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Jennifer Larson
Community Editor
Brian Kubicki hopes his son, Kenneth Mark, is as fascinated by frogs as he was as a kid.
But it’s too soon to tell if his five-month-old with wife, Aura Reyes, will follow in dad’s footsteps.
Even as an adult, Kubicki, a 1993 graduate of Forest Lake High School, admits, “I’ve just always been crazy for critters.”
While most preteens would be thrilled to go on a family vacation to Disneyworld in Florida, a young Kubicki anticipated the moment he would be able to get away from the amusement park and search an ocean beach looking for crabs.
And in high school, Kubicki said he could be found most weekend nights at home working on his aquarium rather than hanging out with his friends.
Kubicki credits his parents, Janet and Ken, with nurturing his lifelong interest that went from being a hobby to a career. The process took a lot of dedicated. Patience is key, too.
“If you have a passion, you have to follow it,” Kubicki said.
Not just a hobby
His fondness for cold-blooded vertebrates lead Kubicki into founding the privately owned and operated Costa Rican Amphibian Research Center (C.R.A.R.C.) in 2002. Kubicki said he was delighted that the research center was selected as a recipient from the proceeds raised during the live and silent auctions at the 2009 National Reptile Breeder’s Expo held this past August in Daytona, FL. The research center will put the $25,000 raised from the auctions to good use at the reserve.
 It was started to further biological studies and conservation efforts directed specifically at the Costa Rican amphibian fauna, and one of their most vital habitats, that of the low-mid elevation rainforests of the Atlantic slopes of the Talamanca Mountain Range.
Frogs of the C.R.A.R.C., including two Cruziohyla calcarifer, right, are some of the subjects for Brian Kubicki. (Photo Submitted)
Kubicki traveled to Central America several years ago to study Neotropical glass frog species of which he wrote a book on for the National Institute of Biodiversity. In addition, Kubicki has also authored two other works for publication.
He noted how Minnesota only has 14 species of Anurans, the order of tailless amphibians that comprises the frogs and toads. He said that Costa Rica is roughly one-third the size of our state, but the country has around 140 species.
“Costa Rica has about 10 times the diversity of Minnesota,” Kubicki said.
To help
However, he said the majority of Costa Rica’s amphibians are surrounded by mystery in regards to their basic biology and ecological roles.
The C.R.A.R.C. does not receive any funding from the Costa Rican government, so monetary donations are always appreciated.
If you are interested in helping financially, contact Kubicki’s mom at 651-464-2454. For more information on C.R.A.R.C., visit www.cramphibian.com.
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