Rio Cupeyes NEON - United States of America

Río Cupeyes (CUPE) is an aquatic NEON field site located in southwestern Puerto Rico. Río Cupeyes is managed by the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (el Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales, DRNA) under delegation from the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. This is a 2nd-order wadeable stream and tributary of Río Guanijibo. The watershed is a 4.26 km2 (1053 acre) catchment comprised of old- and secondary-growth subtropical moist and subtropical wet forest. The NEON reach is located in a montane area with steep slopes where landslides may occasionally occur. Although the vegetation adjacent to the stream reach is dense and the stream exhibits a steep gradient, the channel is relatively free of vegetation and is stabilized by large boulders. It is considered a Type 2 Heritage River (Río Patrimonial), a relatively pristine body of water originating within the DRNA-protected State Forest of Maricao (el Bosque Estatal de Maricao). This location is part of the NEON Atlantic Neotropical Domain (D04), which includes the island of Puerto Rico and the southern tip of Florida. The Domain includes two terrestrial field sites and one additional aquatic field site.