Would You Know What To Do With A Python?
Would You Know What Not To Do?

To date, several large Pythons have been reported in Sarasota County. We need your eyes to spot them so we can catch them before they spread further.

Python Patrol Workshop

Monday, April 26, 2010
Session 1: 9 am – 12 pm
Session 2: 1 pm – 4 pm

Sainer Pavilion
New College of Florida

Space is limited. To register for this FREE workshop, go to the following website:
http://pythonpatrol.eventbrite.com/

PDF Flyer

Reposted from ncf.edu:

Join New Topics New College for a visual tour of the places in the world most affected by climate change, from the poles to mountains and our cities, and some of the actions being taken to combat the warming, presented by Gary Braasch,  an explorer and photojournalist from Portland, Oregon. Braasch is an environmental photojournalist who creates remarkable images and important documentation about nature, environment, biodiversity and global warming. Included will be images from Florida and the Atlantic Coast, underscoring the local effects and dangers of rapid climate change.  Braasch recently reported and photographed from the Copenhagen international climate negotiations last December, and will offer his perspective on the direction being taken by the world’s nations in reacting to and reducing global warming. The talk will take place at the Mildred Sainer Pavilion (5313 Bay Shore Road) on March 9, 2010 at 4:00 pm.  Tickets are $15.  For more information or to make a reservation, please call the New College Events Hotline at (941) 497-4888 or email events@ncf.edu.

Tuesday, March 9 at 4:00 pm

“Climate Change – a Visual World View of Global Warming”
Gary Braasch, explorer and environmental photojournalist
Faculty host:  Meg Lowman, professor of biology and environmental studies, New College of Florida
Underwritten by the TREE Foundation

New Topics New College is a collaboration of the New College Foundation and New College of Florida.  This dynamic community series pairs prominent national speakers with New College faculty for stimulating discussions on relevant topics of our time.  A reception follows each program and provides an opportunity to meet the speakers, students and faculty.

New Flyer

(Click for larger image)

As part of Earthwatch Board of Directors, I visited the leatherback turtle and the sustainable coffee research projects in Costa Rica during January 2010. This group photo of the BOD is at the Golding Research Center where the turtle project is head-quartered. – Dr. Lowman

Story on BBC News featuring research done by Lowman’s student, Bryson Voirin:

Researchers in Panama have found the first evidence of a sloth that has been killed by an owl.

They found the body of a radio-collared three-toed sloth with lethal wounds that suggest it was hunted by a spectacled owl, which ate its organs.

Three-toed sloths are much larger than spectacled owls, a bird of prey standing around 45cm tall.

That adds to the impression that sloths are helpless on the ground, and camouflage is their main defence.

Details of the extraordinary kill are published in the journal Edentata.

Full story.

Photo essay.

On January 20-28, 2010, students and families joined CanopyMeg for the Amazon Rainforest Workshop: The Ecology and Culture of the Amazon Jungle. Below are student logs from the trip. (Photos from the trip are here.)

=== Molly Welsh’s Journal ===

Part One: Personal Reflective Essay

I was rendered speechless as I traversed the canopy walkway, enveloped in the vibrant emerald green of the majestic treetops of the Peruvian Amazon. Mere words could not do the stunning landscape justice, and I lapsed into a deep silence as I contemplated the power and importance of the natural world. The treetops seemed to stretch for miles, creating a vast expanse of thriving life. Though I was humbled into silence at the magnitude of the rainforest, the atmosphere hummed with life. I was immersed in the unfaltering buzz of the cicadas, the crisp rapid clicks of the tree frogs, and the various melodic bird calls. The silhouette of a hawk swooped down and caught a bat in mid-air as the sun set slowly and delicately painted the sky with pastel yellow, purple, and orange hues. The fog rolled in and settled over the treetops, and the scene epitomized perfection.

Click here to continue reading Molly Welsh’s journal from the trip.

=== Jessa Baker-Moss’ Log ===

Our amazing trip to the Amazon taught me so many things. As a liberal arts student, I’ve had little access to scientific information. Through helping Professor Lowman collect data I learned about the process through which researchers gain knowledge. I never imagined there would be so much paper cutting involved! Graphing and measuring the area and herbivory of the leaves was a tedious yet rewarding process, and it opened my eyes to all of the hard and careful work that it takes to generate statistics (and now I know words like “herbivory”!) I enjoyed hearing about the flora and fauna- I never knew that rainforest leaves grow larger towards the bottom of the forest, or that the “tipping point” at which climate change will be partially irreversible is 20%. The fact that we are at 17% now has made me realize how urgently the issue of deforestation needs to be addressed.

However, the part about our trip that I enjoyed the most was the cultural immersion. I haven’t spoken Spanish since high school and I was surprised by how much of it I picked up in a short week. It truly is much easier to learn a language when surrounded by native speakers. It was difficult to be seen and verbally identified as a tourist- I don’t think that any traveler wants to be seen that way- yet by seeing ourselves through the Peruvian’s eyes, I understood both them and ourselves better. Visiting the village on the last day was one of the most powerful experiences of the trip. To see how little we have and how much we have in comparison made me value my life in the USA a lot more and reinforced my desire to pursue a career that allows me to work directly with people, so that I can help provide resources to those in need.

Now that I’m home, I intend to educate others about what I have learned in the rainforest, and to be more aware of my consumption in my own day to day life. I have already showed all of my friends and family the photos that I have taken, along with information regarding climate change and deforestation, as well as the need for clean water and health care in third world countries. I think the fact that I have been there and seen it with my own eyes will make these problems more real to my loved ones and compel them to take action in order to help find solutions.

New article published in Edentata.

Voirin, J. B., Kays, R. W., Lowman, M. D., and Wikelski, M. 2009. Evidence for Three-Toed Sloth (Bradypus variegatus) Predation by Spectacled Owl (Pulsatrix perspicillata). Edentata 8-10:15-20.