Report from Hidden Clover Escudo Island Trip during March 22 – April 1, 2013

Executive Summary

Escudo Island is home to many unique species, but continues to be threatened by human activity. Local authorities are eager to work with conservation groups to preserve the island in a manner that sustains the local economy as well. A strong trust and relationship with local authorities has led to approval of initial projects. Primary findings and accomplishments include:

• Consensus from the Fisherman’s association and mayor’s office on the first four conservation projects
• Documented pygmy sloth foods and behaviors
• Established regional sources of materials to support projects
• Documented additional deforestation
• Document multiple additional species on the island

The full report is available in PDF form below:

Download (PDF, 5.3MB)

Below is an update from Alemayehu on the Mosha church forest in Ethiopia:

Mosha is a 7 ha forest which was surrounded by degraded grazing land. For the last years the degradation level of the surrounding land has become more serious and the grazing effect has been intense on the forest. And our original plan was to rescue this forest by fencing all round the 7 ha. However more opportunity is created in the process of discussing the issue with the community and local government official.

The surrounding 10 ha degraded grazing land which used to be communal grazing land cannot be continued like before and instead some soil conservation physical structure should be done on it and designated as future rehabilitation forest site as part of the church forest. This meant the community contributed free labour to do the conservation work and now the land is transferred to the church to be part of the forest. This has created a wide buffer area and potential of expanding the forest. Accordingly we shifted our strategy from fencing all around to only focusing on the vulnerable side where many people live near by.

So we are now:
1. Mosha church forest has got more land and in future will increase from 7 to 17 ha
2. We have finished constructing nearly 1.1 km stone wall and seems all over Mosha project is finished.

Below is an update from Alemayehu on the Woji church forest in Ethiopia:

After long discussion with the community finally the new boundary has been defined and agreed. As you may see in the picture the blue paint on the tree shows the new boundary mark of the church forest. The new boundary actually is almost what we draw last time with you here (a little bit pushed outward). I am happy to tell that the new boundary is positively recognized and accepted by the local residents, church leaders and local government officials.

Then as you may see in the picture the fencing has been started. Per the discussion with the people, this year we will finish constructing the fences all round the boundary with minimum 70-80 cm height (half of it already done). Then next year they promised to increase the height of the wall and make the gate, which means the focus of this year should be delineating the boundary and putting the land mark. I think this is a great progress and more than my expectation from Woji.

CLIC Abroad changes lives at photo workshop in Pragpur, India

by Tom Grant, Ph.D.

Children Learning International Cultures Abroad (CLIC Abroad) recently brought the learning power of the digital image to more than 50 middle school children in Pragpur, India. Thanks to partners such as Museum of National Science in North Carolina and Nikon – plus a blessing of the project by the Dalai Lama — the CLIC Abroad workshop created a life-changing experience that provided new and important perspectives for students in rural India.

The mother of one girl, 15-year-old Aditi, pointed out that CLIC Abroad’s teachers brought a transformative view of the world. The highly educated female professionals working with CLIC Abroad reflected a non-traditional model of women’s roles, one that prized learning and professional success as much as traditional models of marriage and home-making.

That was emphasized during a live meeting via Skype between children at the school in Pragpur and children at the Museum of Natural Science in North Carolina, led by ecologist and educator Dr. Meg Lowman. This world-expanding exchange between students in India and America demonstrated how small the globe has become with modern communications, and suggested how easy it would be for an intrepid child to set goals far beyond the boundaries of his or her village.

CLIC Abroad founder Bhaskar Krishnamurthy, an international photographer and explorer, has used photography as a way to open doors to the world for children in villages in rural India. Photograhy helps children see their culture with fresh eyes. Pairing the children from India with students and teachers from the United States gives everyone new understanding of a culture from the opposite side of the globe. This was CLIC Abroad’s sixth workshop in India.

To learn more about CLIC Abroad, visit the website at clicabroad.org.

Tom Grant, Ph.D.
Professor of Journalism, Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College
Tifton, GA

Thomas A. Grant, Ph.D., worked in television and newspapers for 30 years before joining Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, where he now teaches journalism and advises student media. He has won more than 10 national awards for his reporting, including two duPont-Columbia Awards, often referred to as the Pulitzers of broadcasting. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Washington State University, a master’s from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in New York City, and a doctorate from the University of Idaho, where his research focused on developing better methods of teaching ethics to media students. In 1997, he was awarded the Mike Wallace Fellowship for Investigative Reporting at the University of Michigan.

The North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics hosted “TEDxNCSSM” on April 13, 2013 as a celebration of human achievement and experience in a wide variety of fields. The Dean of Science, Dr. Amy Sheck, was the recipient of this TEDx license and served as the lead organizer for this conference – which was designed to emulate the celebrated format of “TEDTalks”. The organizing committee comprised solely of NCSSM students and played an instrumental role in inviting speakers and selecting audience members. This invitation-only event was capped at 100 attendees and included NCSSM students, Durham high school representatives (students and teachers), NCSSM faculty, and dignitaries from the Triangle area who have contributed significantly to the realm of education. The conference was designed to optimize interaction between speakers and audience members and to potentially spark new ideas from open discourse and facilitated discussion.

