A LITTLE bit of paradise (133 hectares) now belongs to York thanks to a donation by Toronto physician and medical researcher Dr. Woody Fisher, co-founder of the Canadian Liver Foundation. Fisher decided to create a private nature reserve while on holiday in Costa Rica. He says he and his wife "fell in love" with the country and were on their way home when he saw an ad for the property and ended up buying it.

Las Nubes - meaning "The Clouds" - is a pristine patch of rainforest described as a "treasure chest of biodiversity." It's likely that many of the area's plant and animal species have never been documented. Old-growth trees cover a third of the property which has never been logged. York's Faculty of Environmental Studies plans to use it for studies in neotropical conservation in cooperation with Costa Rica's Tropical Science Centre (TSC) since the property lies close to the Centre's own lands.

Las Nubes is situated on the Pacific side of a mountain in the Talamanca range in southeast Costa Rica. The property borders on Chirripó National Park and La Amistad making Las Nubes part of one of the largest rainforest ecosystems in Central America.

The alliance between York and the TSC, along with Fisher's gift, should give York students experience in biology, ecology, conservation and sustainable development practices. Fisher Photo: Susan King