What’s happening

Join New College Professor of Biology and Environmental Studies Meg Lowman and her environmental studies students for a day of discovery along the Myakka canopy walkway.

When is it happening

10-11:30 a.m. Saturday, April 22

Where is it happening

Meet at the parking lot area of the canopy walkway at Myakka State Park, 13207 SR 72 Sarasota. Take Clark Road east of I-75 for approximately six miles. The park entrance is on the left. There is a park entrance fee. Rangers will direct cars to parking.

Why is it happening

To learn how scientists sample insect and plants in the forest canopy.

Action for reader to take

Space is limited to 50 participants, so call to reserve a spot. Participants should wear comfortable walking shoes, a hat, sunscreen and bug repellent, and bring a camera, drinking water an binoculars.

Contact info

For more information, contact the Sarasota County Call Center at (941) 861-5000 and ask for Natural Resources.

Please join Dr. Meg Lowman to walk off your holiday dinner. A special guided walk will be held at the Myakka River State Park Canopy walkway, entitled “The Secrets of the Florida Forest Canopy”. All are welcome — 1 PM on December 26. Meet at the base of the canopy walkway.

Myakka Park Locater Map
Map of Myakka Park and Canopy Walkway Locater

Dr. Margaret Lowman will be giving a lecture titled, “Life in the Treetops”, at the January 5th meeting of the Southwest Florida Chapter of The Explorers Club.

The Southwest Florida Chapter Of The Explorers Club

Would like for you to join special guest,
Dr. Margaret Lowman
For a lecture entitled
“Life in the Treetops”
6:30 PM
Thursday January 5, 2006
FGCU Naples Center
1010 Fifth Avenue South
Naples, FL 34102

Southwest Florida Chapter of The Explorers Club
5845 Paradise Circle
Naples, FL 34110
gerrywb@earthlink.net
239-594-5224 305-219-1477

Dr. Margaret Lowman has spent thirty years climbing tall trees around the world and exploring the ecology of the trees. She is one of the first pioneers to study this eighth continent above the ground, and has used hot air balloons, ropes, slingshots, construction cranes, cherry pickers, walkways and tree houses to gain access to her above-ground research. Her book, “Life in the Treetops”, received a cover review in the New York Times Book Review, and she was recently elected to the Board of the Explorers Club She is one of the first pioneers to study this eighth continent above the ground, and has used hot air balloons, ropes, slingshots, construction cranes, cherry pickers, walkways and tree houses to gain access to her above-ground research. Canopy Meg, as she is often called, will present a slide lecture on her explorations of tropical forests, and share the conservation and education challenges in these regions.

The meeting is open to the Public, so bring some guests. Guest admissions are $5.00 for adults and $2.00 for students. Pay at the door.

For the second consecutive year, New College Professor of Biology and Environmental Studies Dr. Meg Lowman, in association with Sarasota County Natural Resources, will conduct a series of nature walks. Lowman, along with her students of Conservation Biology at New College, will demonstrate how scientists measure the landscape and sample insects, bird songs and the treetops of southwest Florida.

Three walks will be offered in September and October:

* 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 17, It’s a Bug’s Life - Biodiversity in Our Own Back Yards, at Red Bug Slough Preserve, 5200 Beneva Road, Sarasota. Walkers will meet in the parking lot on Beneva Road.

* 2 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 5, Life in the Treetops - Nature at the Canopy Walkway, at Myakka River State Park, 13207 State Road 72, Sarasota. Walkers will meet in the parking lot of the park’s walkway.

* 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 29, A Bug’s Eye View - Life Around a Wetland, at Carlton Reserve, 1800 Mabry Carlton Parkway, Venice. Walkers will meet outside the ranger’s hut near the main parking area.

According to Professor Lowman, the hikes are being offered at different times this fall to accommodate a range of guests, from seniors to families and students. Lowman said the hikes will not be cancelled for rain, unless lightning threatens.

Walks are limited to 50 people, so call to reserve a space. If a walk is filled, guests may choose the next available walk. Walkers should bring a light jacket, camera, sturdy shoes, a hat, sun screen, bug repellent and drinking water.

For more information or to reserve space, contact the Sarasota Call Center at (941) 861-5000 and ask about Professor Meg Lowman’s upcoming nature walks.

Dr. Meg Lowman, Professor of Biology and Environmental Science at New College of Florida, was one of 38 education leaders from around the world who joined forces earlier this month to explore ways to lead, engage, and inspire others to protect biodiversity, the variety and complexity of life on Earth. World Wildlife Fund and Disney’s Animal Kingdom sponsored the International Leadership Institute for Biodiversity Education on October 11-16 at the Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Fla.
Full Article

Dr. Meg Lowman, Professor of Environmental Studies at New College of Florida, and research assistant Bryson Voirin, third-year student at New College, are among the invitees to an international forest canopy conference this week in Cornwall, UK. The Eden Project, as it is known, is an indoor botanical gardens and research center specializing in attaining a more environmentally sustainable future. For the next week, Dr. Lowman and Mr. Voirin will be engaging in lectures on recent research and demonstrations of the latest advancements in canopy research.
Full Article

The Big Canopy Debate
September 16-18, 2004
Cornwall, United Kingdom

Canopymeg is an invited keynote speaker for the upcoming Canopy Season at Eden Project, Great Britain’s premier new botanical garden in Cornwall. During September, Eden is hosting an internationally acclaimed group of canopy scientists to discuss their research and speculate on the future. Included in this week, called the Big Canopy Debate, will be Francis Halle with his canopy glider (a new aerial tool for canopy research), Andrew Mitchell (CEO of Global Canopy Programme headquartered in Cambridge UK), Terry Erwin (entomologist from Smithsonian Institution), Scott Mori (New York Botanical Garden), Nalini Nadkarni (Evergreen State College and founder of International Canopy Network), and Meg Lowman (New College of Florida, headquarters of Center for Canopy Ecology; co-author of recent book, Forest Canopies, Elsevier Press).

Meg Lowman will be leading an expedition to the Peruvian Amazon from January 15 - 23, 2005. Information coming soon on this site, or check with the New College Foundation, Sarasota FL.
Further information available:
New College Foundation (941) 359-4680 or cranor@ncf.edu

Coming in July:
Forest Canopies by Margaret D. Lowman and H. Bruce Rinker
published by Elsevier Press, San Diego CA.
This definitive textbook will provide summaries of all relevant topics on canopy biology, useful for college students, foresters, educators, conservationists, scientists in all disciplines of biology, and policy-makers.

Some pre-announcements are listed below:
US
UK