Below is Molly Welsh’s account of her trip to the Amazon Rainforest with Dr. Lowman while conducting a herbivory study for her Independent Study Project at New College of Florida:

Amazon Rainforest Expedition: A Journal
Molly Welsh, New College of Florida

I traveled to the Amazon Rainforest with Dr. Meg Lowman (www.canopymeg.com) near Iquitos, Peru from January 20-29, 2010 to conduct an herbivory study for my Independent Study Project at New College of Florida. The following is an account of my adventures, experiences, and thoughts concerning this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

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Danté Fenolio was part of the science team for the latest expedition to the canopy walkway in the Amazon with the New College students. He has two recent blog posts that contain some great images taken during the trip.  His blog posts are here:

• The ACTS Canopy Walkway
• More Bioluminescence

Would You Know What To Do With A Python?
Would You Know What Not To Do?

To date, several large Pythons have been reported in Sarasota County. We need your eyes to spot them so we can catch them before they spread further.

Python Patrol Workshop

Monday, April 26, 2010
Session 1: 9 am - 12 pm
Session 2: 1 pm - 4 pm

Sainer Pavilion
New College of Florida

Space is limited. To register for this FREE workshop, go to the following website:
http://pythonpatrol.eventbrite.com/

PDF Flyer

Reposted from ncf.edu:

Join New Topics New College for a visual tour of the places in the world most affected by climate change, from the poles to mountains and our cities, and some of the actions being taken to combat the warming, presented by Gary Braasch, an explorer and photojournalist from Portland, Oregon. Braasch is an environmental photojournalist who creates remarkable images and important documentation about nature, environment, biodiversity and global warming. Included will be images from Florida and the Atlantic Coast, underscoring the local effects and dangers of rapid climate change. Braasch recently reported and photographed from the Copenhagen international climate negotiations last December, and will offer his perspective on the direction being taken by the world’s nations in reacting to and reducing global warming. The talk will take place at the Mildred Sainer Pavilion (5313 Bay Shore Road) on March 9, 2010 at 4:00 pm. Tickets are $15. For more information or to make a reservation, please call the New College Events Hotline at (941) 497-4888 or email events@ncf.edu.

Tuesday, March 9 at 4:00 pm

“Climate Change – a Visual World View of Global Warming”
Gary Braasch, explorer and environmental photojournalist
Faculty host: Meg Lowman, professor of biology and environmental studies, New College of Florida
Underwritten by the TREE Foundation

New Topics New College is a collaboration of the New College Foundation and New College of Florida. This dynamic community series pairs prominent national speakers with New College faculty for stimulating discussions on relevant topics of our time. A reception follows each program and provides an opportunity to meet the speakers, students and faculty.

New Flier

Story on BBC News featuring Bryson Voirin, TREE’s student research associate:

Researchers in Panama have found the first evidence of a sloth that has been killed by an owl.

They found the body of a radio-collared three-toed sloth with lethal wounds that suggest it was hunted by a spectacled owl, which ate its organs.

Three-toed sloths are much larger than spectacled owls, a bird of prey standing around 45cm tall.

That adds to the impression that sloths are helpless on the ground, and camouflage is their main defence.

Details of the extraordinary kill are published in the journal Edentata.

Full story.

Photo essay.

Reposted from NCF.edu:

(February 4, 2010) Forest Hayes and Michael Dexter, both third year students at New College of Florida, won praise from the Friends of Myakka River Board members for creating the “Common Birds of Myakka River State Park” brochure. The brochure was originally created for New College Professor of Biology and Environmental Studies Meg Lowman’s tutorial course in Ornithology.

Hayes and Dexter receive recognition.Hayes and Dexter spent a number of days in Myakka River State Park visiting various birding locations. After careful study, they selected 25 birds commonly found in the Park. All 25 birds featured in the brochure were photographed by Hayes and his father John. The text was provided by both Dexter and Hayes. The TREE Foundation was responsible for the printing and student internship award that made the brochure possible.

