TREE intern, Ricardo Rengifo, visited Sarasota, Florida as part of his canopy ecology and environmental education internship. Ricardo spoke at local elementary schools, explaining the importance of rain forest conservation. He also starred at the regional Earth Day festival, giving demonstrations with his blowgun to many children of all ages (including their parents). Ricardo worked at New college, learning from Dr. Lowman and her students about canopy ecology and new advances in environmental education outreach. As part of his internship, Ricardo will also travel to Washington DC, Charlotte NC, Minneapolis MN, and Chicago IL for school talks and to meet with tropical conservation biologists.

Ricardo thanks all the TREE donors who kindly sponsored his first-ever trip out of the Amazon jungle to visit the United States.

Photos:

UPDATE (9/7/08): Video by ABC 7 News of Ricardo’s visit:
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