Meg Lowman is the director of the Nature Research Center at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh. She is also Research Professor of Natural Sciences in the College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences at NCSU, with focus on science communication to the public. Lowman has been called “the real-life Lorax” by National Geographic and “Einstein of the treetops” by Wall Street Journal for her pioneering work in canopy ecology research. For more than 30 years, she has designed hot-air balloons and walkways for treetop exploration to solve mysteries in the world’s forests, especially insect pests and ecosystem health. Working tirelessly on initiatives at home and abroad, “CanopyMeg” was a Fulbright Senior Specialist Scholar to India, and National Geographic awardee to conserve church forests in Ethiopia. Lowman has authored more than 100 scientific publications and her first book, Life in the Treetops, was reviewed in the NewYork Times Sunday Book Review. This talk was recorded at the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics in Durham, NC.

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)

From New Straits Times:

The conservation of wildlife and its habitat is something close to the Johor royal family’s heart.

In a recent “Wildlife Conservation Awareness Day: Save Wildlife, Save Life” forum, the Sultan of Johor’s consort Raja Zarith Sofiah Sultan Idris Shah said that creating awareness of the need to protect endangered plants, animal species and their habitats, was paramount and should be encouraged among the younger generation.

Raja Zarith Sofiah also said that her family, including her husband Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar, their sons Tunku Mahkota Johor Tunku Ismail, Tunku Temenggong Johor Tunku Idris Iskandar, Tunku Laksamana Johor Tunku Abdul Jalil, Tunku Panglima Johor Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tunku Putera Johor Tunku Abu Bakar and their only daughter Tunku Puteri Tun Aminah, are strong advocates of wildlife conservation.

“While Sultan Ibrahim has called for a total ban on hunting in the forest reserve, my children have been involved in wildlife conservation,” she said.

Raja Zarith Sofiah, who is also Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) chancellor, opened the forum-cum-wildlife conservation awareness programme, that was co-organised by UTM and Johor Corporation (JCorp) subsidiary Kulim (M) Bhd. The forum was held at the Persada Johor International Convention Centre here last Tuesday.

The forum saw UTM pro-chancellor Tan Sri Dr Salleh Mohd Nor as the moderator, while the speakers included Raja Zarith Sofiah, North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences’ Nature Research Centre director Prof Dr Margaret Lowman, Malaysia Nature Society president Prof Dr Maketab Mohamed and Kulim (M) Bhd senior manager Salasah Elias.

Read the full article

Church Forest Preview from Greg Vander Veer on Vimeo.

Church Forest reveals a mystical world where priests and scientists struggle to come together, despite vastly different beliefs,  to save the last forests of Northern Ethiopia. Through stunning religious ceremonies, humorous moments with eccentric scientists, revealing macro-photography, and traditional Ethiopian music, Church Forest is a film about the multifaceted importance of the forest and the struggle of humans to reconcile their beliefs for a common cause. TREE Foundation’s Executive Director, Dr. Meg Lowman, was the catalyst of this conservation effort, and also the link for the film-makers to take on this effort. We all collectively hope that media, plus science and religion, will combine to achieve success in saving Ethiopia’s precious church forests.

The feature-length documentary film will be released in 2014 and the filmmakers are currently raising money to finish post-production. We believe this film will not only be instrumental in creating an international movement to save the church forests, but will also teach a powerful message of collaboration that is universally important. Please visit www.churchforest.com or email us at churchforestmovie@gmail.com to donate or become involved to help bring the inspiring message of Church Forest to the world.

On April 2nd, 2013, Dr. Margaret Lowman will be speaking at the International Convenstion Center in Johor Bahru, Malaysia for Wildlife Conservation Awareness Day – “Save Wildlife, Save Lives”.

Program (PDF)

Lyndia Ball captured these stunning images while with Dr. Lowman in Ethiopia working to save the church forests.

CanopyMeg and TREE Foundation are working to conserve the Church Forests of Ethiopia. Find out more and how you can help.

Host: Tree Climbers International®, Inc. (TCI), the world’s first school and organization for recreational tree climbing.

Dates: October 9-14, 2013

Location: Simpsonwood Conference Center, Norcross, Georgia (just outside Atlanta)

The Tree Climbers “Rendezvous” is an annual gathering. Most years, participants are primarily recreational climbers who come for the fun of “hanging out” together in the treetops and taking workshops offered by other climbers. It’s an event that is eagerly anticipated, and it’s always a fabulous time for all.

This year’s Rendezvous has an additional feature which makes it doubly exciting. It is being held jointly with the annual gathering of the Native Tree Society (NTS). This organization’s members, known as the “Big Tree Hunters”, discover, measure, and catalog the biggest trees throughout the United States and other parts of the globe. Together with other world-renowned experts in the tree sciences, NTS members will be putting on an educational program designed to inspire and teach participants about trees and to become “Citizen Scientists” – people who will collect tree data for use by researchers studying trees, climate change, and the myriad of other fields of inquiry being conducted on and in the world’s canopy.

Participation in this year’s Tree Climbing Rendezvous is not limited to tree climbers. If you are a non-climbing scientist or anyone who simply loves trees, this is an extraordinary opportunity! TCI expects a large contingent of attendees who will come just for the chance to meet and learn from giants in the field of forestry, tree conservation, tree research, and arboriculture. Be there! It will be unforgettable!

Rendezvous details, a tentative speakers’ list, and registration information are on the TCI website.