“We commend Messers Hayes and Dexter for their creativity, their excellent choice of birds regularly seen in the Park and for the professional look of their brochure,” said Owen Comora, president, Friends of Myakka River. ”On any given day visitors to Myakka may expect to observe all or most of the birds featured in their beautiful brochure. I’m sure their achievement has made Dr. Lowman, New College and the TREE Foundation proud,” Comora said.

Hayes is majoring in Biology and Environmental Science at New College and plans to seek a career related to research or academics. Dexter has a double major in Environmental Studies and Political Science. He hopes to pursue a career related to the environment, possibly with a public sector agency.

The brochures will be made available to new and returning members of Friends of Myakka River and to contributors to various Friends projects. Friends of Myakka River is a non-profit group established to protect, preserve and support Myakka River State Park and the “Florida Wild & Scenic” Myakka River. The Friends raise funds and provide volunteer services to improve visitors enjoyment of the park and river.

For more information on the project contact Owen Comora, president, Friends of Myakka River, at ocomora@AOL.com or call (941) 378-5166.

On January 20-28, 2010, students and families joined CanopyMeg for the Amazon Rainforest Workshop: The Ecology and Culture of the Amazon Jungle. Below are student logs from the trip.

Jessa Baker-Moss writes:

Our amazing trip to the Amazon taught me so many things. As a liberal arts student, I’ve had little access to scientific information. Through helping Professor Lowman collect data I learned about the process through which researchers gain knowledge. I never imagined there would be so much paper cutting involved! Graphing and measuring the area and herbivory of the leaves was a tedious yet rewarding process, and it opened my eyes to all of the hard and careful work that it takes to generate statistics (and now I know words like “herbivory”!) I enjoyed hearing about the flora and fauna- I never knew that rainforest leaves grow larger towards the bottom of the forest, or that the “tipping point” at which climate change will be partially irreversible is 20%. The fact that we are at 17% now has made me realize how urgently the issue of deforestation needs to be addressed.

However, the part about our trip that I enjoyed the most was the cultural immersion. I haven’t spoken Spanish since high school and I was surprised by how much of it I picked up in a short week. It truly is much easier to learn a language when surrounded by native speakers. It was difficult to be seen and verbally identified as a tourist- I don’t think that any traveler wants to be seen that way- yet by seeing ourselves through the Peruvian’s eyes, I understood both them and ourselves better. Visiting the village on the last day was one of the most powerful experiences of the trip. To see how little we have and how much we have in comparison made me value my life in the USA a lot more and reinforced my desire to pursue a career that allows me to work directly with people, so that I can help provide resources to those in need.

Now that I’m home, I intend to educate others about what I have learned in the rainforest, and to be more aware of my consumption in my own day to day life. I have already showed all of my friends and family the photos that I have taken, along with information regarding climate change and deforestation, as well as the need for clean water and health care in third world countries. I think the fact that I have been there and seen it with my own eyes will make these problems more real to my loved ones and compel them to take action in order to help find solutions.

From the Pelican Press’ “A Sarasota Minute”:

Its observation tower rises 75 feet above the floor of the surrounding live-oak hammock, looking almost other-worldly…like something straight out of James Cameron’s film Avatar. Its 85-foot long suspended walkway sways amid the treetops…much to the delight – and sometimes trepidation – of visitors making their way across. The breathtaking view from the top stretches for miles and is unlike any other in this corner of the world.

“It” is the Canopy Walkway at Myakka River State Park. And this year marks its 10th anniversary.

Story on nhpr.org featuring Bryson Voirin, TREE’s student research associate:

After a long, lazy, food-filled weekend, we turn to the sloth. It’s an animal. It’s an insult. And the namesake of one of the seven deadly sins. Those of us who’ve watched any animal TV programs probably have an image of the sloth. Long-nosed and long-limbed, loping around and napping in the treetops.

The truth is that the sloth gets a bad rap. The languid-looking animals are faster and more agile than they get credit for.

