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
Log 3
Today the guides took us fishing for piranhas. Our large group split into three small motor boats and were taken to small side rivers that were supposedly rich in piranhas. When we stopped in a good location we were each handed saplings rigged with fishing line and hook as well as a bucket full of small pieces of raw beef. The concept sounded easy enough: bait your hook, drop it to the bottom of the river, and when you feel a bite quickly pull up. We soon realized that actually catching piranhas was much, much harder than it sounded. Time after time we all felt bites on our line and pulled up our lines to find them empty – stripped of all bait. We watched as our boat men pulled up piranha after piranha and the occasional catfish. Finally after what felt like hours and countless failed attempts, one of the girls, Katie D, finally caught a piranha – unfortunately it fell back into the water and not into the boat. More time passed by with only our boat driver catching anything when I finally felt a strong pull on my line and quickly jerked it up. Much to my surprise a small catfish was attached to the end! Shortly after they announced that we would be heading back. As they pulled up the anchor there was another shout of surprise as Jess pulled up a second catfish! We were lucky enough to be able to eat our catfish tonight at dinner. Though there was not much meat, it tasted amazing and was definitely an amazing experience.
~Katie S.
Log 4
The Yanamono Clinic can loosely be considered a clinic it has one doctor and a couple helpers, This clinic deals with those who are sick and lack the monetary funds to travel an hour and a half in a motor boat or who cannot paddle their dug out canoes for 6 hours to the nearest city. Yanamono clinic is run by Dr. Linnea Smith a Wisconsin physician who gave up her job to move down and start it, Luckily our visit to this clinic was not without gifts. After I read the book about her practice I was able to find a local hospital that would donate supplies. I was very glad to be able to deliver these supplies because this clinic is running on donations. The trip to the clinic was a shock: this clinic is under-stocked and uses a wood chairs to perform both dental work and deliveries. This woman lives and works with the people and is so far removed from what we would call basic necessities that her only power comes from a solar panel and her only way to sterilize utensils is through boiling water in a pasta pot. The experience of seeing the clinic and realizing how vital it was for the people made me very thankful that I was able to contribute, And at the same time made me realize how lucky we in the United States are to be so well off. -Michael Dexter
Log 5
Tha Amazon rainforest is a world within itself. From massive rivers to beautiful forests with canopy walkways just traveling vertically a couple hundred feet you go through multiple ecosystems. Today we fished for piranha and caught some of those as well as some catfish, the local fishermen looked at us and we looked at them. I am sure if they had cameras they would have been taking pictures back at us. We also went to a muddy/sandy beach and had a great time, it was like a spa. We went back out on the water again later and listened to nothing and saw the southern constellations.
-Leo Berman Ferretti
Log 6
Admittedly after walking these trails the past few days, after intimately acquainting myself with the populations of bugs in these trees in our research, after learning the names of the plants and recognizing them and naming them as though we’d met, after miserably being eaten alive by mosquitoes, hiking through ankle-deep mud in waterlogged shoes, waking up shrouded in mosquito netting, dragging myself out of bed to walk through the canopy at a height otherwise only accessible by birds and sloths, I’ve fallen for this place. We had a very serious discussion about conservation, about how ravaged the rainforest is by deforestation, violated by politicians, raped by the oil companies, and I turned to my friends at the table and whispered, “What am I doing studying Anthropology? We have to save this place. I want to switch to Environmental Studies.” I was only half serious about wanting to switch my major. But so far as conservation, I was all serious in my conviction.
Log 7
The spirit of the Amazon dwells in all living things, from trees and plants to animals and inhabitants. This spirit is most prevalent in the people of the Amazon, born and raised on her soil and in her waters. These people foster an amazing compassion for not only the every aspect of the forest, but also in ensuring that foreign visitors experience and befriend the forest as well. From the second we were introduced to our guides, their pride beamed through their warming smiles and kind eyes. In their presence, you can sense their spirit and their knowledge through energy and enthusiasm that spreads to your own heart and soul. Our local guides, Ricardo, Juan, and Willy, have captured the essence of the rainforest and utilize it in their everyday lives by exposing tourists to the most valuable yet priceless treasures of the Amazon. They may have seen the same bird or insect everyday of their lives, before becoming naturalist guides, and still see the same species everyday while leading tour groups through the forest. To many people, these beautiful creatures would become unimportant occurrences, and eventually taken for granted and not noticed when passing by. However, everyday, they are never hesitant to enjoy and observe the amazing life of the Amazon, and are also persistent in sharing their findings with whoever is in their company. Each guide has notable characteristics that make them unique and inspiring guides: Juan has his signature exclamation, “go get ’em!” followed by “got ’em!” Ricardo interjects most useful information throughout his walks, from medicinal uses of plants to knowledge that is known throughout the native people but that even the most advanced scientists are unaware of. Willy contributes legends and superstitions of his native culture. The most memorable was a story of reincarnation of a bird that we heard as we traversed the canopy walkway one evening. The legend follows that a man with a family went hunting one evening and did not return for days, and eventually weeks. The mother went to search for her husband, leaving behind a trail of corn and bread crumbs, which were consumed by wildlife, causing her to never return to the village either. Their three year old son was left alone in their home, ceaselessly crying for day after day. It is believed that the son was reincarnated as a bird in the forest canopy, and the tone and sequence of its call is translated to “where are you mama?” and “where are you papa?” An excursion in the Amazon would not be the same without these people, and without all of her people who embody distinct spirits and passions that inspire all walks of life to become stronger, more determined individuals in their own lives.
