Facilities

Housing and Laboratory Facilities

Accommodations are available throughout the year and provide basic accommodations at minimal cost. The dorms or dormitories are capable of housing a total of 26 people round. The apartment building accommodates up to 16 visitors in four two-bedroom apartments. All residents and visitors are expected to exercise good judgement, discretion, and the utmost care in using these facilities. Seasonal residents are expected to share a large responsibility in the upkeep of these facilities.

  • Housing facilities are intended to provide space for sleeping, dining, storage of personal items, and a living area. They are not to be used for construction projects or laboratory space.
  • Laundry facilities are located at the Apartments and near the dorms. You need to supply your own soap, bleach, etc. Follow directions and use machines with care. There is a washer and dryer available for all tenants to use. Tenants should abide by a washer/dryer schedule to ensure all have ample time to wash and dry clothing. We encourage you to save energy by hanging towels and clothing to air dry. Please do not bring or use dish or clothes detergents containing phosphates.

The Dormitories

The dormitory is the original station building, which was constructed in 1937 and is now considered of historic value. It was renovated in the early 1960s at the start of the Rain Forest Project by the Atomic Energy Commission. The dormitory is a historic building that accommodates up to 26 visitors in four rooms, each with bathrooms. Two basic kitchens with accessories including major and small appliances (e.g., toasters, plates, pots and pans, cups, and cutlery) are available for visitors to prepare their meals. The two-room dormitories have 2 bunk beds, one-room dormitory has 3 bunk beds, these rooms can accommodate 4 or 6 people for overnight stays.

Residents are required to keep the apartment clean and to leave the apartment in the condition found at time of assignment.

Mops and cleaning supplies are provided for each apartment and a vacuum is available upon request.
Station staff may enter the dorm without advanced notice to perform maintenance.

Facilities may be shared with other guests at any time.

Dorm tenants should provide: linens & blankets, pillows, toiletries and personal items.





The Apartments

The apartment building was added to the station in 2003 to provide space for 16 additional visitors in four apartments. Each apartment has its own fully-equipped kitchen, private bathroom and a dinning area.  The apartments provide high quality accommodations, compared to the historic dormitory, and are frequently used by senior scientists, long-term visitors, and also by large field courses from mainland universities. Each apartment has two rooms, a living room area and a small kitchen that is also equipped for visitors to prepare their meals, and two private bathroom (one per room).   







The Stream House

This is a two-story building located two miles from the main station facilities and outside the boundaries of El Yunque National Forest. The Stream House is used for freshwater research, has a set of large artificial streams, and access to the Espíritu Santo River.The house has 3 bedrooms and 2-bathrooms in the second floor and one apartment with 2 rooms and a 1 bathroom. The apartment is equipped with small kitchen, living area and AC in the rooms (1 bunk-bed per room). The first floor has 3-office spaces, a dry room, 1 bathroom and a small conference room (10 person).  In addition, this is our hurricane shelter. Given the high probability of having forest roads blocked by fallen tree during storms, all station users move to the Stream House where they are closer to major highways and towns.

The artificial stream facilities are composed of different sets of channels. Large channels made of PVC and supplied with water from a nearby stream, located at the Stream House, are ideal for fish and shrimp studies.




Shade Houses

  A small shade house is available to researchers for plant studies.

Laboratory facilities

 The station's laboratory have eleven offices, some of them dedicated to long-term researcher or project (STream-Fre, CTE, Luquillo Forest Dynamics Plot). Laboratory equipment includes   compound and dissecting microscopes, fiber optics illuminators, balances, drying ovens, stirrer/hot plates, and a chemical hood.

 Laboratory facilities at the station are equipped with binocular and dissecting microscopes with fiber optics light sources. Other research equipment includes drying ovens, balances, and a chemical hood. The present computer inventory includes eight PC computers. A laser printer connected to our internal network provides service to the entire station. The station also has a modest carpentry shop and a diesel generator that provides electrical backup during power outages. In addition, two vehicles owned by UPR-RP are available for routine sample collection and transport to laboratory facilities in San Juan, and for transportation of staff and visiting scientists to field sites outside the station area.



NADP Tower

A permanent walk-up tower supports environmental monitoring equipment and provides some access to canopy vegetation and fauna. The tower also houses a station for the National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP).

Workshop

The station has a small workshop that can be used for electrical and wood work.