On January 23, 22 students and two faculty members from New college of Florida embarked on the “trip of a lifetime”. They voyaged to the Amazon, and explored the tropical rain forest. Of particular excitement was the special chance to work in the rain forest canopy, at the study site of “CanopyMeg” Lowman, ecologist at New College who has worked in the Amazon region of Peru for over 10 years. She continues to lead trips for students, local families, and community leaders so that they can understand why conservation of the tropical rain forests is critical to all life on Earth, including all of us in Florida.

Students were encouraged to keep a log of the trip. Writing about their favorite food, view, bird, plant, experience, canopy platform, insect, or thoughts. Here are some of those logs:

Log 1
On the morning we stayed at the Explorama Lodge, we woke up at 5:30 to go birding. Initially, I was a little hesitant about the experience-after all, I hadn’t woken up before dawn in years-but as soon as we saw our first bird, my mind was completely changed. We went in two little wooden motorboats down the creek leading to the lodge, past a small thatched roof village where the locals were already up and laundering, fishing, laughing, and talking. Along the sides of the river, we saw a plethora of birds of every type. We saw king fishers, brilliant parrots, oropendulas with their long nests dangling from the trees, vultures, and tanagers, among many others that I don’t remember the names of. I was proud to be the one to spot a white-eared jacamar. We eventually pulled out of the smaller river and into the Amazon as the sun crested over a cloud. We turned the motor on full speed and sped across the muddy river, wind in our faces. On the other side of the Amazon, I saw my first (and second) sloth, high in a cecropia tree. After we were finished ooh-ing and aah-ing and taking pictures, we turned around to come back to the lodge in time for breakfast. I’m glad I decided to go against my college student’s instinct of grabbing a few extra hours of sleep and instead went on what has been one of my favorite excursions of the trip so far!
~Rita

Log 2
This morning I didn’t go on the sunrise canopy walk, I was greatly in need of sleep and decided to sleep in till 7 rather than wake up at 5:30. The minute I woke up, I was regretting my decision to sleep in. I was thinking about and imagining all the things I would be missing, all the stories I would hear when the rest of the group got back, knowing that I had missed a wonderful experience. However, the moment I walked outside my opinion changed. I was transported into another world, where no one but the birds and the bugs were around me. It was absolutely breath-taking. I could hear the unique call of the oropendulas and the chirps of the crickets all around me, there was not another human in sight. The sun had risen a couple hours earlier and was casting a lovely light over the rainforest. I sat on a ledge of the lodge for awhile taking in the beauty of that morning. After awhile I went inside the lodge for a hot cup of tea and some journal writing in a hammock. Looking back I definitely don’t regret my decision to skip the canopy walk.
~Jess

(more…)

Imagine yourself overlooking the canopy of the Rainforest!

AMAZON RAINFOREST WORKSHOP
Specially Designed for Travelers Interested in Natural History, Canopy Research, and Ethnobotany
DEPARTURE DATE: JUNE 24 – JULY 2, 2008
Group Leader – DR. MEG LOWMAN

Unique, active, and fun! This expedition is an eye-opening introduction to the environmental and cultural aspects of the Amazon
Rainforest and River System. The program is a third world experience that is safe, comfortable, and accessible. The itinerary
offers travelers a window on scientific discovery. Intercultural interactions are coordinated to be engaging and meaningful.

PROGRAM FEATURES
“This is a non-stop workshop full of once-in-a-lifetime experiences.”
You’ll be immersed in field experiences at four rainforest lodge facilities in the Amazon basin of Northern Peru:

