TREE Foundation is proud to announce a new project linking kids to nature for Southwest Florida. The TREE treehouse will be built at Crowley Nature Reserve (exit on Fruitville Road off Interstate 75) as soon as the fund-raising is completed. This “kids-dream-come-true” will feature natural materials, an eagle’s nest upper view spot, environmental educational hands-on activities inside and out, and construction amidst native Florida forest vegetation. TREE Foundation and Crowley Board of Directors are proud to co-sponsor the TREE treehouse, and encourage all local families, philanthropists, and businesses to become part of this special legacy to the next generation of Floridians. Our motto is “a treehouse for every child….” and if successful, this model may be replicated in other neighborhoods.

You can make a pledge and be part of this exciting project.  Just click on the graphic above to view a printable PDF version of the pledge card.  You can then fill it out and mail it, along with your check, to:
TREE Foundation
P.O. Box 48839
Sarasota, FL 34230-5839

or

donate online using PayPal:

As Meg Lowman explained in her Nature’s Secrets column, treehouses serve several important biological functions for children who are fortunate enough to experience them:

Treehouses exemplify biophilia, an important term coined by E.O. Wilson that reflects our innate human desire to connect with the natural world. In an evolutionary sense, humans descended from ancestors in the treetops. Anyone who pauses at the zoo to watch a monkey cavorting in the branches is amused, inspired and subtly reminded of something inside that tugs on our evolutionary memory banks.

Treehouses also bring kids into contact with the hotspots of the forest — flowers, new leaves, pollinators, birds, arboreal mammals and millions of beetles. The essence of energy from sunlight all converges in this region high above the forest floor.

Third, canopies undoubtedly produce the purest air on the planet, emanating fresh from greenery that transforms carbon dioxide into useful energy. Oxygen is just one of the byproducts of this important process of photosynthesis. Just as patients appreciate plants in hospitals, perhaps kids benefit from the clean, fresh atmosphere enveloping a treehouse.

Fourth, treehouses are safe sanctuaries in a world of chaos and technology, and elicit the creative energy of youth. (And don’t overlook the fact that they make cozy spots for sleep-overs with best friends!)

From New College News:

Professor of Biology and Director of Environmental Initiatives at New College Meg Lowman, a.k.a. “Canopy Meg,” will speak at United Nations Association, Sarasota-Manatee Chapter, on March 24 at 6:00 pm. Professor Lowman will be joined by Dr. Eugenie “the Shark Lady” Clark. The event is entitled “Two Women: Two Extraordinary Scientists” and will be held at the Herald Tribune Building, 1741 Main Street, in the first floor Community Room.

For more information, please contact Catherine Seress at (941) 928-1187. Please note that searing is limited.

The data was collected from a single Eucalyptus tree in the early 80s by Margaret Lowman in conjunction with an Earthwatch expedition. The leaves were gathered from the top down with the aid of a cherry picker, bagged, weighed, and sorted. Since all of the leaves were removed at roughly the same period in the tree’s life this creates a snapshot of that tree’s foliage. Originally the data was used to determine the distribution of insect damage in its foliage, as well as the distribution of the that foliage over the whole of the tree. The current work we are doing with the data set, represented by the 3-D graph, is to determine how much of a tree’s canopy needs to be sampled in order to obtain an accurate picture of it’s health with the intent of harvesting only as much as is statistically needed. A recent analysis of the data shows that much of the insect damage is concentrated at the lowest heights of foliage and the areas close to the trunk. The damage shows a trend of becoming less severe out into the branches. From this graph, one can therefore determine that it would be an inaccurate sampling technique to gather only the most easily accessible leaves to represent that tree. They would have a higher probability of suffering from more damage as compared to the rest of the canopy. It is in our hopes that students can use this data set as a real world example to learn some of the principles of good sampling techniques and statistical analysis.

