A wild idea for science.

• Author: Mayer, Wayne E.
• Position: !Ojo! - Idea Wild organization finances and provides biologists' equipment

Exploring the tropics in the name of science provides one-of-a-kind access to some of the world's most biologically rich places. But trying to gather scientific data without proper equipment is a logistical nightmare. (For starters, try catching songbirds without a mist net.) That's why Idea Wild, a nonprofit organization based in Fort Collins, Colorado, is so fond of supporting young, resourceful biologists in the field. With some basic provisions, these researchers produce remarkably high levels of biodiversity science.

As a wildlife biology student in the Rocky Mountains, Idea Wild president and founder Wally Van Sickle learned that to get the most out of his field research, he needed the right gear. In the United States, access to gadgets, instruments, and outdoor essentials posed no great obstacle. "Unfortunately, in the tropics, where biological diversity ranks the highest, people lack basic equipment," Van Sickle says.

In 1991, he started Idea Wild to "minimize the loss of biodiversity by empowering people who work on the front lines of conservation." Today, the organization supplies scientific instruments and camping gear to biologists around the world, many of them in Latin America and the Caribbean. The catch: When applying for a grant, the applicant must include the name and US shipping address of someone who will handcarry the item from the United States to the recipient.

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Idea Wild funds an average of 33 projects per month and expects to reach 60 per month by 2011. At the close of 2007, more than 1,700 people in 70 countries used provisions donated by Idea Wild. Binoculars, spotting scopes, mist nets, walkie-talkies, lumbar packs, global positioning systems, cameras, all-purpose dry bags, altimeters, thermometers, sleeping bags, climbing gear, laptops, and other small-ticket items make the difference between applied science and no science. On average, the gear cycles through at least two other projects and thus continues to contribute to biodiversity conservation.

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