Log 8
Stop, look, listen. We have much to learn from the Amazon rainforest. Our lives, to a large degree, have drifted away from nature. In this day of fast food and mobile phones, we forget the ultimate costs of the lifestyles that we take for granted every day. Those individuals who inhabit this fragile ecosystem know all too well the delicate balance supporting their lives, as well as the necessary interplay between humans and nature that maintain this balance. Indeed, they have no dual concept, as we do, of civilization and wilderness. There are no well-defined separations between them and their environment, and this constant reminder engenders a lifelong respect for nature. This respect is exemplified by the lifestyle of Amazonian curanderos, or shamans, who heal with plants. Western medicine, with its desire to shift away from a dependency on natural pharmaceuticals, has developed many synthetic compounds for treating our ills. Unfortunately, diseases often develop resistances to such artificial remedies, rendering natural cures necessary. For example, when drug-resistant strains of malaria develop as a result of synthetic drug therapies, doctors fall back on quinine, the original natural treatment for the infection. Curanderos, with their tradition of natural healing, can teach us much about the immeasurable value of nature. Stop, look, and listen. The power is all around you, if you just pay attention. You are a part of nature, whether you know it or not, and there is no way to change it.
Log 9
I felt like I got a whole lot out of the trip that I wasn’t necessarily expecting. I expected to go and learn a lot about herbivory and to really enjoy being in the rainforest. I feel like the deeper impact of the trip was more on a human level, though, going to tour this place that needs protection and is getting messed up in so many ways by the things that we do every day and the lifestyle that we lead. It made me think a lot about my own behaviors here at school (for example, writing this self evaluation in the computer lab, which is full of computers that are running even though nobody is using them, blatantly wasting natural resources, or for example, driving to panera to study and get some quick cookie cutter food). I feel like the trip made me want to change these behaviors as well as get other people to change theirs. It helped me commit to that cause and to see how important it was. It’s overwhelming to look at all of the things that need changing in the world and to try to decide where to begin. Before going on the trip, I felt somewhat lost in a sea of very good causes, all of which are important and pressing. It was impossible to decide which ones to focus on and which ones to let go (after all, a person only has so much energy to go around). But physically going to the rainforest made me realize that climate change in particular is something that needs attention right now, that we have to change otherwise we will all lose something hugely and vastly important to us. I feel like I can commit to that cause. (On a side note, I’m personally going to try to take my message home to all of the people in Pensacola that don’t believe that climate change is happening. Even if I can convince just a few people, I’ll feel like it’s worth something.) Academically, I feel like a learned a lot. I’ve never taken an ecology course and I knew nothing about plants or animals, especially tropical ones, before going down to study them. I realized, up in the canopy, when we were taking data, how much I love doing experiments and research and gathering data on the natural world and feeling like I’m helping to progress knowledge even in the smallest way. But I definitely think the most important experiences were the underlying personal ones. Thanks for giving us the opportunity to go!
Log 10
We woke up this morning at 5:30am to the echoing rattles of Ricardo knocking on our doors. It’s surprisingly cold in the morning. The rain forest is supposed to be hot, right? Nope, grabbed a sweater.
It’s the second day of the trip, and we’re all still getting used to being around each other and the bugs. Ah the insects, our constant companions. We’re heading out this morning before breakfast to go birding. I’ve never been birding, and frankly, it seems quite dull from the sounds of it. We clunked down the wooden boardwalks to the dock and climbed groggily into the small motorboats as we clutched our binoculars. We puttered along with our eyes half open for a few minutes before the infectious enthusiasm of Juan crept into us. He pointed out bird after bird, recalling their names and imitating their calls perfectly. After sighting a particularly awesome bird called the white-eared jacari, morning birding quickly became my favorite part of the day.
In the rain forest, everything is so fresh in the morning. It’s as if the earth gets sweaty and hot all day and takes a shower while we sleep. Perhaps that’s why every morning at 3am I woke up freezing.
Log 11
If not us, then whom?
My journey to Peru was nothing short of enlightening. Through my time spent in Cuzco and in the Amazon, I was given a lot to think about. Seeing the way that the Yagua people live sustainably off of their surroundings, I am struck with how incredibly fortunate I am to possess all of the material necessities for survival all the time. The richness of plant and animal life reinforced my pre-existing love for our natural world, and I left the rainforest both with a feeling of expansive joy and of poignant sadness; seeing logging barges, and knowing that native people are being forced to sell their trees for undervalued prices reinforces to me the necessity to preserve our world. Nature is not a place that exists apart from humans, but should be able to peacefully coexist with us present. When we cease to see ourselves as integrally connected to the Earth, as many Americans have, we often end up participating in harmful activities without even recognizing what we are doing (buying illegally-harvested Amazonian mahogany, for instance). The high point of our journey, for me, was our meeting with the shamans. Those men, while living in an ever-changing and gradually modernizing society, through their uses of natural plant medicines and ritual healing ceremonies, beautifully maintain their connections to their environment in a way that both helps their fellow humans maintain their health and reinforce their spiritual connections to the beauty and power surrounding them. As a first-world citizen, though I may often feel disempowered by the actors working against environmental justice (Chevron, for example), I am in a better position than many other people in our world are to influence the governing forces of sociopolitical realms. Though I would not presume to speak for a nation of people whom I do not know, I think it is clear that somebody needs to be speaking up for Peru. And if not us, then whom? Perhaps someday, everybody everywhere will speak out for environmental justice. Until that day arrives, however, we have the responsibility to inform our fellow citizens and do everything within our powers to heal our planet. – Peter Hess