Become a citizen scientist! In the Summer of 2012 you can join CanopyMeg in the Amazon, uncovering the secrets of the forest canopy. Itinerary includes 8 days in the Amazon and an optional 4 days in Maccu Picchu. For more information, contact Dr. Frances Gatz (logistics coordinator) at frances@ee-link.net

PROGRAM FEATURES
“This is a non-stop workshop full of once-in-a-lifetime experiences.”

Unique, active, and fun! This expedition is an eye-opening introduction to the environmental and cultural aspects of the Amazon Rainforest and river system in the Amazon basin of Northern Peru. The program is safe, comfortable, and accessible, offering the opportunity for many intercultural interactions, plus science and service field experiences:

• Work side-by-side with scientists on research in of one of the most biologically diverse environments on the planet.
• Ascend over 115 feet on a 1/4-mile Rainforest Canopy Walkway, one of the few of its kind in the New World.
• Interact with indigenous people and see how they use the forest for medicine, food, and shelter.
• Contribute to a Community Service Project to benefit people who live in a village along the Amazon River.
• Use hand lenses, binoculars, maps, taxonomic keys for identification, and simple field equipment with the help of our experienced Naturalist Guides to learn about:

• Insect Camouflage & Mimicry
• Neotropical Butterflies
• Rainforest Canopy Research
• Reptiles and Amphibians
• Medicinal Plants
• Orchids & Bromeliads
• Amazon River System
• Neotropical Birds & Migration

Name me! Starting at a bid of $10,000, TREE is auctioning off the naming rights for this bark beetle! These funds will go directly toward saving the last remaining fragments of forest in Ethiopia, which have an estimated 5-10 years before extinction. Join TREE Foundation in conserving global forests, starting now! Present the unique holiday gift — a forever-legacy of naming an insect after your loved one or company! And there will be more to come, as we uncover new species in the church forests of Ethiopia and elsewhere.

UPDATE 12/28/2011: The naming opportunity for our new species of bark beetle (Cyclorhipidion “Your Name Here”) was “sold” for a five-figure sum to a couple who believe strongly in global forest conversation efforts.

Thanks to them, the remaining forests of Ethiopia will gain new expanses of stone walls to safeguard all the ecosystem services derived from these forests: native seed sources, honey medicines, freshwater springs, shade, soil conservation, biodiversity, spiritual sanctuary for millions of Christian Orthodox or Coptic followers in Ethiopia.

Stay tuned, as TREE Foundation works with entomologists around the world to process our collections, earmark the new species, and “auction” the naming rights in exchange for saving critical habitat.

A big TREE-hug to: Betsy Cole for drawing the beetle, Jiri Hulcr for his classification efforts, and Andrea Lucky for finding it!

TREE partner Young Voices for the Planet is launching their video in Raleigh NC on October13. YVP is headed up by famous children’s environmental author. TREE’s executive director, Meg Lowman, serves on the YVP board of directors.

Press Release:

Eco-Author Lynne Cherry Launches Young Voices for the Planet DVD at NAAEE Conference in Raleigh, NC Oct. 12-15

Lynne Cherry, best-selling author and illustrator of such children’s classics as The Great Kapok Tree and A River Ran Wild, has produced and directed eight short documentary films which show that kids have the power to bring about change. Cherry is releasing a DVD of the films, Young Voices for the Planet, at the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) conference in Raleigh, NC, October 12-15, 2011. Films showcase the power of youth speaking out, creating solutions, leading the change.

Read the full press release

Go to http://www.churchforest.com to find out how you can help get this film made.

A portion of all money raised for this film will be used for stone walls around the forests, local labor, hygiene installations to insure that the church biodiversity has appropriate stewardship, gates, and a truly sustainable approach.

DESCRIPTION:
The Ethiopia of ancient times was verdant, flourishing country, frequented by the Egyptians and Romans for its natural resources and for the knowledge of its inhabitants. Ethiopia was also one of the earliest countries to adopt Christianity as its national religion, and in 500 AD Coptic churches sprouted up among the woodland.