• Ascend over 115 feet on a 1/4-mile Rainforest Canopy Walkway, one of the few of its kind in the New World.
• Visit indigenous communities and contribute to the well being of people who live on the Amazon River.
• Identify the many ecosystem partnerships of one of the most biologically diverse environments on our earth
• Engage all of your senses to observe the unique flora and fauna of the Amazon Rainforest.
• Use hand lenses, binoculars, maps, taxonomic keys for identification, and simple field equipment with the help of Dr. Lowman and our experienced Naturalist Guides to learn about:
  • Insect Camouflage & Mimicry
  • Neotropical Butterflies
  • Rainforest Canopy Research
  • Rainforest Conservation
  • Neotropical Birds & Migration
  • Ethnobotany
  • Rainforest Ecosystem Comparisons
  • Amazon River System, Geology and Soils
  • Medicinal Plants
  • Orchids & Bromeliads

The 2008 land cost for this workshop is $1898 and the international flight roundtrip Lima ~ $950- $1050.
Space is limited, so reserve your place early! Contact: Dr. Frances Gatz,
Environmental Expeditions, 9335 Fraser Avenue, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910
Phone: 301-585-7027 or toll free at 1-800-669-6806 FAX 301-585-4899 Email: frances@ee-link.net
For general information see the website http://www.travel2learn.com/4students.htm

For more information view the printable PDF Flyer

Dr. Lowman will be speaking on Jan. 15th at Calvin College.
Jan. 15 - “It’s a Jungle Up There: Exploration of the Treetops,” Margaret Lowman, tropical rain forest canopy biologist and educator at New College.

Full Calvin College lecture series is here.

From the Bradenton Herald:

Manatee County residents will be able to catch her speech - and those of other notable speakers through the college’s January Series - live through broadcasts at Bradenton Christian School starting today.

The college, a Christian liberal arts school in Grand Rapids, Mich., has conducted the January Series lectures for more than 20 years.

For the first time, the series will be broadcast live to a dozen locations in the United States, including Bradenton Christian. The series won the International Platform Society’s Silver Bowl Award for best campus lecture series in the nation three times in the 1990s, and the award has since been retired.

. . .

If you go

What: Bradenton Christian School will be broadcasting Calvin College’s January Series, featuring speakers on a variety of topics

When: 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., between today and Jan. 23 (see dates and topics)

Where: Bradenton Christian School’s auditorium, 3304 43rd St. W., Bradenton

Admission: Free

Information: 792-5454

Dr. Meg Lowman is one of the authors of the new book, “They Lived to Tell the Tale”. The Explorers Club is having a gala cocktail reception for the book launch on November 8. More info here.

“They Lived to Tell the Tale” is a colorful collection of adventure stories from some of the bravest and most daring people in the world – the members of The Explorers Club. These firsthand accounts, ranging from the remarkable to the captivating to the absurd, are sure to become a memorable part of exploration lore for generations to come.

Come meet the writers and celebrate the publication of these 41 exceptional tales of exploration and adventure.

Authors include the well known, the known, and the about-to-be known - and no one tells a tale like a true explorer.

The book will be available for purchase and for inscription by the attending contributors.

This event is open to members and guests, the general public and invited members of the press.

Special doors prizes too!

October 6 - Ft. Lauderdale Florida – Lecture to the Explorers Club, Southern Florida chapter

October 18 - Cipriani, New York City – Board of Directors host for Lowell Thomas Awards dinner, Exploring Climate Change

October 19 - The Explorers Club headquarters, New York City – Moderator for Panel on Climate Change

October 25 – Moab, Utah – Utah Environmental Educators Society – Keynote lecture at annual conference

November 3 – Sarasota Reading Festival

November 7 – The Explorers Club, New York City – book launch for They Lived to Tell the Tale (25 explorers’ write their collective tales of exploration)

November 14 – Elizabethtown College, PA – Convocation speaker

November 28 – Concord College, WV – Invited Science Address

November 29 – New College of FL – Sustainability and Environmental Landscapes in Florida Symposium

December 2 – Tropical Ecology Congress 2007, Dehradun India – invited speaker

Dr. Margaret Lowman, International Canopy Researcher, to speak at

Garrett College
McHenry, MD
Saturday, May 19th, 2007
7:00 pm

Dr. Lowman will be at the Discovery Center at Deep Creek Lake State Park from 3:00 – 4:30 pm for a book signing and community social.

