Costa Rica Tree Climbing
In January of 2013 Cornell Tree Climbing offered a ten day expedition-style course in Tres Piedras del Baru in Costa Rica. In addition to learning technical tropical tree climbing skills, the nine students shared in the daily lives and the culture of a rural agricultural village.
Epic Amazonian Arthropod Hunt – Finding Bugs in Peruvian Homes
Watch Canopymeg’s staff colleague at the California Academy of Sciences with her global quest to study arthropods in our homes! Video by Untamed Science!
Review of rope-based access methods for the forest canopy
From Methods of Ecology and Evolution: Volume 6, Issue 8 pages 865-872, August 2015: Review of rope-based access methods for the forest canopy: safe and unsafe practices in published information sources and a summary of current methods
The Dawn Chorus–Nature’s Best Symphony
“As I come over the hill, I hear the wood thrush singing his evening lay. This is the only bird whose note affects me like music, affects the flow and tenor of my thoughts, my fancy and imagination. It lifts and exhilarates me…. It is a medicative draught to my soul. It is an elixir […]
Assistant, Associate or Full Scientist/Curator Positions Available at The California Academy of Sciences
Do you have a passion for cutting-edge biodiversity science and applying it to global sustainability challenges? The California Academy of Sciences seeks to fill several endowed positions with Ph.D.-level scientists who do outstanding biodiversity / ecological science, focus on broader science communication & engagement, care about increasing diversity in science, connect their work to real-world […]
CanopyMeg talks to schools about the rain forest canopies
“CanopyMeg,” Kilby Laureate, talks to schools throughout Texas about her exploration of rain forest canopies. Kids and classrooms connected virtually to California Academy of Sciences.
Women’s History Month PSA on KTVU featuring Dr. Meg Lowman
In honor of Women’s History Month 2015, KTVU features California Academy of Sciences’ Dr. Meg Lowman in a PSA for her achievements in canopy and scientific research and as a role model for women in science.
Monarch butterflies in peril
When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe. — John Muir You don’t have to be a scientist to know and love the monarch butterfly. That iconic, fluttering orange-and-black creature represents a harbinger of summer, of happiness, and of beauty. Not only does it […]
5th Grade Students Buzzing with Excitement after Skype Session with CanopyMeg
Miss Mahon, 5th grade Language Arts teacher at Fonda-Fultonville Central School, writes the following: THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU 1,000000000 TIMES!!! The students are still BUZZING with excitement. In fact, I was just told by a student, ‘This was an experience of a LIFETIME!!!’ With your kindness and generosity, you’ve inspired my 5th graders […]
Engage women in science
It has probably become more dangerous to be a woman than a soldier in armed conflict. — Maj. Gen. Patrick Cammaert, former U.N. force commander, 2008 On Nov. 6, 238 scientists (predominantly women) signed a proclamation titled “A call for inclusive conservation” in the prestigious, peer-reviewed journal Nature (Volume 515, pages 27-8). It was 1920 […]
Gift from the gut
If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough. — Albert Einstein Did you know that a hundred trillion microbes live in your digestive system, and yet almost nothing is known about them? Our own bodies house one of the highest-biodiversity ecosystems on the planet, and only in the past year or […]
New ‘spies’ for science
Imagination is more important than knowledge. — Albert Einstein The era of “citizen spies” is upon us! “CSI: Miami,” take note. Many conservation biologists, geologists, public health specialists and nonprofits are building up a new army, called UAVs (Unmanned aerial vehicles) or “drones,” which are low-cost surveillance technologies that can fly over sites and capture […]
A call for inclusive conservation
A new comment in the journal Nature argues that conservation’s impact on the world is being hindered by the field’s lack of inclusiveness — particularly its failure to consistently include both the many different values people hold for nature, and the viewpoints of women and diverse ethnicities and cultures. The comment is coauthored by Heather Tallis, lead scientist for The […]
