The NRC Citizen Science expedition to the Amazon Rain Forest took place during the summer of 2012. Below you will find a list of the wonderfully detailed posts from the trip on Lowman’s Leaf Lovers Club blog:
We are getting ready for our first NRC Citizen Science trip to the field
Posted on July 1, 2012
In less than a week about 20 of us will leave the comforts of our home and fly to The Amazon!!! No doubt it’s going to be a trip of a lifetime. The morning of July 5, our adventure begins. We will fly 4,056 miles to Lima, Peru. Dr. “CanopyMeg” Lowman, Director of the new Nature Research Center in Raleigh, NC will be our leader of the NRC citizen science workshop. read more
First Day Advice
Posted: July 5, 2012
I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to spend the past 10 days in Lima, Peru – Callao specifically – before we begin our group adventure in the Amazon. I am staying with my best friend and his family, and I have been amazed by the familial strength and culture of the people I have met. I am excited to continue meeting and getting to know the wonderful people of Peru, this time in a different culture and setting, in the Amazon. read more
Fun things to take to the Amazon
Posted: July 5, 2012
Earlier this week Claire and I finished preparing for our Amazon Adventure by getting our final set of shots, picking up much needed prescriptions, and making many last- minute purchases. Of course, before one leaves for a trip like this you need to make sure everything fits. read more
Day One
Posted: July 9, 2012
On the way to Lima, Peru. see the photos
Day 2 – Today we are in Lima, Iquitos, and overnight at Explorama Lodge
Posted: July 10, 2012
Photos with captions from Lima, Iquitos, and overnight at Explorama Lodge. see all the photos
Our first night in the Amazon Rainforest was HAIRY!
Posted: July 18, 2012
Our trip down the Amazon, the world’s mightiest river, was spectacular. To get to our evening’s destination, Explorama Lodge, we depart the comfort of the Amazon Queen and split up into two groups. We have been met by a few locals from our lodge at a break in the left bank of the Amazon which opens into a small tributary, called the Yanamono. The name is a composite from the Quechua word meaning black (yana) and the Spanish word meaning monkey (mono). read more
Day 3 – Morning Birding Excursion
Posted: July 18, 2012
5:30 a.m. comes early this morning, but you don’t want to miss the opportunity to go out with our extremely experienced guides. They have lived nearly their entire life in this area and are keenly aware of our surroundings. Today and everyday we have the option of early morning birding. We can travel by small boat or walk the river’s edge. The morning is beautiful. Last nights rain leaves everything smelling fresh and earthy. read more
Day 3 – Learning the culture of the Yagua Indians
Posted: July 19, 2012
Birding, breakfast, and now it’s time for our next adventure – we will spend the morning learning about the culture of the Yagua Indians. Of all the indigenous tribes that inhabit the Peruvian Amazon, the Yaguas are perhaps the most characteristic tribe of the region. Did you know it was the Yaguas that gave the Amazon River its name? You will notice below that the Yagua is wearing a grass skirt. When the Spaniards first came to the Amazon, they saw the Yaguas with their blow-guns through the trees wearing “grass skirts” and thought they were women warriors. Thus, the Amazon River was named after the Greek myth of the Amazon women warriors. read more
Day 3 – Learning the Culture of the Yagua Indians – Part II
Posted: July 21, 2012
The casas or houses visible from the river’s edge all have a similar and characteristic look; they are constructed in identical fashion from materials provided by the forest. The traditional thatch roof comes from a palm called irapay. read more
Visiting the local CONAPAC Amazon Library and the Polaco’s Rum factory
Posted: July 22, 2012
After spending the day learning about the culture of the Yagua Indians it was time to visit the local library, The CONAPAC Amazon Library. Just prior to our leaving base camp rain showers began. What a sight to see two boats filled with people sitting quietly in the pouring down, pelting rain. But it didn’t matter; there was no way a little bit of rain was going to interrupt our 15 minute boat ride. Traveling at nearly 20 m.p.h. we were quite the colorful sight; no doubt our pastel colored rain ponchos arrived at the library just prior to us. During the past day or two we had come to learn that weather, especially rain, was not going to be a “show stopper.” read more
Our last night at Explorama
Posted: July 22, 2012
Tomorrow we pack up and will visit the Yanamono Medical Clinic before heading deeper into the Jungle…
A visit to the local medical clinic. What an incredible, inspirational story!
Posted: July 27, 2012
The 6:00 a.m.morning air is warm and moist, but surprisingly pleasant. We have yet to experience any really “hot” days. It’s been mostly overcast, “cool,” and wetter than usual. We had a restful and tarantula-free night. Instead of giant, hairy spiders, we saw a single treefrog, sitting on the edge of a chair eating a moth nearly as big as itself. Most in the group screamed upon first seeing him… read more
We leave “The Clinic” and head to ExplorNapo Lodge
Posted: August 3, 2012
We depart The Clinic and motor 1-1/2 hours further downriver and up the Amazon’s largest Peruvian tributary, the Napo River. Our guides keep a watchful eye on the river bank for sloths and other wildlife sightings while we, in turn, keep a watchful eye inside the boat on our neighbors, sitting ever so close. Obviously there’s no problem with our tight quarters; and, you can see from the picture we’re having a GREAT time!!! read more
Silly for Sloths!!!
Posted: August 5, 2012
Who knew that today we would actually have a chance to see, let alone hold, a real live South American sloth. read more
