The Charles Darwin Foundation announced today that its exhibition hall / interpretation centre has re-opened.  It had been closed for many months, disappointing many visitors keen on knowing more about one of the most iconic research stations of the world. 

We worked at the Station for 4 years a while back - it is populated by (mostly) young staff, many Ecuadorian scientists and budding scientists, with a handful of international colleagues as well.   It has always been a bit of a challenge to keep the Station running - as overhead costs for such a place, located on a remote rocky, tropical archipelago can be very high.   But so far, the succession of station managers, with the support of their evolving boards, have managed.   The Station does not come across as a glimmering / shiny modern establishment - but rather a robust and functional institution.  Its rag tag collection of buildings, built over the years, illustrate a change in accessibility of building materials, or in the fortunes of the Darwin Foundation (which operates the station) at a particular time.

Here is the text of the announcement:  

CDF is very excited to officially open the doors of the brand new 'Charles Darwin' Exhibition Hall at our Research Station in Puerto Ayora. The inauguration took part of the recently renovated space, which makes it possible for us to tell the story behind our conservation projects of the unique ecosystems in the Galapagos‬ Islands, as well as making the visitors experience to our grounds unforgettable.