Tardigrades publication by NSF undergraduates involved in the “Wheelchairs and Water Bears in Temperate Forest Canopies” program
Congratulations to my undergraduates from our NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates grant “Wheelchairs and Water Bears in Temperate Forest Canopies” for their first publication! This article describes a new species of tardigrade from the trees of Kansas, illustrating that discoveries are everywhere, even in our own backyards. Even more exciting is that these students auctioned […]
Citizen Science Network iNaturalist Celebrates Millionth Nature Observation as it Launches New Visual Maps
The California Academy of Sciences’ naturalist social network gets major revamp SAN FRANCISCO (November 10, 2014) — This week, iNaturalist.org—the California Academy of Sciences’ online social network for naturalists—launched a new series of easy-to-navigate maps that connect people with the natural world like never before. This living record of Earth’s biodiversity places contributed nature observations […]
University of Sydney Alumni Profile: Margaret Lowman
From the University of Sydney’s Biology Newsetter Issue 27: Dr Margaret (Meg) Lowman’s (PhD 1983) email signature encourages you to ‘Enjoy nature!!’ – An attitude she has adopted throughout her career in canopy research and conservation advocacy. Dr Lowman earned the nickname ‘Canopy Meg’ by sharing her research into the world’s rainforests with children via […]
Sustainability and science museums
A vision without a task is but a dream, a task without a vision is drudgery, a vision and a task is the hope of the world. — From a church in Sussex, England c. 1730 When I was in graduate school studying ecology during the 1980s, we all shared a conviction to make the […]
The Eucalyptus Genome
Article from California Academy of Sciences: Science Today which mentions Dr. Meg Lowman’s work with eucalyptus trees. Over one hundred years ago, Eucalyptus trees were planted around the world. Native to Australia, these trees are hardy, and able to take root almost everywhere. Planted for fuel and timber, they have today become one of the […]
TV and family planning
When I took office, only high energy physicists had ever heard of what is called the Worldwide Web … Now even my cat has its own page. — Former President Bill Clinton Much of my global forest conservation work takes me to remote parts of the planet, including India. The culture of India is vibrant, […]
Dr. Meg Lowman on List of Most Influential Women in Bay Area Business
In the San Francisco Business Times‘ May 2, 2014 issue, Dr. Meg Lowman made the list of the most Influential Women in Bay Area Business. Dr. Meg Lowman Chief of science and sustainability, California Academy of Sciences Education: B.A., biology cum laude, M.A., Williams College; M.Sc., ecology, University of Aberdeen, Scotland; Ph.D., botany, University of […]
Publications
Margaret Lowman Catalog of Publications
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Books | Theses | National Leadership Reports | Journal Articles | CV
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Books
- Lowman MD and Yaroslava Yashchuk, 2025. CanopyMeg Chronicles 2 – What Next? In press.
- Lowman MD. Tree Day: A Story of 24 Hours and 24 Arboreal Lives. University of Chicago Press, August 2025.
- Lowman MD and Yaroslava Yashchuk. 2023. CanopyMeg Chronicles – Peppertree Press.
- Lowman MD. The Arbornaut. A memoir. Farrer, Strauss & Giroux, August 2021.
- Frost C and M Lowman. In prep. Forest Canopies – third edition. Springer/Elsevier.
- Lowman MD, S Azizah Mohd Nor, N Ruppert (editors). In press. Biodiversity Survey on Penang Hill, Malaysia. USM Publishers.
- Lowman MD. 2017. Muddy Boots – essays of a field biologist. Peppertree Press, 148 pp.
- Lowman MD. 2016. Through the Year with Gertrude Grosbeak. Peppertree Press, children’s book.
- Lowman, M.D. and W Mulat. 2014. Beza – Who Saved the Forests of Ethiopia, One Church at a Time. Peppertree Press (children’s book), both English and Amharic versions.
- Lowman, M.D., S. Devy, and T. Ganesh. 2013. Treetops at Risk. (Springer Verlag).
- Lowman, M.D., Schowalter T., & Franklin J. 2012. Methods in Forest Canopy Research (University of California Press).
- Lowman, M.D., J. Burgess and E. Burgess. 2006 It’s a Jungle Out There – More Tales from the Treetops. Yale University Press. 291 pp. (Paperback, 2008; reprinted in Korean, 2009).
- Lowman M.D. and H.B. Rinker. 2004 Forest Canopies. Elsevier Press.
