The University of Cornell of Ithaca, New York and the Punta Cana Group began the construction of a botanical research center in Punta Cana last week. The new facility, to go up at a cost of RD$9 million donated by the Punta Cana Group, is part of the ecology preservation programs implemented by the Punta Cana Group in the East Coast. The new facility is going up on a 10 million square meter land plot located adjacent to the Punta Cana Beach Resort and the Punta Cana Marina. The Punta Cana Group already operates a Fruit Tree Garden and Ecological Trail in the area. Tourists can visit the ecological reserve and its virgin forests and trpical fruit garden area to see up front banana, pineapple, orange, sugar cane, cherry, guava, papaya watermelon, avocado, mango, lemon, pomegranate and other exotic fruit trees. Eleven fresh water springs of crystalline waters surruonded by tropical humid forest are located in the area. As part of the University of Cornell program, the potential of tropcial plants to produce medicinal products will be studied. Modern laboratories will be installed to research marine life, animals, plants and microbes found in the area. There will be rooms for students and faculty, classrooms with sophisticated telecommunication equipment, including a satellite uplink/downlink, interactive video and Internet communication. The University of Cornell will lease the facility from the Punta Cana Ecological Foundation for US$1. The project should be completed by January 2000. The DR facility will link into other Cornell centers located in Sweden, Australia, Holland, Costa Rica and Honduras that are part of the University’s Global Classroom program. Frank Rainieri, president of the Punta Cana Group; William Crepet, who will be in charge of the laboratory; Daryl Lund, dean of the School of Agriculture of Cornell University; and Theodore Kheel, former student of Cornell and president of the board of directors of Punta Cana Group traveled to Punta Cana for the ground-breaking ceremony.
