPR), specially of the Río Piedras Campus. We hope that this is the start for the arrival of foreign investigators, as well as local and international students ", expressed Dr. Elvia Meléndez-Ackerman, interim director of the Institute for Studies of Tropical Ecosystems of the UPR. During the inauguration, the director of the Río Piedras Campus, Gladys Escalona de Motta, said that "this was accomplished thanks to the extraordinary commitment, not only of the Institute, but of a lot of people that has gradually collaborated with this work, with this effort." "This field station is an essential instrument. Its rehabilitation and reconstruction will allow us a better fulfillment of our goal to be a research university, to increase the knowledge through contributions of excellence to our Puerto Rican, regional and global surroundings ", added the Director. The experimental Campo Verde Station has existed for about 70 years and is one of the oldest in the Island. This place receives scientists and students from universities of Puerto Rico, the United States and other countries. The research there goes from listings of the diversity of species to measurements of the natural resources that the forest offers, like drinking water supply. This new facility was built with a $245.000 grant of the National Foundation of Sciences (NSF); the UPR donated $450,000. The scientific project Luquillo Long-Term Ecological Research, based in the Campo Verde Station, is one of 26 projects of that kind in the United States, and receives around $1.2 million annually from NSF and the UPR. The Campo Verde Station is administered by the Institute for Studies of Tropical Ecosystems of the UPR in Río Piedras, under a special agreement with the Forest Service of the United States. Also, it offers support to the scientific research and education in El Yunque tropical forest.