- Lowman, M.D. 1999. Life in the Treetops. Yale University Press. (Editions in German, Chinese and Korean; paperback version in 2002)
- Lowman, M.D. and N.M. Nadkarni (eds.) 1995. Forest Canopies. Academic Press 624 pp. (Second Edition in paperback 1996)
- Lowman, M.D. (ed.) 1992. Ecology of Hopkins Forest. Williams College Printers. 100 pp
- Heatwole, H. & M.D. Lowman. 1986. Dieback: The Death of an Australian Landscape, Reed & Co. 150 pp.
- Lowman, M.D. 1974. Some Aspects of the Fabric of Life, U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare 204 pp.
National Leadership Reports
- Lowman MD. 2024. Mission Green – a prospectus.
- Meg Lowman, signatory to, The 2023 state of the climate report: Entering uncharted territory
- Aldo Leopold Leadership Program. 2019. Environmental leadership case studies. Chapter on Ethiopian church forests and bottom-up conservation.
- Lowman, M.D. 2012. Health and environment – kids and treehouses. http://www.epa.gov, blog from Women and Environment White House summit.
- NEON Tiger Team. 2008. Education Plan. http://www.neoninc.org/documents/tigerteam
- Sarasota County Environmental Initiatives, FL (2004 – 2009) series of quarterly reports over 5 years to document environmental programs: invasive reptiles, science education outreach, development of Land Institute, conservation action plans, and other activities.
- NEON ISEP. 2006. National Ecological Observatory Network, Integrated Science and Education Plan. National NEON Design Committee, M.D. Lowman – co-chair education group, contributed to ISEP plan and writing.
- Lowman, M.D. 1974. Some Aspects of the Fabric of Life, U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare 204 pp.
Theses
- Lowman, M.D. 1982. Leaf Growth Dynamics and Herbivory in Australian Rain Forest Canopies. Ph.D. Thesis. Sydney University (Supervisor: Peter Myerscough).
- Lowman, M.D. 1978. Phenology and Productivity of Betula pendula and B. pubescens in Scotland. Master’s Thesis. Aberdeen University (Supervisor: Peter Ashton).
- Lowman, M.D. 1976. Phenological Phenomena and Growth Studies for 16 Northern Hardwoods. Honors Thesis. Williams College (Supervisor: Henry Art).
Journal Articles (peer-reviewed except those with *)
- K.M. Klemow, A.R. Berkowitz, C.R. Cid, T.A. Langen, M.D. Lowman, G. Middendorf, J.A. Reynolds. 2026. A Century of Learning: The Story of ESA’s Education Committee, 1918–2025. The Ecological Society of America (ESA) Bulletin. https://doi.org/10.1002/bes2.70089
- Moore, A., W.R. Miller & M.D. Lowman, Subm. Tardigrades of the Canopy: Milnesium martafischeri nov sp. (Eutardigrada: Apochela: Milneslidae) from Oregon, USA
- Caviglia-Harris, J., K. E. Hodges, B. Helmuth, E. M. Bennett, K. Galvin, M. Krebs, K. Lips, M. Lowman, L. A. Schulte, and E. A. G. Schuur. 2021. The six dimensions of collective leadership that advance sustainability objectives: rethinking what it means to be an academic leader. Ecology and Society 26(3):9.
- WR Miller, H Cotten, SAM Nor, MD Lowman. 2021. Tardigrades of Malaysia: New records of occurrence from Penang Hill. In: Kansas Biology Transactions.
- S Saatchi, M Longo, L Xu, Y Yang, H Abe, MD Lowman (2021). Detecting vulnerability of humid tropical forests to multiple stressors. Science Direct. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oneear.2021.06.002
- Caviglia-Harris, J., K. E. Hodges, B. Helmuth, E. M. Bennett, K. Galvin, M. Krebs, K. Lips, M. Lowman, L. A. Schulte, and E. A. G.
