FAT Courses in management/leadership
Nicaragua Ecology and Behaviour of primates courses
Costa Rica Ecology and Behaviour of primates courses
International Ethnobotany course
Application form for all programs
Reference form and letter for all programs
Biological Field School application form
Reference form and letter for Biological Field School
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| In November, 2000 EARTHQUEST started advertising Expeditions and programs on the GoAbroad internet search engine directory. The results have been very positive. Since our advertising debut average monthly hits on the official website have increased to 500, with the month of February being the highest at 523. Total hits for the site exceeded 10 000 earlier this month. The banner advertises Expeditions and programs offered in Canada, Peru and Nepal for the year 2001 - with Nepal and Peru being the newest additions. I would personally like to thank Troy Peden, editor and Jason Coppage in sales for offering 6 banner spots for the price of 1. |
The Bruce Trail Expeditions
| In September, 2000 we completed the Bruce Peninsula section of the Bruce Trail Project. Three EARTHQUEST teams composed of the following individuals contributed to data collection on 221 vascular plants, 76 bird species, 25 butterflies, 15 mammals, and 11 species of amphibians and reptiles; Expedition team #1: Evelynne Barten (Field Assistant/Research Assistant Trainee), Britta Bentz, Michelle DeCiccio, Bryan McLean; Expedition team #2: Michelle DeCiccio (Field Assistant), Robert Noble, Michael Rowland, Susan Bone, Tanya Forde, Morgan Hall; Expedition team #3: Daniel Morreale, Marguerite DoRosario. My financee - Jan Barnett and I finished off the census/survey work on September 29, 2000 and ended up at the "Glen" Management area located just north of Owen Sound. We would like to thank all team members and Field Assistants for their help and assistance. We would also like to thank the continued kindness and generosity shown to us by Irene and Tony Tavares, owners of Mountain Trout Camp, who for 2 of the Expeditions provided their hospitality and services as we used Mountain Trout as base camp. Irene and Tony were awarded a framed picture of a Luna moth, which Irene discovered on the campgrounds. The dedication on the card commemorates their sponsorship of the project by donating camping space to our teams. |
If you would like to join Expedition #4 to the Bruce Trail this season please go to the Bruce Trail page on our website. For more information about Cavendish Trail programs for 2001 please Click here. For details on the application process for the FA position please Click here.
Brown Capuchin monkey (Cebus apella) Perhaps, our newest Expedition program for 2001 is the development of the Peru Primate Program. This program was largely a result of an Expedition to Peru in 1999, where I personally led an Expedition team 300 miles up the Piedras River to the Curiyaco River and Lake Ecological Reserve. Seven species of primates were encountered on our three day river boat sojourn deep into the heart of the Peruvian Amazon, including Goeldi's monkey (Callimico goeldii). The next Expedition to southeastern Peru is planned for November 24 - December 6, 2001 (12 days). The Expedition team will visit a "jungle" lodge near Puerto Maldonado and study one of several species of monkeys. As a Biologist that specializes in primate social behaviour and ecology I greatly look forward to personally leading this team.
If you would like to find out more about the Peru Expeditions and programs for 2001 please Click here. For applications on EARTHQUEST programs please Click here.
Results of Bruce Trail work
David Hancock of Hancock House Publishers in Maryland has shown a substantial interest in publishing all the field guide books that will eventually be produced on the flora and fauna species. The manuscript is still being prepared with the goal of submitting it to Hancock House sometime before the beginning of the field season. It is hoped that the first book on the Bruce Peninsula will help increase tourism to the area and environmental awareness on some of the more sensitive areas of the project. You may also see an article published in the summer issue of Bruce Trail News as Joy Black, the editor of the magazine requested an article plus photographs , which were submitted for review in March, 2001.