Lowman M.D., Burgess A.D., and Higgins W.D. 1987. The biomass of New England peppermint (Eucalyptus nova-anglica) in relation to insect damage associated with rural dieback. Australian Journal of Ecology (12): 361-371

From the Venice Area Audubon Society:

Dr. Meg Lowman to Speak at VAAS Dinner
Topic: Conservation for the Next Generation

The Venice Area Audubon Society is privileged to have the renowned scientist Dr. Meg Lowman speak at the VAAS fundraising dinner Sunday, March 15th at 5:00 PM at the Crossroads American Grille.
Dr. Lowman has recently returned from speaking at the Ecological Society of Australia Conference in Sydney, Australia, where she was interviewed by ABC Radio National. During the interview she dicussed the mysterious world of the canopy and remarked that over half of the life on earth lives in the tops of trees which includes millions of insects and thousands of birds. Dr. Lowman stressed the urgency to uncover the secrets of the rain forest before we lose the forests.

More info and sign up form PDF

From New College News:

Sarasota, FL, March 4, 2009 — New College of Florida invites you to “feel the heat” on March 17, when the College welcomes Harvard-trained marine biologist-turned-filmmaker Randy Olson to campus for a special discussion and showing of his latest movie, Sizzle: A Global Warming Comedy. The event, which will be held at New College’s Harry Sudakoff Center starting at 7:00 pm., is open to the public. Reservations are recommended. Tickets are $5 for the general public; free for New College faculty, students and staff with their New College ID.

Noted for his satirically critical examination of hot button scientific and environmental issues, Olson, who received his Ph.D. from Harvard in 1984 and gave up a tenured professorship at the University of New Hampshire to attend USC and become a filmmaker, is often as critical of scientists poor communications’ skills as he is of the zealous critics of evolution and global warming who regularly make their way into the news. His film Flock of Dodos: The Evolution-Intelligent Design Circus premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2006 and received critical acclaim. Eventually, it was picked up by Showtime and is currently available on DVD around the world.

Olson’s most recent film, Sizzle, tackles the controversy over global warming. It premiered in July 2008 and is currently being shown at film festivals and on college campuses around the country. Its airing at New College is the only current screening in Florida.

During his visit to New College, Olson will discuss the making of Sizzle, as well as his belief that scientists and researchers must do a better job of communicating with the general public. According to Olson, the scientific community’s inability to clearly present their arguments to the public often results in too much time being wasted responding to PR campaigns waged by fringe groups and too little time actually being spent seeking solutions to critical issues facing our planet.

Olson is being brought to Sarasota by Mote Marine Laboratory, as the final guest speaker in their annual Special Lecture Series, sponsored by Robert and Jill Williams. Olson’s lecture at Mote Marine will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, March 16, in Mote’s Immersion Cinema, 1600 Ken Thompson Parkway, Sarasota. That lecture, on his new book Don’t Be Such a Scientist: Talking Substance in an Age of Style, is open to the public. Mote also will show Olson’s award-winning film, Flock of Dodos: The Evolution-Intelligent Design Circus, in the Immersion Cinema throughout the weekend of March 14-15. Showings of Flock of Dodos will be free for Mote Aquarium visitors with their paid admission. For lecture seating reservations at Mote or more information, please visit www.mote.org/lecture or call 941-388-4441, ext. 369.

For reservations to hear Randy Olson’s talk at New College and to view his new film Sizzle on March 17, please contact New College Special Events Coordinator Greg Hite at (941) 487-4155 or email events@ncf.edu. For media inquiries, please contact either Aimee Chouinard at New College of Florida (941-487-4152) or Nadine Slimak at Mote Marine (941-388-4441, ext. 417).

From Herald-Tribune:

New College of Florida students spent an afternoon tramping through the tall grass and undergrowth of Red Bug Slough Preserve on Wednesday, trying to figure out the best way to flush out monitor lizards and Burmese pythons.

…

Public sightings of invasive reptiles have increased recently. Meg Lowman, director of environmental initiatives at the school, says the creatures are spreading into the northern half of the county after being seen for several years around Englewood and Venice.

Full article