Sunday Soccer

During the inventory work at Nova Vista (see Tapajós-Arapiuns), we took a break on Sunday to relax, wash clothes, and watch the soccer game. [NOTE: The sound in the background is the electrical generator for the TV.]

The Toucan and the Jambu Tree

I came across a channel-billed toucan (Ramphastus vitellinus) preening in a jambu tree (Syzygium malaccensis) near the village of Pini in the Floresta Nacional do Tapajós, Brazil. Worth filming.

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. The sharp boundary between the park and the agricultural fields reflects the continual tension between forest conservation and local livelihoods in the region.

In the Bwindi forest.  That's me in the left foreground.  That's a silverback mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei) shown inside the white circle.  A large female is also visible in the lower right of the image.  [NOTE: Both images are scans from slides; the second one was taken by Chris Davey]

In October of 2001, Tony Cunningham and I did a workshop on ecology and resource management for the wardens and park staff at the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in southwestern Uganda.  About half of the world's population of Mountain Gorillas lives in these forests.  After finishing the workshop, the park managers graciously allowed us to accompany a team of Batwa trackers who had been following a group of gorillas for several months.  The trackers were working to gradually habituate the gorillas so that they could be observed and studied by scientists.   After several hours, we located the study group and were able to get unbelievably (uncomfortably) close to some of the most elusive, threatened, and noble creatures in the world. [NOTE: Although I appreciate the potential scientific benefits of habituation, I question the logic of training gorillas to not be afraid of the one thing that they definitely should fear, i.e. human beings.

Tembawang

Managed forest orchard in Bagak Sawah, West Kalimantan, Indonesia.  Every one of the trees shown has been planted or protected.

Selaku Dayak returning from his tembawang laden with durian (Durio zibethinus) fruits.  

I lived in western Borneo for a good part of the 1990's.   One of my favorite projects during this period  was a study of the managed forest orchards produced by Dayak communities.  These orchards, known locally as "tembawang", are some of the finest examples of tropical silviculture that I have ever seen.  Some tembawang contain over 125 species of trees together with bamboo, rattan, understory shrubs, and herbaceous medicinal plants.  The resultant mix is indistinguishable - to most eyes - from undisturbed Dipterocarp forest.  Further information about tembawang can be found here. [NOTE: Both images have been scanned from slides].

Beijing at Work

A decidedly subjective selection of occupations observed in Beijing.  In order of presentation: 1) youtiao cook, 2) window cleaners at the Beijing Botanical Garden, 3) calligrapher, 4) tour guide at the Summer Palace, and 5) crossing guard at Tiananmen Square.

Forbidden City

Sprawling over 72 hectares in the middle of Beijing, China, the Forbidden City is the largest palace complex in the world.  This awe-inspiring collection of over 980 wooden structures from the Ming Dynasty was declared a World Heritage Site in 1987.  It is easy to spend an entire day exploring the buildings and courtyards of the Forbidden City and fantasizing about the life and times of the Chinese Emperor.   It is not so easy to exit the complex at closing time on a Saturday afternoon (thx, Zhang).

Fall Sesshin

The wooden man starts to sing; the stone woman gets up dancing.
-Song of the Precious Mirror Samadhi

I spent the last three days in sesshin at the Garrison Institute. [NOTE: I was doan, so I spent a lot of time with the gongs and the clappers and the inkin].

Don't Miss Your Flight

The underground corridor between terminals A and B in the Detroit Metro airport (DTW) serves to calm - or disorient - the harried air traveler. 

Clyde Connell

Saw a breathtaking exhibition of the works of Clyde Connell yesterday at a small gallery in her hometown of Shreveport, Louisiana (thx, Jim).

Selva Maya Interrupted

At 2:37 AM on August 21, 2007, Hurricane Dean slammed into the Yucatan Peninsula.  The center of the storm passed right through the middle of the Selva Maya, destroying over 1 million hectares of forest and toppling or decapitating most of the sample trees that we had banded. The 600 or so bands that are still in place are providing invaluable data on the growth response of tropical trees to hurricanes.  Certainly worthwhile, but not exactly what we had in mind when we originally designed the research.

[NOTES: Both stems shown in the lower photo have bands.  The one on the right was twisted and snapped; the one on the left had lost all of its limbs.  Both trees have since died. As indicated by the sky showing through in the background, the forest canopy was completely removed by the hurricane.]