Season Three: Bruce Trail Project
This summer will mark our third year working on the Bruce Trail Project. Expedition #4 is planned for July 23 - August 6, 2001 (14 days) and promises to deliver all the accomplishments of the first three Expeditions and more ..... This Expedition will include field identification techniques of butterfly species as well as focus more on bird vocalization recognition. We will also attempt to photograph more vascular plant species as well as close-ups of birds for the field guide books. Human Resource Development Canada (HRDC) may again provide much needed financial assistance through the Job Creation Partnership (JCP) Program. We were able to hire Bryan McLean (Exp. #1) as Editor/Writer and Dan Morreale as Nature Photographer for Exp. #3 last season. This HRDC grant would allow us to hire up to 10 Field Assistant Trainees (FAT's) plus 1 Videographer to participate for a 6 week period between July 2 - August 10, 2001. The FAT's would continue cataloguing flora and fauna species between Owen Sound and Collingwood, Ontario and the Videographer would help compile footage for a 5-10 minute promotional video on the Bruce Trail Project.
Expedition #1: Nepal
Greg Tooth (FA) for Nepal Expedition #1 and author.
Photo: by author
Expedition #1 to Nepal; rare and endangered medicinal plants
From April 1-15, 2001 (14 days) a team of 6 managed by Greg Tooth (FA) initiated our first Expedition to the Terai region of Nepal to document the rare and endangered medicinal plants of the region. The major objective of this Expedition, other than laying out the ground work for all future Expeditions, was to determine the differences between availability of medicinal plants in the mid-hill region and flat areas with their uses respectively. Our hosts - Rural Community Development Project-Nepal (RCDP-Nepal) seemed quite pleased to have an EARTHQUEST team and showed great interest in our culture and knowledge. Much raw data on the medicinal plants was collected by the following EARTHQUEST Expedition team members and Field Assistant Trainees (FAT's); Stephanie Mills (FAT), Melanie Aloisio (FAT), Gered Doherty, Kyla Ramirez (FAT) and Sherri Girard (FAT). The second Expedition planned for August 13-27, 2001 (14 days) hopes to use the raw data compiled from the first Expedition plus collect additional information on medicinal plant uses and distributions in the regions where they have not been thoroughly documented by RCDP-Nepal staff. A workshop is scheduled for the end of Exp. #2 at the Institute of Agriculture and Animal Sciences in Chitwan, Nepal , which should provide the useful information collectively compiled from both Expeditions. It is hoped that the government of Nepal will use this information to help establish protected areas to conserve and preserve the remaining rare and endangered medicinal plants. A special thanks goes to Bharat Devkota, Field Program Officer of the RCDP-Nepal office in Kathmandu and Murali Adhikari, International Coordinator in the USA office for their support and assistance with designing the first Expedition.
HRDC Approved
HRDC has approved JCP funding for an 8 week Cavendish Trail project this season starting in early May, 2001. This would allow us to hire up to 10 FAT trainees to work on the project. FAT's will continue to monitor population trends in flora and fauna species, help set-up and initiate an ecological study on the rare breeding Carolina Wrens and develop and design an environmental education program for school-aged children. We will also do nature interpretation hikes through the study area for children from the London Regional Children's Museum - through the Junior FAT Program. Our gratitude goes to Beth Anstett of the London HRDC office and Janet Lawrence, Associate Director of the London Regional Children's Museum for their letters of support and sponsorship. We will be needing graduates of the FAT program as FA's to help manage and run this new project. If you are a FAT graduate and/or possess 3-5 years of practical experience in field biology and the ability to positively identify 75% or more of the flora and fauna species on EARTHQUEST projects you are encouraged to apply.
One of several species of monkeys found in the Tambopata Ecological Reserve area of southeastern Peru
Peru Primate Program
EARTHQUEST
Volunteers for Peace Workcamp
We would like to announce our latest affiliation with Volunteers for Peace (VFP). Kerry Jacox, the US Program Coordinator and I worked on developing a workcamp organized for September 3-17, 2001. VFP volunteers will be recruited to assist with the Cavendish Trail Project and breeding ecology study on Carolina Wrens. This study should compare well with data collected during the newly approved HRDC JCP project for spring/summer behaviour patterns in the Wrens.
D. Jolly, B.Sc.
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