Sloth-scientist and expert tree-climber Bryson Voirin is on a mission to revise our misconceptions about the critters. Bryson grew up in Florida, fascinated by wildlife and obsessed with the rainforests. He attended high school in Germany, but returned home to study biology and environment at the New College of Florida. There, he met Meg Lowman, a pioneer in canopy science, who took him on as a volunteer researching sloths in Panama. Before long he decided to focus his studies on arboreal mammals.

Bryson’s now 25, works with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, and is pursuing his PhD with the Max Planck Institute. He joins us as part of our ongoing dedication to great young minds in science.

From Dr. Margaret Lowman (aka CanopyMeg):

In less than a week, the United Nations Framework on Climate Change Convention opens in Copenhagen, Denmark. Abbreviated as UNFCCC or COP15 (which stands for Council of Parties, now in its 15th year), these meetings are highly anticipated by governments, industry, scientists, and citizens worldwide. I am humbled and honored to have a Press Pass from the New York Times to attend these meetings, and report back to their regional Florida paper, the Sarasota Herald Tribune. With Twitter, Facebook, and blogging, I hope to share the announcements, findings, side events, and diverse groups represented in Copenhagen. From the Girl Scouts to Environmental Defense, from Harvard University to the government of Papua New Guinea, voices around the world will speak out about climate change, in hopes of influencing future policies. I will also be reporting scientific information directly to our Florida cabinet, in my role as climate change adviser to our state CFO, Alex Sink.

My first assignment for COP15 was attendance at a Press Briefing in Bonn, Germany on November 25 …. via internet! At this introductory session, it was made clear that there is no Plan B for failure at Copenhagen, only Plan A (and A stands for Action). It is also clear from the scientific record that unseasonable climatic conditions are already stressing many developing countries and resulting in tragic loss of human life. Droughts in Africa, storm surges flooding Pacific Islands, and monsoons accompanied by flood damage along the coasts of Asia are threatening millions of citizens. Is climate change a consequence of human activities? The scientific consensus is a strong YES. But regardless of anyone’s opinion about the answer to that question, all global leaders agree on three issues:

1. More people are currently at risk (as compared to the past) from climatic extremes;
2. Our already- declining, finite supplies of some natural resources (e.g. forests, coral reefs, mangroves, etc.) are in danger of disappearing, if international agreements are not reached; and
3. The meetings in Copenhagen require strong initiatives, goals, and cooperation.

The outcome of these meetings needs to prioritize safe, low-emissions growth for all developing countries; and new, clean-energy technologies for developed countries. Poor nations are currently at risk due a history of high levels of consumption and carbon dioxide emissions from developed countries. For most international leaders, this poses an ethical dilemma that requires immediate attention. In fact, most leaders agree that it is overdue for urgent action to reduce global carbon dioxide emissions and moderate extreme climatic events.

What will define success for COP15? Industrialized countries need to declare strict targets by pledging immediate emissions cuts by 2020, thereby averting more serious climatic extremes. (Russia recently pledged to reduce its emissions by 22-25% over 1990 levels which is an exciting, recent announcement.) Second, developing countries need to define their goals more clearly. For example, Brazil has pledged to reduce emissions by 36-39% from current levels, and South Korea by 30%. These announcements are truly exemplary. Third, clarity on the finance to support developing countries is critical to the UNFCCC agenda; wealthy countries need to fund the reduction of carbon emissions and/or pay credits for their history of excessive emissions. And fourth, international agreement on how such funds will be deployed and how emissions will be monitored is a final priority for the agenda. All of these actions require international cooperation. Scientists and policy-makers agree that the destruction of forests, the melting of glaciers, and the expansion of infectious diseases are suicidal for humankind. So, all countries anticipate a spirit of cooperation and creativity to succeed in Copenhagen.

If there is no success at COP15, then the future is certainly jeopardized for our children. The stakes are high. Creating international standards to insure clean air, water, and sustainable use of resources for the next generation is critical, with our global population predicted to reach 8 billion over the next two decades.

So, watch for developments about the Copenhagen meetings on the Herald-Tribune Blog, CanopyMeg Blog, Twitter (canopymeg), Facebook (Meg Lowman). I will be doing my utmost to keep our community informed about COP15.