Modern-day Ethiopia has been largely deforested for agricultural needs and to harvest building materials. When looking at Ethiopia from an aerial vantage point, however, one can make out thousands of tiny, wooded sanctuaries amidst the sprawling, arid farmlands – vestiges of the ancient Ethiopian forest. In the center of each one of these green oases lies a church.

These Ethiopian Othodox Christian churches take it as one of their fundamental tenets to preserve these ‘church forests,’ and the parishioners consider them to be reconstructions of the Garden of Eden. Some of these churches, and likewise the sacred forests that surround them, are 1500 years old. These sites are of enormous cultural and historical significance and also play a key role in the ecology of Ethiopia – as food sources, water cycling sources, seed banks, and sole habitats for the majority of the entire region’s biodiversity. However, these church forests are rapidly disappearing, with some estimates predicting that they will vanish entirely within 5 years.

Enter Meg Lowman, affectionately called the mother of canopy research as one of the first scientists to explore this “eighth continent.” For 30 years, she has designed hot-air balloons and walkways for treetop exploration to solve the mysteries of the world’s forests. She has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed scientific publications, and her first book, “Life in the Treetops,” received a cover review in the New York Times Sunday Book Review.

This January, Meg will lead a team of researchers and conservationists to Ethiopia on a mission to work hand in hand with the local priests and parishioners to create and enact simple sustainable measures to forever preserve these sacred cultural and environmental havens. We will document the places, the people who live there, and the visitors who have come to help. This film will raise awareness about the church forests, the plight they are in, as well as highlight an unlikely story of collaboration between scientific and religious communities.

PROGRAM FEATURES
“This is a non-stop workshop full of once-in-a-lifetime experiences.”

Unique, active, and fun! This expedition is an eye-opening introduction to the environmental and cultural aspects of the Amazon Rainforest and river system in the Amazon basin of Northern Peru. The program is safe, comfortable, and accessible, offering the opportunity for many intercultural interactions, plus science and service field experiences:

• Work side-by-side with scientists on research in of one of the most biologically diverse environments on the planet.
• Ascend over 115 feet on a 1/4-mile Rainforest Canopy Walkway, one of the few of its kind in the New World.
• Interact with indigenous people and see how they use the forest for medicine, food, and shelter.
• Contribute to a Community Service Project to benefit people who live in a village along the Amazon River.
• Use hand lenses, binoculars, maps, taxonomic keys for identification, and simple field equipment with the help of our experienced Naturalist Guides to learn about:
  • Insect Camouflage & Mimicry
  • Neotropical Butterflies
  • Rainforest Canopy Research
  • Reptiles and Amphibians
  • Medicinal Plants
  • Orchids & Bromeliads
  • Amazon River System
  • Neotropical Birds & Migration

About Worku Mulat

Worku Mulat has been an associate professor of applied ecology at Jimma University in Ethiopia and currently lives in Dallas, TX. He holds a PhD from University College Cork in Ireland, an MSc from Gent University in Belgium, and a BSc from Asmara University in Eritrea. Worku has co-edited a book on Water Resources Management in Ethiopia: implications for the Nile basin and has written a book chapter on water supply and sanitation in Ethiopia. He also published articles in the Malaria Journal, Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, Ecological Indicators, and Bioresource Technology. He also initiated a partnership between Gent University and Jimma University to study the impacts of the Gilgel Gibe I Hydroelectric Dam in Ethiopia.

From Talks@ATREE:

Speaker: Dr. Margaret D. Lowman
Date: January 28, 2011
Time: 4 pm
Venue: ATREE Auditorium in Bangalore, India
Title: UN Year of the Forest – inspiring new stakeholders to reverse deforestation

Abstract:
Rates of tropical deforestation continue to accelerate, and yet the United Nations has declared 2011 as the International Year of the Forest. Our conventional mechanisms of conservation have not been effective over the past several decades, so new and innovative solutions to reverse forest degradation are required. As a canopy biologist with over 30 years of experience, I discuss ways to leverage research and education outreach for conservation purposes. First, partnerships with non-traditional stakeholders are an emerging mechanism for success i.e., religious leaders, corporate and business partners, and engaging women in science are illustrated by case studies. Second, the inclusion of education and broader science communication as an essential component of my research – in particular the involvement of children as future stakeholders and increasing use of social media – have proven effective. The field of canopy science, with its creative toolkit of walkways and ropes that also foster ecotourism, can enhance forest conservation through the integration of economics and ecology to a growing diversity of stakeholders.

