Biosphere 2

[Joseph Laferriere]

To all users of Taxacom mailing list:

Please note that Dr. Joseph E. Laferriere has been appointed
archivist/curator at Biosphere 2 in Oracle, Arizona. He received his PhD
from the University of Arizona in 1991 and has also worked at the herbaria
of Harvard University, Washington State University, and the National
Herbarium of Indonesia.

Biosphere 2 is a research facility designed to to simulate the Earth's
biosphere on a smaller scale. The main research structure is a hermetically
sealed station covering 3 acres (1.2 hectares) including a small rainforest,
a savannah, a desert, an ocean, an intensive agricultural area, and several
other biomes. Organisms were collected from around the world for inclusion
in the Biosphere. The archive collection includes vouchers of plants,
animals, and microbes included in the project. We are currently in the
process of renovating the herbarium and other archive material  in the hopes
of making this a first-class research collection. We hope to establish a new
policy on loans sometime in the next few months.

For further information, please contact Dr. Joseph E. Laferriere, Biosphere
2, P.O. Box 689, Oracle AZ 85623, joseph at bio2.com.