Schuur. 2021. The six dimensions of collective leadership that advance sustainability objectives: rethinking what it means to be an
academic leader. Ecology and Society 26(3):9. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-12396-260309 - Charles H. Cannon1, Colby Borchetta1, David L. Anderson, Gabriel Arellano, Martin Barker, Guillaume Charron, Jalene M. LaMontagne, Jeannine H. Richards, Ethan Abercrombie, Lindsay F. Banin, Ximena Tagle Casapia, Xi Chen, Polina Degtjarenko, Jane E. Dell, David Durden, Juan Ernesto Guevara Andino, Rebeca Hernández-Gutiérrez, Andrew D. Hirons, Chai-Shian Kua, Hughes La Vigne, Maurice Leponce, Jun Ying Lim, Margaret Lowman, Andrew J. Marshall, Sean T. Michaletz, Benjamin B. Normark, Darin S. Penneys, Gerald F. Schneider, Joeri S. Strijk, Bashir B. Tiamiyu, Tara L. E. Trammell, Yalma L. Vargas-Rodriguez, Samantha R. Weintraub-Leff, Alexis Lussier Desbiens and Matthew Spenko. (2021). Extending Our Scientific Reach in Arboreal Ecosystems for Research and Management
- WR Miller, H Cotten, SAM Nor, MD Lowman. July 2021. TARDIGRADES OF MALAYSIA: NEW RECORDS OF OCCURRENCE FROM PENANG HILL.
- Moore A, MD West, L Tibbs, WR Miller, C Johansson, MD Lowman. Submitted. July 2021. Tardigrades of the canopy: a new genus for Acanthechiniscus goedeni (Heterotardigrada: Eschiniscoidea: Echiniscidae) from Oregon USA. Zootaxa. (first authors were undergraduate students)
- *MD Lowman, Leon Kagonovskiy, and Caroline Haley. (2020). Herbivory in the Malaysia Rain Forest Canopy, Penang Hill
- Wayne P. Sousa, Kyle E. Harms, Claudia M. Tyler, Margaret D. Lowman, Michael J. Keough, Peter T. Green, Allan Stewart-Oaten (2021). Resolution of Respect Joseph Hurd Connell (1923-2020). The Ecological Society of America (ESA) Bulletin. https://doi.org/10.1002/bes2.1846
- *Lowman MD. David K. Goodin, Alemayehu Wassie. (2019). The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church Forests and Economic Development. The Case of Traditional Ecological Management.
- *Lowman M. (2019). Life in the treetops—An overview of forest canopy science and its future directions. Plants, People, Planet. 2020;00:1–6. https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp3.10125
- *Lowman MD. (2019). Life in the Treetops – A Planetary Biodiversity Hotspot
- Lowman M., Ruppert N, Mohd Nor SA. Further advancing the expert bioblitz for the rainforest conservation toolkit. Conservation
Science and Practice. 2019;1:e2. - Prashanth Ballullaya U, Manoj Kandoth, Rajesh TP, KS Reshmi, MD Lowman. 2019. Stakeholder motivation for the conservation of sacred groves in south India: an analysis of environmental perceptions of rural and urban neighborhood communities. Land Use Policy (in press). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2019.104213
- Qing Pei, Guodong Li, BP Winterhalder, MD Lowman. 2019. Regional patterns of pastoralist migrations under the push of reduced precipitation in imperial China. Global Ecology and Biogeography 00:1-11. DOI: 10.1111/geb.13040. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.13040
- Lowman MD. 2019. Methoden der baumkronen-forschung im wald. IN: Jahrbuch der Baumpflege (Yearbook of Arboriculture) 2019. (Ed D. Dujeseifken). Haymarket Media. Pp. 111-121.
- WR Miller, H Cotton, SA Kimball, MD Lowman. 2019. Tardigrades in the canopy: from outreach to classroom to science. (In press).
- Waymire A, M DuBuc, WR Miller, MD Lowman. 2019. Tardigrades in the canopy: an analysis of arboreal habitats. (In press).
- David K. Goodin, Alemayehu Wassie, M.D. Lowman (2019) The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church Forests and Economic Development: The Case for Traditional Ecological Management, Journal of Religion & Society, 21: 1-23
- Lowman MD, L Nkaganovsky, C Haley. 2019. Herbivory in the Malaysian rain forest canopy, Penang Hill. IN: The Biodiversity of a Malaysian Rain Forest, Penang Hill. Malaysian Forestry Service Publications.
- Lowman MD, S Azizah Mohd Nor, N Ruppert. 2018. Advancing the rain forest conservation toolkit – a new model for biodiversity surveys. Conservation Biology and Practice (online). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.2
- Lowman MD.2018. Earth system environmental literacy. IN: Encyclopedia of Sustainability Science and Technology. Springer Science Publishers. D