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.

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).

The Joel and Ellen Fedder Lecture Series of the TREE Foundation presents: “Charles Darwin at 200: The Concise Story of An Extraordinary Man” by Tim Berra

On Wednesday, February 4, 2009, New College will host the third lecture in the New Topics series. Professor Tim Berra, professor emeritus of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology at the Ohio State University, will discuss the life and legacy of Charles Darwin. The event will take place at the Mildred Sainer Pavilion and begins at 7:00 pm. (Address: 5313 Bay Shore Road, Sarasota, FL, 34243 – Campus Map)

Berra is the author of over 75 scientific papers and six books, including Evolution and the Myth of Creationism and A Natural History of Australia. His latest book, Charles Darwin: The Concise Story of an Extraordinary Man, will be published by Johns Hopkins University Press in November 2008 and features 60 black and white illustrations and 16 color plates.

Sponsored by New College of Florida and Joel and Ellen Fedder Lecture Series of the TREE Foundation, the series pairs prominent national speakers with New College faculty for stimulating discussions on relevant topics of our time. The final program is entitled Crystal Balling the Economy” and will be held on March 11.

New Topics New College is the successor to the New College Foundation’s successful Hot Topics series, which started on campus in 2004. The series sponsor for this year’s programming is once again U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management. The Fedder Lecture Series of the TREE Foundation is also underwriting the lecture on Charles Darwin.

You may view the complete program at http://www.ncf.edu/new-topics-new-college/2008-2009-program.

Tickets are $15. The event is free for New College faculty, students and staff. The For more information and to reserve tickets, contact Greg Hite, special events coordinator, at (941) 487-4155 or events@ncf.edu

Links:

• New College Lecture series schedule
• Dr. Tim Berra
• Dr. Meg Lowman
• Mildred Sainer Pavilion

Source: http://www.ncf.edu/news/?p=1091

Darwin cake at the event:

Discover the wonders of Florida’s forest canopy on Friday, December 26 during a nature walk at Myakka River State Park. Professor of Biology and Environmental Studies Dr. Meg Lowman and her family will teach you about the work of an ecologist and the study of living organisms and their interaction with the environment both high and low from 1 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Walkers will then enjoy a guided tour of canopy methods.

Myakka is one of the state’s oldest and largest parks, protecting 58 square miles of wetlands, prairies, hammocks and pinelands, as well as the officially designated “Wild and Scenic” Myakka River.

Space for this walk is unlimited. Participants should wear comfortable walking shoes that can get wet, and bring a light jacket, hat, sun screen, insect repellent, and drinking water. Camera, hand lens or binoculars are suggested but all optional.

Participants should meet in the parking lot of Myakka’s canopy walkway. Myakka River State Park is located approximately six miles east of I-75 off Clark Road (S.R. 72). Myakka State Park rangers at the front gate can direct cars to the walkway parking lot. There is a park entry fee.

For more information about this or other nature walks, contact the Sarasota County Call Center at 941-861-5000 and ask for Natural Resources.

Dr. Meg Lowman is scheduled to speak at the 33rd ESA Annual Conference in Sydney, Australia on December 2nd.  Additional information can be found at the ESA 08 website:
http://www.ecolsoc.org.au/conference/esa08/

Please save the date of February 4 for the Fedder Lecture series, co-sponsored by TREE Foundation and New College Foundation as part of their Hot Topics series.

“Charles Darwin at 200: Evolution & Evidence”

Wednesday, February 4, 2009
7 PM at Sainer Art and Music Pavilion, New College Campus
5313 Bay Shore Road, Sarasota, FL, 34243 (Campus Map)

Tim Berra, Professor Emeritus, Department of Evolution, Ecology & Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University
Meg Lowman, Ph.D., Professor of Biology and Environment Studies

Ticket price: $15
NCF students, faculty & staff: Free
Reservations: (941) 487-4155 or email events@ncf.edu

A special Chuck Darwin birthday cake and a toast to evolution afterward! Bring your friends.

Links:

• New College Lecture series schedule
• Dr. Tim Berra
• Dr. Meg Lowman
• Mildred Sainer Pavilion

TREE Foundaton / New College of Florida sponsored lecture:

Natural Sciences Seminar: Dr. Soubadra Devy Lecture on The Ecology of the Western Ghats Biodiversity Hotspot in India on Friday, November 14th, 2008

Friday, November 14th, 2008
3:30 PM Chae Auditorium, Heiser Bldg., New College – Western Campus (Campus Map)

Everyone is warmly invited to attend (Free and open to the public)
Refreshments available at 3:25 PM

Contact Person:
Trish Allman
Office Assistant
Division Natural Science
HNS 111A
941-487-4370

• New College Announcement page
• PDF Flyer
• More info on Dr. Soubadra Devy

On September 18, 2008, Congress passed important “No Child Left Inside” legislation that will fund environmental education programs at a national level. As Vice President of the Ecological Society of America overseeing the portfolio of education and human resources, Dr. Lowman worked with the ESA policy staff to create this press release last year. It was based on an earlier editorial that Lowman wrote in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment in fall 2006.