Affiliation:
Dr. Lowman is the Director of the Nature Research Centre at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and Professor at North Carolina State University Raleigh, NC. She also serves as Vice President of The Explorers Club; Vice President of the Ecological Society of America; Executive Director of Florida’s TREE Foundation; and Cluster Chair for the Sarasota Economic Development Corporation.

The Pygmy three-toed sloth is on the list of one of the world’s most endangered animals TREE Foundation has supported the training of canopy students by Meg Lowman,
who in turn taught Bryson Voirin, who in turn has been a long-standing TREE research associate and devoted much of his research career to sloth ecology. At popular request, TREE Foundation has established a special fund to support canopy research on sloths, and this fund is launched with a special music DVD (see below) with all proceeds dedicated to sloth research and conservation.

Stay tuned for updates on sloth research and conservation on this site!

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“MOOZIKK” COLLABORATION OF MUSICIANS TO RAISE FUNDS AND AWARENESS FOR THE CONSERVATION OF THE PYGMY THREE TOED SLOTH

PRESS RELEASE

Martin Roberts (frontman of south UK unsigned indie dream-pop band PowderedCows) is an unsigned musician from Christchurch UK who makes music influenced by animals, birds, the outdoors, and his voluntary conservation work he gets involved with, such as otter surveying and looking after rescued bats.

All proceeds from sales of PowderedCows music go to various animal conservation charities. PowderedCows last album ‘attack of pipastrelles’ raised money for the UK’s Bat Conservation Trust.

Martin has recently started getting musicians he knows and is a fan of to submit tracks of them playing acoustic (just guitar and vocals) and then he has been adding his sound and instruments over the top. Martin will then put all the tracks onto a CD to raise money for conservation and awareness of the critically endangered three toed sloth.

“This is our last chance to save the pygmy three toed sloth – it’s like a living version of the sad story of the dodo, but, now we have a chance to do something to stop it becoming extinct, and we must take this chance now before it’s too late” [Martin Roberts]

Martin already has various musicians from the UK and USA (such as Jason Lytle from the band ‘Grandaddy’) submitting music for this album, and awaiting to hear back from more musicians, media, and like minded people..

This album is not going to be on any label, and all proceeds will go to help The Tree Foundation fund sloth expert Bryson Voirin help save the pygmy three toed sloth. Bryson works closely with The Tree Foundation who work hard on conservation projects such as helping this sloth species.

Here’s more about Bryson
http://news.mongabay.com/2010/0316-hance_fs_pygmythree.html

Facebook group page for more details about “Moozikk”:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Moozikk/117586218314545

Thanks very much for your time and consideration

Martin Roberts (of the band PowderedCows www.myspace.com/powderedcows)

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LAST CHANCE to join Canopymeg on the Orinoco River, where she is leading a trip jointly for the Smithsonian Institution/Explorers Club. Below is information about the trip:

Download (PDF, 753.26KB)

TROPICAL TREE CLIMBING

Amazon Tree Climbing Expedition – 7 Days/6 Nights

Jan. 16th- 22nd 2011

­Come join us into the rooftop of world’s largest forest!

Have a passion for nature? Have desire for adventure? Looking for that next exotic getaway out of the norm? Then we welcome you to become part of our Amazon Tree Climbing Expedition.

Drift the rivers, wander the trails, explore the canopy.
Don’t miss this unique opportunity to explore, adventure and ascend into some of that last truly wild places on earth.
For more information-
http://www.tropicaltreeclimbing.com
or
contact – Tim Kovar with New Tribe / Tree Climbing Northwest -
email: treekster@mac.com