Please come join us for this unique opportunity!

For directions to the book signing at the Discovery Center at Deep Creek Lake State Park, see:
http://www.dnr.state.md.us/publiclands/western/deepcreeklake.html

For directions to Garrett College visit:
http://www.garrettcollege.edu/about/directions.html

The Forest Canopy Walkway is a project by the Western Garrett County State Park Volunteers in partnership with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Park Service and Forest Service.To find out more about the project, visit:
http://www.dnr.state.md.us/publiclands/western/dcldcbrochure.pdf

Additional info on Dr. Lowman:

Meg Lowman (aka Canopymeg) is the Director of Environmental Initiatives at New College, the premier honors college for the State of Florida, with professorships in biology and environmental studies. Meg has developed an expertise for the use of different canopy access techniques, including ropes, walkways, hot air balloons, construction cranes, and combinations of these methods. She frequently speaks about her jungle adventures and about rain forest conservation to educational groups, ranging from elementary classes to corporate executives to international conferences. She received the Margaret Douglas Medal for Achievement in Conservation Education from the Garden Club of America (1999), The Eugene Odum Prize for Excellence in Ecology Education from the Ecological Society of America (2002), election to Leadership Florida (1997), serves on Board of Directors for the Explorers Club, and is part of the senior management team of NEON for the National Science Foundation. Carolyn Shoemaker of the US Dept of the Interior named an asteroid after her (2003). She co-chaired the First and Second International Conferences on Forest Canopies (1994, 1998), and was chief scientist for the Jason Project in Education (1995,1999, 2004).

Dr. Lowman has authored several books about her research and experiences including “Forest Canopies”, “Life in the Treetops” and “It’s a Jungle Up There: More Tales from the Treetops”.

“No Child Left Indoors” Proclamation

This proclamation was crafted for Sarasota (Florida) county and city
commissioners, but any other readers are welcome to use it for their
Earth Week celebrations. Enjoy!

Meg Lowman will be speaking on “It’s a Jungle Up There: More Tales From the Treetops” at Evening Tide Talks at The Florida Aquarium on Jan. 31, 2007.

Complimentary Reception 5:45 PM and Featured Presentation Begins 6:15 PM. Entry is through the Florida Aquarium’s Business entrance.

For more information and to R.S.V.P call: 813-273-4568

Click here to view printable flyer

Dr. Meg Lowman will speak at Venice High School on Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2007 at 7 PM. The talk is open to the public. $5 for adults and $2 for students. Proceeds will go to the Venice High School Zoology Club Conservation Project.

More Info

Article in Herald-Tribune 

Hike off holiday dinner and discover Florida’s forest canopy

Looking for a way to lose those extra holiday pounds? Discover the wonders of Florida’s forest canopy at 2 p.m. Friday, Dec. 29, during a 90-minute nature walk with Professor of Biology and Environmental Studies Dr. Meg Lowman and her New College of Florida Conservation Biology Students. Lowman will lead families as they traverse the canopy walkway through the treetops at Myakka River State Park , 13207 S.R. 72, Sarasota .

Space for this walk is limited to 75, so call to reserve a spot. If the walk is filled, future walks are available. Participants should wear comfortable walking shoes that can get wet. Bring a light jacket, a hat, sun screen, insect repellent and drinking water Binoculars, camera and a hand lens are optional. Participants should meet in the parking lot of Myakka’s canopy walkway. There is a park entry fee.

Designated as a “Wild and Scenic” river by the state legislature in 1985, the Myakka River is one of only two rivers in the state of Florida to receive this prestigious title. Myakka is one of the state’s oldest and largest parks, protecting 58 square miles of wetlands, prairies, hammocks and pinelands.

For more information about this or other nature walks, contact the Sarasota County Call Center at 861-5000 and ask for Natural Resources. For more information about Myakka River State Park, visit:
http://www.floridastateparks.org/myakkariver/default.cfm.