Jessica Foster
Staff WriterIt was the Neotropical glass frog which first drew Brian Kubicki to Costa Rica.
The frogs, with their transparent flesh, are locally common along streams in Central America, are indicators of stream health, and are an important link in the food chain, the Forest Lake native said.
ìI saw a picture of one and I just fell in love with them,î he said. ìThey are one of the most poorly understood frogs.î
In 1998, he traveled to the country so far from his home with few words of Spanish in his vocabulary to study biology at Universidad Latina in San Jose, Costa Rica.
There, Kubicki gained knowledge he never could from textbooks.
He journeyed through the rain forests, camera in hand to capture what so few have. Kubicki has worked to uncover the mysteries of the Neotropical glass frogs, and other species which have captured his spirit.
His findings and photographs have been published in scientific journals and popular account magazines. Next week, the BBC will be on site for a project they are doing about amphibians. Too, he is working on an in-depth book about glass frogs and has written a book about the Phyllomedusinae subfamily of leaf frogs of Costa Rica for the National Institute of Biodiversity (INBio).
While it was the Neotropical glass frogs which brought Kubicki to Costa Rica, it is the abundance of amphibians, flora and fauna which keeps Kubicki in the Central American country six years later.
While no longer a student, he continues to strive to learn more.
Two years ago, Kubicki purchased about 90 acres (35 hectare) of land in the Guayac·n zone of Costa Rica.
Kubicki said the Guayac·n is one of the most amphibian abundant areas in Costa Rica or even the world, with 62 species counted.
Kubicki makes his home on the farm, which he has named the Costa Rica Amphibian Research Center.
To Kubicki, the CRARC is not only his home, but a bio-rich area with much to discover. It is an intact rain forest, with streams throughout, rich in water.
The rain forest is where Kubicki gets his drinking water. ìMy water comes from a stream,î Kubicki said. ìItís nice having a rain forest in your backyard.î
He spends most of his time in the lush rain forest. In a typical day, Kubicki said he is in the field by 7 a.m. He spends the day in forest and typically returns to the forest in the evening.
ìAbout 6 p.m. Iíll go back out to walk the trails and do inventories,î Kubicki said. ìThere are times when you spend the whole night in the forest.î
Kubicki is not the only one of benefit from the CRARC. Others have come to learn from the rain forest there. In the future, he said he hopes the farm can be a source for naturalists to study and learn biology at the source.
ìItís a beautiful, beautiful farm,î Kubicki said. Not just rich in amphibian life, the CRARC is rich in birds, plants and other wildlife.
ìThis was my dream, the whole time,î Kubicki said of his work in the CRARC. There, he hopes to spread the message of the importance of conservation and ecology.
It is important, Kubicki said, for people to ìbe more conscious of the tropical ecosystems and their vital role in the future of mankind.î
While conservation awareness has spread in the last 15 years, there is much more work to be done, Kubicki said.
ìWe need more conservation effortsómore funds,î he said. ìMore money needs to be dedicated to ecology.î
Background
His love of frogs, and other creatures, goes back to his youth. The 1993 graduate of Forest Lake High School began learning about biology before it was brought up in any class.
He didnít have to be encouraged to learn. It was his instinct to explore and discover.
As a child, his parents, Janet and Ken Kubicki not only tolerated the buckets, aquariums and critters their son brought home, but encouraged his pursuits.
ìI grew up collecting tad poles,î he said. ìEver since I was a little kid Iíve been collecting critters.î
More information
For more information about Kubicki or the CRARC, visit his website at www.cramphibian.com. The website features information on frogs and the CRARC. His book and photographic posters are available through the website. Kubicki can be reached via email at acropora@racsa.co.cr
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